If you are brave enough to take on a kitchen redesign yourself, be wary of these 7 design mistakes everyone makes when it comes to the kitchen. This article was from an interview Scott did which was originally published in Chicago Magazine.
1. Don’t put appliances next to each other.
Shapes and sizes of appliances vary. Sometimes stainless steel is a different color when using multiple brands. So keep functions—ovens and cook-top; sink, dishwasher and garbage; refrigeration and counter space—together, but leave visual distance between the appliances.
Pictured here: Our Elysian kitchen complete with a seamless integration of stainless appliances, spaced thoughtfully throughout the space. Scott used stainless cabinetry above the appliances to create vertical columns.
2. Don’t order your cabinets before your appliances.
In order to know exactly what sizes of cabinets you need, you must know what appliances they are going to surround. Appliances and their location dictate the size and amount of cabinetry you can accommodate in your kitchen. Have a plan and stick to it.
3. Don’t let a microwave ruin your design.
Create an appliance closet where you can store your microwave, coffee maker, and toaster. It can be small—a 26-inch wide pantry is fine. But have it be something you can close the door on and clean up later, so your kitchen always looks neat.
Pictured here: Our Chicago Penthouse Kitchen complete with Pantry Sliders from Element Design which conceal all of the smaller appliances.
4. Don’t use a bunch of different-sized cabinets.
Some American designers put a 12-inch cabinet next to a 30-inch cabinet when there are no other 12-inch cabinets in the run. Europeans design cabinets to be the same proportion and this looks best.
5. Don’t assume a craft cabinetmaker is better.
I have been on both sides of the aisle—building my own cabinets for customers and ordering them through larger companies—and I recommend going with a cabinet company that has a name brand, national presence and warranty. Costs are not necessarily always going to be less with a small shop, and independent cabinetmakers come and go with the fluctuations of the economy. Big companies spend big money on research and development and have done the quantities to work out the bugs.
Pictured here: Our Lincoln Park Modern Kitchen featuring Stosa Cabinets in Replay Rovere Grigio and White Gloss which are made completely out of recycled materials.
6. Don’t order counters until the vendor takes measurements.
Caulk in the cracks isn’t going to look as good as having your countertop line up perfectly against your wall, so make sure a stone slab countertop is cut to a template that fits your space exactly. That means someone has to come over, measure, and create that template.
7. Don’t hesitate to ask to see a designer’s work in person.
I often do house tours. There is nothing wrong with asking to see a place in-person for reference. Photographs don’t always tell the full story.
The best way to avoid these common mistakes? Call Dresner Design.
