Of all the rooms in our recently renovated cottage, the kitchen has to be my very favorite. However, there are also some issues that I wish I could go back and put right.
They don’t stop me from loving the room, but they annoy me and when we take on our next renovation project (which hopefully won’t be in the too-distant future) I will definitely not be making the same mistakes again.
Here I give you the top five kitchen design mistakes we made so that you can avoid doing the same.
1. Fitting wooden countertops around the sink
The majority of the countertops in our kitchen are made from oak and we sourced these online rather than buying them from the same supplier we used for our kitchen cabinets as we found we could get a better deal this way.
They look lovely - warm, timeless, and just a little bit rustic. We oil them using Danish oil around twice a year to keep them in good condition and they are surprisingly resilient when it comes to withstanding the hot pans I regularly plonk on them when I shouldn’t.
So far, so good. But (and there has to be a but) I really wish we hadn’t used them around the kitchen sink. Despite trying to be careful about splashing them with water, the area behind the sink inevitably gets wet on a daily basis and the wood here has been left discolored and even a little cracked. We recently sanded it right back (a bonus of timber) and re-oiled it but it still doesn’t look quite right.
For our breakfast bar we used a beautiful quartz composite marble countertop which is pretty much bullet-proof and this would have been a much better choice for the sink area. I am glad we went for composite stone as when it comes to how to clean marble countertops a little more care is required.
These Silicone Trivet Mats from Amazon in turquoise would have helped protect our timber countertops.
2. Opting for a ceramic stove instead of induction
We completely gutted our cottage, stripping it right back to its bare bones. We kind of sprinted into this project as we were desperate to move out of our soulless rental and were seduced by the character and setting of the cottage. We didn’t really think ahead when it came to how we would afford the house renovation costs that we’d need to fund. As such, we were really keen (maybe too keen) to save money where we could. Sometimes this worked just great - for example, the bargain second-hand fire basket in our open fire - other times it didn’t.
We opted for an electric range stove, however, we chose a model with a ceramic stovetop, and oh how I regret that. Seriously, I sometimes feel like I’m living in the 1980s.
We were used to gas cooking - so instant response. This thing takes forever to get to temperature and then stays hot for ages after being turned down or off.
If we had spent just a little bit more, life would be so much easier when it comes to mealtimes. I'm thinking about getting one of these Portable Induction Cooktops from Amazon in the meantime.
3. Not considering how much dirt the floor would show up
I spent a long time looking at country kitchen design ideas and wanted a bit of a modern rustic finish in the kitchen, so we mixed up new Shaker units and the smart marble breakfast bar with reclaimed items such as the worn old butcher's block.
For the kitchen flooring, we opted for large format, rectangular riven slate tiles - and they do look lovely - when they’ve just been vacuumed and mopped.
The problem starts when anyone steps foot in the kitchen. These things show up every single speck of dirt. Just outside the back door that leads into the kitchen, we have creamy-colored gravel which seems to transfer a fair bit of dust to shoes and then show up on our near-black tiles. We have a dog and a cat - their paw prints are regular features on our kitchen floor. Everything, from watermarks to flour seems to be more visible than ever on these particular tiles.
We are pretty good at keeping on top of the cleaning, but even this is more of a chore than it needed to be - dirt gets lodged in the riven surface of the slate, and this surface tears most floor mops to pieces.
If I had the choice again I’d opt for something like a beige or creamy-toned limestone or travertine to hide the dirt a bit. And I would go for a more honed finish to make sweeping and cleaning easier.
The one thing that does get our floor clean is a steam mop and I love the Shark Professional Steam Pocket Mop from Lowes.
4. Failing to plan space for a bigger refrigerator
There is a space between the edge of our freestanding refrigerator/freezer and the stable door. And do you know why that annoys me? Because it meant there was more space for a bigger model of refrigerator.
I regularly play refrigerator Jenga after coming back from doing a food shop because there just isn’t enough space for everything. Pots of yogurt regularly seem to fly out when I open the door, much to the delight of the dog who loves to help clean the pesky aforementioned floor.
Every time I go to someone’s house who has a double-door refrigerator and freezer - and especially those with iced water dispensers on the outside - I feel jealous.
As we plan on moving soon there seems little point in investing in a new one now - but I am wondering, how long does a refrigerator last? Hopefully, this one won’t last much longer and I can buy a new one.
Price: $3,239.96
The good looks of this refrigerator almost make anything else pointless, but let's talk a bit about the other features. You can get cubed or crushed ice at the touch of a button plus it has exceptionally fast-cooling and freezing functions. It's also fingerprint resistant - and... it just looks good!
Price: $2,159.00
With three full-width shelves, the water dispenser on this refrigerator is on the inside, but that just adds to its sleek, modern good looks. It also comes with an ice-maker and two humidity-controlled drawers that make it possible to accommodate all kinds of produce.
Price: $1,799.00
I love this refrigerator by Whirlpool. Not only is the stainless steel finish fingerprint-resistant but it also has an ice and water dispenser. It features two roomy drawers, plus it has crispers with humidity control designed to keep your fresh produce at the perfect temperature and humidity.
5. Choosing a noisy range hood
Our kitchen, like many other peoples’, seems to be the place where everyone wants to congregate - which I love. But there is a lot that goes on in a kitchen - cooking, chopping, washing, and so on. All of this alone creates quite a lot of noise so loud appliances are just not welcome - they only add to the feeling of chaos at busy times - particularly when guests want to chat while you try to look cool and collected while juggling a billion other things.
When I turn our range hood on to prevent the kitchen from filling with steam or cooking odors, you would be forgiven for thinking that a jumbo jet was taking off just outside the window.
I don’t know how many decibels it is - because I never thought to check. Clever me.
The moral of the story? Noise output of appliances matters - and it will usually be stated on the specifications. Checking this should be a number one priority for anyone researching how to design an open-plan kitchen.
The COSMO COS-63175S Wall Mount Range Hood from Amazon has a noise level of just 45dB.
Inspired to turn your own kitchen remodel ideas into a reality? Make sure you put in the research before getting started to ensure your end result is everything you hoped for.