5 Kitchen Design Mistakes That Can Make it Look Cheap & Ugly
Believe it or not, our interior designers are used to seeing certain kitchen design mistakes that make otherwise beautiful kitchens look really cheap or outdated. So if you’re designing a new kitchen or perhaps renovating your old one, here are some common mistakes that you need to avoid:
1 – Bad Choice of Colours
Good colour choice is one of the main differences between a cheap looking and an expensive looking kitchen. I would recommend going for light, subtle and neutral colours instead of colours like orange or yellow. If you want to add an accent wall, choose a complementing wall paper or a large szie wall art in light, pastel colours. Artwork can really help with upgrading a kitchen – no matter what the style of the space.
Cristina Chirila, Senior designer at FCI London
Considering that you don’t redesign your kitchens too often, it’s best to go for neutral, minimalistic colour schemes. You can take inspiration from this stunning white and black kitchen that Cristina recently worked on for our Redington road project.
2 – A Big Dining Table Squeezed into a Small Kitchen
Another common mistake we see is stuffing the kitchen with too much furniture.
Kitchens should feel open, airy and spacious with a free flow of movement around the stove, island and dining table. If the kitchen is not big enough, it’s best to just add a small Island with bar stools instead of forcing a dining table in it – you can adjust the dining table in the living room instead.
“Overcrowding the kitchen floor and the kitchen counters are equally disastrous as they take away the charm of a well-maintained and well-designed kitchen. So stick to minimalism and get rid of anything that you do not need.”
Lauren Austin, interior designer at FCI London
3 – Bad Lighting
The best way to not only brighten your kitchen but also alter the atmosphere of the room is to install a stunning chandelier or an odd number of pendant lights. The majority of residences and rentals have uniform standard lighting so give your home’s most-used space a personality or an unexpected touch by upgrading the lighting.
“Even a well-designed and furnished kitchen can look like a disaster if you use cheap, badly designed lighting. Especially the outdated fluorescent tube lighting. If you still have those, you need to replace them ASAP. “
Benjamin Ibanez, Business manager at FCI London
4 – Poor Choice of Chairs or Barstools
One often ignored area of the kitchen is the furniture, especially the bar stools used with the kitchen counters or the islands.
I can not even count the number of times I have seen stools or dining chairs in designs and colours that ruin the mood of the kitchen space. Your kitchen furniture does not necessarily have to match the colour scheme or the aesthetics of your kitchen but it should at the very least complement it. Brightly coloured bar stools and dining chairs are really hard to blend with modern kitchen spaces.
Jessica Codejon Alvarez, Interior designer at FCI London
Take cues from this stunning open-plan kitchen that we designed and furnished for our Valley road project. We went with different shades of grey and black for both the bar stools and the dining chairs to create a sense of harmony throughout this space.
5 – Bad Cabinetry
Your kitchen cabinetry does so much more than offer storage.
Most of the kitchen space is usually taken up by cabinets which is why you need to go for good cabinetry if you want a sleek look for your kitchen. This doesn’t just mean you should invest in good quality material but also design the cabinetry in a way that’s functional and offers you as much storage as you need (even more if possible).
If you feel like your current kitchen cabinets are outdated and you’re not willing to invest in new ones, it would be best to refresh them with either new doors or a fresh coat of paint. It’s also a good idea to add some open shelving so you can display your favourite kitchen appliances or crockery.
Ricardo Jarjoura, Interior designer and architect
Summing Up
Designing and furnishing a contemporary kitchen is not as easy as it sounds, as one wrong move could take your kitchen from chic to cheap.
If you need help at any point, book an appointment and our expert interior designers will be there to help. We’ve been designing luxury kitchens for more than four decades now, so you can fully trust us to create a Michelin-worthy masterpiece for you.
