Architect's TOP 10 Kitchen Design Mistakes

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⏱️ Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:16 1. Drawers
2:57 2. Latches
4:58 3. Spotlights
6:58 4. Doors
8:49 5. Appliances
12:22 6. Cabinets
14:54 7. Outlets
16:22 8. Materials
19:54 9. & 10. Workspace & Handles

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Disclaimer:
This is not design advice, nor can I give you design advice. Everything in this video is conceptual and is for entertainment purposes only and not for the purpose of providing design advice. Nothing in this video should be construed to form an architect client relationship. You should contact your own architect to obtain advice regarding any particular project. When hacking furniture, you do so at your own risk. Some of links shown are affiliate links that provide me a small commission to help support the channel.

[DanielTitchener]

Had a lot to get off my chest in this one (I do actually love the kitchen in our new place for the most part!). In case some of your were wondering why the audio's a little different, I'm doing some testing with a new mic with this style of off-script video, so if you guys have any feedback - let me know!

[PenkoAngelov]

One useful rule I've come to appreciate over the years, is that the top cabinets should always reach flush to the ceasing. Otherwise they will collect decades of dust and spiderwebs and are frustrating to keep clean.

[WereRea]

My mother had me design her kitchen for her forever house, the house she and my father will retire to. There are only base cabinets, as when you get older, reaching up can be quite difficult. There are three drawers per cabinet, one smaller one and two larger ones, making all the drawer fronts line up, and also eliminating the items lost at the back of cabinets. The cabinets are also a little taller than regular ones to make it easier to work on for older individuals. There is also five feet of space between the island and the rest of the cabinets so two people with walkers can pass by without knocking into each other. The oven is separate from the range so she won't have to bend down to get things out of it. A lot of forethought and planning went into this kitchen and I can't wait to finish building the cabinets and see it all come together.

[shmolyneaux]

6:35 At night you may want the under-cabinet lights on while the overhead lights are off. I think that's a reason enough to put them on a separate switch.

[oygenn]

I love the level of polite frustration in this video, especially when it's so relatable! 😄
Another great video, thanks for the useful tips!

[Elle-krod]

Somehow trash/recycling/compost needs are often forgotten. To me, it's a critical part of kitchen design.

[phoebelim]

Function over form. Always. The best advice is to really think about how you'll use things. I LOVE all the drawers I used in my kitchen reno. I have drawers drawer drawers with cabinets only under the sink and the corners (I have a U-shape kitchen). I put magic corners in both corners and love them. And I love my under cabinet lighting.

[safalabista]

More of these please. For all types of spaces. Bedroom, bathroom, study, living room, EVERYTHING.

[TheGreatBobby]

If your sink had been installed in the island, I 100% guarantee that this would have been your #1 design mistake. Designers seem to place sinks in kitchen islands all the time nowadays. Sinks ruin islands: they make them smaller by reducing usable counter space; they attract dirty dishes, which end up in the middle of the kitchen; they don't allow for proper ventilation of the sink drain; they reduce the utility of the island as a gathering/sharing place.

[CamilleReal]

(Raises Hand) I'm an Architect, and I suck at designing kitchens. Kudos to all the interior designers, as their application of human anatomy to the use and movement in a space is magical! I'm here to learn 🙏🏾

[Chareads]

I avoided clicking this video because I designed and built my own kitchen and I'm just installing it now... and according to you I've made zero mistakes! Huzzah!

[YSLRD]

From a short person: OH MY GOSH!! I'M IN LOVE! I had no idea about the drop down cabiinet interiors.

[dmw]

THANKS! I always thought drawers inside cupboards were just plain dumb and spent the $ for all deep drawers for base cabinets. Glad to be vidicated by a professional :) Your humility admitting you've made mistakes is endearing..Keep up the great work.

[ml_haskell]

You can learn a lot by living with bad lighting. We bought our forever home knowing that the kitchen would be renovated. It took a couple years. The lighting was awful: the "boob" fixture behind me meant I could never see my work. For the reno, I selected undercabinet lights plus lots of indirect lights *right* *over* the countertops. The GC and the electrical guys went nuts and tried to talk me out of it. I asked them, "So, WHO does the cooking in your house?" They got quiet and did want I asked. Those indirects pump out a boatload of suffused neutral ight with minimal glare. When they are on, they add light directly to the work surface, in addition to the undercabinet lights. All the lights can be dimmed, and they make a soft glowing room when we need it for entertaining. Instead of looking like it's lit for heart surgery.

[KilgoreTrout]

A woodworker can never have too many clamps, and in the kitchen you can never have too many readily accessible drawers, cabinets with pull out shelves and plugs. We took a year designing our house and went over the kitchen details again and again, and I'm happy to report that the kitchen functions incredibly well ... and became the model for friends' remodels of their kitchens. Great video!

[Matty]

im so tired of people using minimalism as a scapegoat for bad design. minimalism is supposed to still function. without function you dont have minimalism you have garbage

[PLuMUK]

With the issue of wall cupboards, I solved the problem with baskets. Apart from plates, glasses, and so on, everything in the cupboards, including in the base cupboards, is in various sized baskets. I stack them as it's easy to pull them out and, if necessary, place on the work surface. If a cupboard is likely to be opened when I have visitors, I use woven baskets for their appearance, but long term storage gets simpler, and cheaper plastic. Using baskets mean that I can change a cupboard's use. Drawers and pull down shelves limit this.

A great space saver is an induction hob. When I'm not actually cooking, it gives me additional preparation space.

[GeronimoFly]

I actually prefer appliances that you can see, rather than paneled. I think they nicely break up what I consider to be a monotonous look, and guests can tell where the refrigerator is without having to open all my cupboards LOL.

[caesar]

My kitchen is a tiny L shape and desperately needed an island/extra storage of some kind, so I bought a barcart of marketplace. Best purchase I've done: extra storage for pans, spices and dry goods, easy access to utensils, cleared up counterspace. That barcart and 2nd hand rounded handles were game changers for the functionality of my kitchen

[lorr.jones]

My contractor modified the undersink cabinet of my Ikea kitchen. Changed them from one cavernous cabinet into two pullouts. Best thing ever!