Designing a kitchen for your custom home is one of the most intense aspects of a home design. The kitchen is the heart of the home and the most used room in the home. While having a beautiful kitchen is always the goal, practicality should always come first. A functional kitchen design means that your custom home will run smoothly for years to come. So make sure you avoid these kitchen design mistakes!

 

Pretty Over Practical

Home design shows and Pinterest can provide amazing ideas for a stunning kitchen. But what many clients don’t realize is that just because something looks good in a kitchen doesn’t mean it will function well in real life. As home builders, we want to give our clients beautiful custom homes, but we also want them to work. Practicality should always come before pretty in a kitchen. So if your builder is telling you need to sacrifice your dream design for a good layout, listen to them! Designs will age and fade, but a good working layout never will.

 

Island Insanity

These days it’s rare that we get a client that doesn’t request a kitchen island. Islands are great. They provide a landing zone in the middle of the kitchen and are a great place for people to gather. But they don’t work for every kitchen. Another issue is that people get caught up in island styles such as too large islands or having two islands. These are ideas that look great in pictures but actually can cause issues in terms of finding materials or working in the space.

 

Ventilation Void

There’s a big debate in the home building world about whether or not cooktops or stoves belong on islands or peninsulas. It’s an aesthetic, hygienic, and safety issues but it often comes down to personal preference. Wherever you place your cooktop, it’s imperative that you have proper ventilation. Not installing ventilation is a major mistake that can actually damage your home. So while a vent hood hanging over your island isn’t the prettiest, it’s necessary!

 

Storage Shortage

When designing a custom home kitchen, we often ask our clients to inventory everything that will go in the space. The best way to keep your kitchen looking nice and organized is to make sure everything has a home. Storage is precious in Toronto homes, so if you’re lucky enough to design a custom home make sure you plan for plenty of it!

 

Lacking Lighting

Light can make or break a home design. Whether it’s natural or artificial, a good kitchen needs good lighting. This is why we look at sun exposure when we plan a home’s layout and window placement. It’s also why we recommend having a good lighting budget! Lighting is not only great for resale value; a lack of lighting can actually be unsafe in a kitchen setting.

 

Final Thoughts

Planning a custom home kitchen design isn’t an easy task. There are lots of decisions to consider from what flooring to use to what style of sink to install. Trends will come and go, but as long as you avoid these common mistakes your kitchen will stand the test of time! If you’re ready to start designing your dream custom home, contact us today!