14 Expensive Kitchen Design Mistakes To Avoid

Keeping your hob & sink far apart

Always keep the hob and sink on the same side of the kitchen. It could be a pain having to walk from one side of the kitchen to another, navigating children and pets with a pan of boiling water to pour the water away.

Building in gadgets

Really think, how often will you use the latest fad and do you want to build built-in cabinetry around it? There’s no doubt that organised and dedicated storage and appliances make daily life easier but equally, using up space and budget for things you don’t or won’t use is a waste.

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Placing the fridge in a high-traffic zone

In busy family kitchens, this quickly becomes frustrating with people constantly blocking walkways and doors swinging into main circulation paths. As a general rule, fridges perform best at the end of cabinetry runs, not in the middle of the action. If a fridge does sit mid-run opposite an island, a two-door configuration can help reduce clearance issues, but be mindful that this often sacrifices valuable internal door storage. Which leads onto fridge storage. People often don’t pay enough attention to the amount of fridge space they require. Think about the contents of your fridge and where you like to store items, i.e. what sort of volumes do you drink your milk in, and how much space will this take up in the drawer? Given a choice, our go-to solution is a large 91cm single-door Gaggenau fridge placed at the end of a run for maximum usability and longevity.

Putting the cutlery drawer under the hob

Placing a cutlery drawer directly beneath a hob is a layout shortcut we strongly advise against. While slimline drawers make it tempting, it creates poor workflow and daily frustration. Good kitchen design prioritises natural movement and ergonomic flow, not just squeezing elements into available space.

Wasting island storage

The back of your island is premium real estate. Too often we see island backs fully boxed in, which is a missed opportunity for valuable storage. This space is ideal for items that don’t need daily access, such as serving ware, bulk appliances or entertaining pieces. We do recommend avoiding push-catch or sliding doors here. They tend to be awkward to use and don’t hold up well over time.  

Hanging glass pendants over hob islands

Glass pendants over an island hob may look beautiful but from a practical standpoint, they’re a regret waiting to happen. Even with high-performance downdraft extractors, grease and cooking residue will settle on the glass creating constant cleaning headaches. If the trend for track lighting isn't your vibe, then a single statement pendant hung over one end of the island, ideally at the dining end, is our preference. 

Holding back on task lighting

Another common post-install regret is insufficient task lighting. Prep areas need strong, functional illumination that can be switched independently from ambient lighting. If you can’t clearly see what you’re chopping, cooking or plating, the lighting design has failed, no matter how beautiful the fixtures are.

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