12 Setup Mistakes You Should Avoid in Kitchen Designs
For many people, the kitchen is the focal point of the apartment. However, in order to enjoy the stay in the kitchen, practical and appealing furnishings are very important. Here you will discover 12 setup kitchen errors that you should definitely avoid.
Stay in the kitchen: cooking and more
The kitchen is used to prepare dishes and store food. In the past, this room was reserved exclusively for housewives – or service staff for wealthier people. Spending time in the kitchen with family or even guests was almost unimaginable at the time. However, that has now changed. In many apartments, the kitchen is a popular meeting place for the whole family. Here, the residents can cook together, drink coffee or just chat for a while.
This change in meaning can also be seen in the current trends for kitchen furnishings. Manufacturers are offering more and more eat-in kitchens that promote social get-togethers. The following survey shows that staying in the kitchen is very important to many people. People between 30 and 49 in particular often see the kitchen as the center of the home.
Survey: Importance of the kitchen (by age group)
| Survey: Importance of the kitchen (by age group) | ||||||
| total | up to 29 years | 30 to 39 years | 40 to 49 years | 50 to 59 years | over 60 years | |
| Pure cooking and work place | 42% | 50% | 27% | 42% | 42% | 54% |
| Center of the apartment | 32% | 19% | 36% | 41% | 26% | 35% |
| Guests have lost nothing in the kitchen | 9% | 6% | 1 % | 6% | 14% | 24% |
Source: https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/163620/umfrage/stellenwert-der-kueche-in-der-wohnung-nach-altersgruppen/
In many apartments, the kitchen is a popular meeting place for the whole family. Here, the residents can cook together, drink coffee or just chat for a while.
Numerous building completions make new ideas for kitchen furnishings necessary
There has been a real building boom in Germany for several years. The number of completed apartments has risen sharply. This is shown in the following table:
| Completed apartments in Germany | |
| 2013 | 214 817 |
| 2014 | 245 325 |
| 2015 | 247 722 |
| 2016 | 277 691 |
| 2017 | 284 816 |
Source: https://www.destatis.de/DE/ZahlenFakten/Wirtschaftsbereiche/Bauen/Bautaetigkeit/Tabellen/Baufertigstellungen.html;jsessionid=CCC8C83C6E181EB0230457B99A78E14D.InternetLive2
The high number of new apartments means that the owners have to think about how to set up the kitchen. As long as the building is still under construction, the conditions are optimal to implement your own ideas and to avoid furnishing mistakes. There are also numerous renovation measures. These also offer the possibility to choose an appealing kitchen style and to furnish this room practically and beautifully.
Another indication of the importance of the kitchen is the amount of expenditure that residents take on for the furnishings.
The trend is towards ever higher quality kitchens
Another indication of the importance of the kitchen is the amount of expenditure that residents take on for the facility. When the kitchen only served as a room for preparing meals, many apartment owners tried to save as much as possible on the furnishings.
Since it has developed into a popular lounge, the expenses that residents spend on furnishing it have also increased. The following table clearly shows that the trend is towards ever higher quality kitchens.
Average expenditure for kitchen equipment (in euros)
| Average expenditure for kitchen equipment (in euros) | |
| 2010 | 5533 |
| 2011 | 5651 |
| 2012 | 5799 |
| 2013 | 5851 |
| 2014 | 6281 |
Source: https://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/article136762347/Die-Kueche-ist-des-Deutschen-neuer-Porsche.html
If you prepare the dishes for two or even the whole family, bottlenecks in the kitchen are very annoying.
Kitchen setup mistakes: 12 things you should avoid
So that you feel comfortable in the kitchen, not only a high-quality device is necessary. In addition, a well thought-out concept is very important. Many apartment owners do not take the necessary care when planning this room. This leads to set-up errors that severely limit the comfort when using it. These are often difficult to correct later. To avoid these problems, we have put together 12 typical setup errors for you here.
Narrow spaces in the kitchen
You have to keep moving around in the kitchen – for example to provide the necessary kitchen utensils or ingredients. If you prepare the dishes for two or even with the whole family, bottlenecks in the kitchen are very annoying. As a result, it is always necessary to wait until you can pass through the corresponding area. Already in the planning of the room you should better choose a square than a too narrow floor plan. It is also important to ensure that the furniture does not create any bottlenecks.
Therefore, you should install sufficient sockets in all areas of the room when building and renovating.
Too few sockets
More and more electrical devices are being used in the kitchen. These require an outlet. Therefore, you should install sufficient sockets in all areas of the room when building and renovating. Otherwise you are dependent on distribution sockets, which interfere with the kitchen work and also look unsightly.
Too little light
Cooking in poor light is not very fun. It is therefore particularly important in this room to ensure good lighting. If possible, you should also take this into account when building or renovating the room. The subsequent attachment of lights is possible, but usually a little more complicated.
Appliances and work surfaces that are too low
If the stove or worktop is installed very low, you have to bend down a lot when working in the kitchen. This can lead to back problems. As the average height increases steadily and since more and more men – whose height is on average significantly larger than that of women – are active in the kitchen, the traditional dimensions are less and less practical. Large people in particular should therefore pay attention to increased work areas when setting up.
If you like to cook together with other people, then you also need suitable worktops.
A small work surface
After you have completed the construction work, it is time to take care of the furniture. You should primarily think of the work surfaces. If you like to cook together with other people, then you also need suitable worktops. Therefore, you should always first make sure that they offer a sufficiently large area. This should also be accessible from several sides to facilitate collaboration.
Dark furniture in a small kitchen
When you choose a kitchen style, you can basically choose according to your own taste. An alternative is the country house style, which exudes a special cosiness. But you can also choose modern furniture with clear shapes. In any case, you should avoid one thing: use dark furniture in a small kitchen. The dark color makes the room appear smaller. If the kitchen is already very small, dark colors make you feel very cramped here.
Too little storage space in the kitchen
When you are equipping the kitchen, remember that you need a lot of storage space here. In the kitchen cabinets you not only have to keep pots, pans, kitchen utensils and all other utensils, but also spices and some groceries. Service is often also found in the kitchen. Therefore, always choose kitchen furniture with a generous amount of space. If you can store all of the necessary items in the kitchen, which lowers user comfort considerably.
An extractor hood is very important to remove steam and odors.
Too many open shelves
If you look at a fitted kitchen in a furniture store, models with numerous open shelves look very appealing. When you choose these pieces of furniture, the trouble is often pre-programmed. In the furniture stores there is space for attractive decorative objects that make a good impression when properly arranged. However, if you put kitchen utensils, food supplies and other everyday items here, the visual impression is completely different. In addition, the items dust up after a while. For these reasons, it is advisable to choose models with very few open shelves.
Annoying extractor hood
An extractor hood is very important to remove steam and odors. In many kitchens, however, there are models that do not match the rest of the furnishing style at all. Therefore, when choosing this device, make sure that it harmonises well with your kitchen furniture. In addition, it is recommended to pay attention to a low noise level.
A minimalist kitchen style is in fashion these days. However, there is a risk that the kitchen will appear sterile and uncomfortable.
No seating
When you are in the kitchen with friends or family, you spend a lot of your time standing. This is useful while you are doing the kitchen work. If your guests are idle in the meantime, however, it becomes uncomfortable for them after a short time. Therefore, you should also make sure that some seating is available here when setting up.
Unsightly kitchen utensils
Especially around the sink there are often some utensils that do not make an attractive visual impression: the detergent, the sponge and the dish brush. If you store them in the cupboard every time after washing them up, that means a lot of work. If you still value an attractive appearance, you can use detergent dispensers, sponge holders and similar aids, which ensure a neat overall picture.
Too sterile furnishings
A minimalist kitchen style is fashionable these days. However, there is a risk that the kitchen will appear sterile and uncomfortable. Therefore, a suitable decoration is also important in this room – for example with flowers, bowls or fruit baskets.
