Interior Designer Shares WORST Kitchen Design Mistakes (& How to Fix Them!)

the mic is working good okay in my last video we talked about common design mistakes in your home and how to avoid them and how to actually upgrade the space to feel a little bit more design oriented this time we're going to take a deeper dive into mistakes in any kitchen renovation how to avoid them and how to really make that kitchen come alive to its full potential welcome back to my channel if you have not met me before my name is Phoenix gray I'm an interior designer and we do everything design related on this channel if you haven't already make sure you subscribe to my channel and you can follow me on all my socials at Mr Phoenix gray over the years I've seen some absolutely impeccable home but I've also seen some very questionable choices done in renovations or DIYs done by previous owners in the kitchen and some of them honestly can make or break the space so let's talk about all these different design mistakes and how we can really upgrade your kitchen especially if you're doing a renovation the first and most distinguishable mistake you can make in any kitchen renovation is choosing the correct cabinet face for the overall look and style of what you want your kitchen to actually reflect so many individuals will either choose a flat face your Shaker cabinet a thin profile Shaker honestly the Harvest the macro there are probably about 50 different cabinet faces you can choose from for your kitchen itself this is where it comes a little bit more daunting and can be a little bit strugglesome when it comes to actually choosing the right cabinet face to what actually reflects to the style of the kitchen and the overall aesthetic of the space having the incorrect profile for your cabinet face can really cause a disconnect between the interior design style of your home and the style of your kitchen so having those two blend together seamlessly is what's going to give you that curated look that really allows your kitchen to shine for example if you have a very traditional styled home and if you have a flat profile kitchen it's not going to go well together a flat profile kitchen is going to be more of a style oriented towards that modern contemporary look also you can work in a mid-century modern style but when it comes to a traditional style they don't go so well together they're going to look completely out of place if you want to find a happy medium for any cabinet face that will literally work with any interior design style out there go for a Shaker cabinet whether it be a wide medium or thin profile this cabinet shape works so well and it's basically a chameleon to any interior design that you have in your space so you're never going to have to question if it actually works for it flat face is a little bit more of that contemporary Style versus a William Berg style that is a little bit more traditional leaning on that transitional style if you're unsure of what cabinet face matches your interior design style whether it be transitional traditional modern mid-century modern go on Pinterest this is going to be a lifesaver when it comes to looking at kitchens that you actually like and resonate with the last thing I want to see you do is choose a profile for your cabinet that doesn't actually work with the style of your home and it ends up looking like honestly this is the the last thing you want flooring consideration is another big one that a lot of people end up forgetting about or not incorporating into the overall design of the kitchen itself traditionally kitchens have always been separate from the rest of the home meaning that the tiled space within the kitchen ends at any line of a wall that connects to the others that's usually hardwood engineered or sometimes tile is curated all the way through thinking about tile and how hard that surface actually is using it on an everyday basis does not have a practical use in a kitchen your feet are going to hurt your back ends up hurting especially if you're a cook in the kitchen and you like actually being in the space a hard surface like this isn't as well thought out and as practical of everyday use as it would be carrying through the same finish like a hardwood or an LVL throughout the entire space if you do end up having tile you're going to want to at least have a runner to kind of soften the area but I will always recommend bringing the exact same finish of whatever the floor the kitchen and shares with on that either open or closed concept space throughout the entire floor that is going to one give you a consistent look throughout your home two make it much easier on your feet and everyday use in the kitchen the one downside about bringing wood in through the kitchen is the possibility of repairs with wood and spillage when it comes to messes every day but in the long run it's very unlikely that you will be experiencing a flood or anything that's going to damage and warp the floorboards if you use an actual hardwood regardless my top recommendation will always be to use wood in this space electrical is another topic not many individuals have a forethought about when it comes to actually planning out the kitchen and where you want those Outlets to be typically to code at least in Canada you need to have a certain amount of outlets depending on your counter space let me tell you Outlets are ugly they've always been ugly there's not great ones out there unless you're willing to spend that really big coin on those bulky ones that are almost seamless and hide into the walls which I get is not for everyone in terms of affordability when it comes to outlets though I want you to think about actually hiding them or incorporating them into a space where they're hidden or out of sight with today's technology there are so many advancements in the electrical work that you can get that you can hide them practically anywhere you can hide them in the surface of your countertop you can hide them behind a tile you can hide them even underneath the upper cabinets around the perimeter or if you really are feeling fancy you can hide them underneath whatever Stone you're using in the island or have them as a pop out these pictures are perfect examples of Alternatives that you can really use to upgrade the space to really make that kitchen look seamless the last thing you want to do is spend big coin on a natural stone or some kind of beautiful backsplash and end up interrupting it with a really ugly looking white Outlet kitchen islands can be tricky I read an article earlier this week that was talking about kitchen Islands being completely out of date and they're actually fact that they think they're trendy which is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen because if you are a person that uses a kitchen or if you just happen to cook the amount of counter space is so minimal no matter the size of your kitchen you always want more so in my opinion kitchen islands are very much here to stay but there are some Trends and styles of a kitchen that end up looking and feeling outdated that you should avoid when it comes to that trendy style of these islands the one major thing I want you to avoid is dual height kitchens this comes down to the factor of How It's actually used you're minimizing the amount of counter space you actually use from a work perspective to add another dining height in for either bar or counter height stools this is a major issue because it ends up adding more visual clutter to your overall kitchen which makes it seem extremely busy kitchens themselves are already the heart of the home there is so much going on there is already a ton of visual clutter that is already incorporated into that space the last thing you want to do is add in more horizontal and vertical lines that really add too much extra Dimension to the space ends up feeling and looking way busier than you want it to be my recommendation will be to always keep that kitchen island the same height consistent throughout if you have that counter height keep it through if you have that bar height make sure you're using it consistent in the same space do not add in those extra levels choosing the right backsplash has been a top Max glass choosing the right backsplash has always been a topic of choice that has been very polarizing when it comes to the style of your kitchen I have personally said some things on social that has really riled people up regarding you know basic looking backsplashes that really don't do anything for your kitchen and are the bare minimum basic looks I'm talking about Subway tiles you either love them or you hate them I understand they do have a Timeless approach to them but to me honestly they do nothing for your space and they're straight out ugly I'm not sorry for saying it there are a lot of different backsplashes that I think you should avoid though because some of them are either one super trendy or two very outdated and they really don't work with your overall space accent tiles is another major one backsplashes themselves are a very small square footage footprint and the distance between your countertop and your upper cabinets are usually so minimal anywhere between you know 15 and 21 inches this doesn't give you a lot of height to play with so adding in an accent tile or something that's super busy and constructive really gives you a visual break in the way that you optically look at the kitchen which once again adds too much visual clutter to the space and ends up looking way busier than you want it to be Mosaic wallpaper wallpaper [Music] tiles wallpaper and even those glass mosaics are other ones of what I want you to avoid because like I said before they're way too busy but I also want you to think about the approach of the Practical use and how they actually are worn throughout the kitchen themselves when it comes to Everyday cleaning are you cooking a lot are you getting splashback on that backsplash you want to make sure that either those tiles or that surface is easily cleanable if you're doing a zelica tile those ones are so uneven which are beautiful and they can give a really unique and personal look to your space when it comes to practical use those silica tiles are so uneven and even when you're actually cleaning them they're harder than they actually look and you're going to get Grime build up on them on a regular basis so think about it from a usable perspective of how you're cleaning it and how it actually works in the space and if the tile style works with the overall kitchen design my top recommendation once again again is another polarizing one will be to continue the same counter finish you have up the backsplash one this is going to give you a completely seamless look and two visually it's going to make it look like your countertops are actually larger than they already are having that same surface that is horizontal carry up vertical one also allows for so much ease of access to everything available there but also cleaning is an absolute Breeze and if you're an average person that doesn't have a cleaning person to come in and clean trust me it's going to make a world of difference here the major three key terms I want you to take away from this are ambient accent and task these three lighting terms I want you to take and actually apply to every single one of your rooms but especially your kitchen which is mostly forgotten about when it comes to task lighting I want you to think about the pot lights that are in the space or any direct lights that light up the surface this is going to be crucial when it comes to actually complete pleading tasks you need the proper amount of lighting if you're cutting chopping cooking or cleaning that is your base level of Lights which is most standard in kitchens when it comes to accent lighting this is where a lot of people forget about it accent lighting is something that I want you to think about in key terms of pendant lights this is going to give you that accent amount of light that really kind of picks up and gives you more of that artistic Flair although these lights don't actually give you amount of light on a Surface they're just there to actually give you that extra visual interest that gives you more depth and dimension in a space in terms of ambient lighting I want you to think of almost like an accent but lights that pick up in other areas of the kitchen itself so I'm talking about hidden LED strips if it needs to be underneath the upper cabinets or if they're just hidden lights within the actual Pantry or cabinets themselves ambient lights are there to add an additional amount of glow that really don't give you a direct light but once again pick on that that ambient side to really give you more depth and dimension into space that really allows you to differentiate between the accent task and ambient light three of these is what you need in every space especially in a kitchen which a lot of people forget about so just keep that in mind for any kitchen renovation that you want to have those three terms that pick up for lighting that really creates Dimension and depth in the space the biggest cardinal sin when it comes to your kitchen renovation is not planning for storage and actual space the amount of times that I've worked with clients that don't plan or at least let me know the amount of small appliances Appliance garages and everything that's going into it and where it's going to go is going to prepare a disaster for you I want you to think about creating a list of everything that you have itemized in your kitchen right now everything from flatware to cups to tableware to serving boards to the size of your largest Supply chance I know we all have one of those air fryers and they are huge they really don't fit in anything these days so if you want to be able to hide one of those if you're doing a kitchen renovation make sure you have those measurements and you give them to your designer because if you do not you're going to have no space for one of these items and the last thing you want to do is invest all this money into a kitchen to hide these appliances and you're not able to actually fit them into your kitchen once you have your kitchen plans already laid out and when it comes to your cabinet sizes to make sure you actually included everything I want you to actually add that itemized list in to every cabinet face look at the elevations and the plans and start putting in exactly where these items are going to go because this is going to save you so much time and energy when it comes to actually completing the kitchen you're going to know where everything is going to go you're not going to be spending all your time trying to reorganize everything because you've already planned for this choosing the wrong appliances is another big mistake that I see individuals do when they're actually renovating their kitchen with the way that technology has advanced all see these beautiful flat screens on front of fridges or panel ready and everything is very daunting when it comes to choosing these appliances and what actually works for your kitchen if you're going through this renovation I want you to start thinking about items that won how long they're going to last two how trendy they are and three the color that's incorporated into the actual Appliance themselves lots of the appliances they usually have a very short shelf life when they come out most appliance stores will make thousands of them and once they're done if it's not a best seller they're going to pull it which means down the line if you ended up buying an entire Appliance set from a company and one of them breaks down maybe three or four years later if you got a very specific color or look that matches the rest of your appliances you're going to have a major issue actually having a color match they may be able to get it close to it but there will never be a color dye that is the exact same that works with the rest of your appliances if that doesn't bother you that's okay by all means go for something like this but in my opinion I will always go for a panel ready Appliance yes they seem very trendy right now and we've gone from the style of we want bold and colorful appliances in the 80s and show them off till now we don't want to see any appliances we want them to be hidden we just want them to go seamlessly in style flush with the rest of the kitchen in my opinion having that panel ready Appliance works with everything you will never have to worry about the appliance breaking down and finding one to replace it because all you need is the exact same size and whatever cabinet face you've chosen for your kitchen you can just apply it to the new one another really big mistake I see is a lot of individuals not bringing plumbing and electrical work to your actual kitchen island I know some people are against having a sink in the island I find having that prep space really helps utilize the amount of counter space you have to really make it work with your kitchen bringing plumbing and electrical to your Island in any renovation typically requires removing the floorboards and any joists to bringing them from any wall into the middle of your unit or house wherever that island is placed I want you to think about one this may be an additional cost but two it is so worth it having that electrical in your island is going to allow you to utilize all those small appliances so you don't have to clutter up your actual counter space of the rest of the perimeter of your kitchen being able to have your blender your fryer or any other small appliance right in front of you beside a sink or at least where your food prep is is going to make a world of a difference and trust me it is well worth that extra cost to bring in the plumbing and electrical to your Island even if you don't utilize the plumbing the amount of times that I've seen any renovation of individuals wanting to bring a cooler or a small mini fridge into your Island this is is the perfect opportunity to do it last mistake I see is a lot of individuals choosing very trendy items for any kitchen renovation I've said this before and I will say it again trendy kitchens go out of style so quickly because you're using this space every single day and multiple times a day I want you to think about a Timeless approach of finishes and items that really work with the overall design aesthetic of your space I only said it once in this video though okay a really trendy finish right now that I'm seeing a lot of is Onyx and having it backlit Onyx is an absolutely beautiful unmatched Natural Stone which has so many different capabilities for its use having it backlit like this gives me the exact same Vibes as a 70s Hotel bar which I guess can be a look if that's what you're going for but you're going to be sick of it so quickly if you have that option to backlight something like this once again it's so trendy it's going to be out of style so quickly and you're going to end up hating in the long run so always remember when you're choosing any finishes for your kitchen the style should match the Timeless qualities of your architectural home keep in mind this is just my professional and personal opinion but I have seen so many individuals make mistakes when they're doing a kitchen renovation this is me telling you save the time save the energy and all of the issues that arise with any kitchen renovation because I know trust me there are thousands of issues that will come up these are only a few surface level ones that trust me are worth investing in and actually looking into making your kitchen more unique and more functional for you and how you use it that's it for this video and make sure to like And subscribe and if you're not already you can follow me on all my socials and Mr Phoenix gray and if you're ever questioning yourself just think what would design daddy do booyah [Music] foreign 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Channel: Design Daddy

Views: 37,197

Keywords: interior designer, interior design, decor trends, home decor, design tips, interior design tips, phoenix grey, mr phoenix grey, phoenix grey design, orion studios, design daddy, mr phoenix grey design, kitchen mistakes, kitchen mistake, kitchen design mistakes, kitchen design mistake, kitchen designs, kitchen designs mistakes, bad kitchen, ugly kitchen, good kitchen layout, bad kitchen layout, kitchen countertops bad, kitchen countertops good, kitchen floorplan, kitchen

Id: kNmVMi-enb4

Length: 19min 3sec (1143 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 06 2023