Kitchens are one of the most common design mistakes, almost always made by people who think an architect “doesn’t need to draw the kitchen.”

Then, once the house is built or the apartment furnished, come the frustrations: bumping into corners, not enough storage, uncomfortable posture, overheating, steam with nowhere to go…

All of it can be easily avoided if the kitchen is designed thoughtfully, as a central part of the home, not an afterthought.

1. Just Right Kitchen Size

This one might seem obvious but you wouldn’t believe how often I see tiny kitchens in bigger houses.

A well-proportioned kitchen is not just about aesthetics - it’s about daily comfort and function. The kitchen size should always reflect both the size of the home and the residents’ cooking habits.

For example, here’s a kitchen designed for a family of five in a 190 m² house, yet it barely fits one person to cook comfortably:

Wrong design consequences: The kitchen feels cramped, there’s never enough storage and cooking space, and you constantly bump into each other while cooking, turning everyday routines into endless irritation.

2. Personalised Worktop Height

The height of kitchen counters should be tailored to the person who cooks most often - not to a generic “standard.”

This is a good rule of thumb:

Wrong design consequences: Your back and shoulders will ache. If the counter is too low, you’re constantly bending; if it’s too high, cooking feels awkward and tiring.

3. Logical Layout

The layout of the kitchen should follow the natural workflow: from storing food, to preparing it, washing, cooking, and serving.

When this sequence is logical, movement in the kitchen becomes effortless and intuitive.

The correct flow (from right to left, if the fridge door opens leftward - the door should not block your movement toward the prep zone):

1. Storage: where groceries and ingredients are kept (usually a fridge and cabinets).

2. Cutting & Preparation: where ingredients are washed, peeled, chopped, mixed, and seasoned. This zone should have easy access to both the fridge and the sink.

3. Washing: the sink area where you clean ingredients and dishes.

4. Counter Space: a neutral surface for plating, cooling, or placing items while cooking. It acts as a buffer zone between washing and cooking, and is also where small appliances often sit.

5. Cooking & Baking: the stove, oven, and hood area: where the actual cooking happens.

Wrong Design Consequences: When this flow is broken, your kitchen turns into a daily obstacle course. You’ll constantly move back and forth between zones, crossing wet and dirty surfaces, dropping water or food scraps along the way. The sink ends up too far from the preparation area, so dirt and water spill everywhere. Counters get cluttered because there’s no clear “staging” surface between washing and cooking.
It feels chaotic and every meal becomes a little more tiring than it should be.

4. Sink Placement

The sink should never be placed beneath a deep upper cabinet or directly beside a tall cabinet.
The upper cabinet above the sink should be about 15-20 cm less deep than the worktop, allowing comfortable space for the head and shoulders.

There should be no tall cabinet on either side of the sink, so you can stand freely and move without obstruction.

Wrong Design Consequences: You’ll constantly bump your head or shoulders while washing dishes, water will splash onto nearby cabinets, and the entire area will feel cramped and uncomfortable instead of open and functional.

5. Space Above the Cooktop

The cooktop should never be placed beneath an upper cabinet or directly next to a tall cabinet: heat, steam, and splashing can easily damage surrounding surfaces and make cooking uncomfortable.

Ideally, install a powerful, well-positioned hood above the cooktop to extract steam and odors efficiently, keeping the air clean and the kitchen pleasant to use.

Wrong Design Consequences: Cabinets overheat and collect grease, finishes wear out quickly, and the cooking zone feels tight, hot, and difficult to maintain.

6. Dishwasher Position

The dishwasher should be placed immediately next to the sink, ideally on the right side for right-handed users (or on the left for left-handed ones). This allows dirty dishes to be rinsed and loaded in one smooth motion without dripping water across the floor.

If possible, keep it close to storage cabinets and drawers for easy unloading and putting dishes away.
Wrong Design Consequences: Water drips across the floor as you move dishes, you have to walk back and forth between zones, and loading or unloading becomes unnecessarily tiring and messy.

7. Trash Bin Placement

The trash bin should be located directly under the Cutting & Preparation zone - the area where most waste is generated, such as vegetable peels, packaging, and food scraps.

This placement allows you to sweep waste straight from the countertop into the bin without carrying it across the kitchen.

Wrong Design Consequences: If the bin is too far away, scraps and drips fall on the floor, you carry waste through other zones, and the kitchen quickly becomes messy and unhygienic. Poor bin placement also breaks the natural workflow and makes daily cleaning unnecessarily frustrating.

8. Toe Kick Space

You wouldn’t believe how often this mistake appears even in newly designed kitchens.

It seems obvious, but many base cabinets are still built without a proper toe kick, leaving no room for your feet when you stand close to the counter.

That small recessed space at the bottom allows your toes to slide slightly underneath, letting you stand upright and work comfortably for longer periods.

It’s one of those quiet details that separates a well-designed kitchen from one that simply looks good.

It may seem like a small detail, but it makes a huge difference in posture and comfort during cooking, washing, or cleaning.

Wrong Design Consequences: Without a proper toe kick, your toes hit the cabinet base, forcing you to lean forward and strain your back every time you cook, wash, or clean, turning daily tasks into small but constant discomforts. Even worse, you’ll start feeling toe pain as a constant reminder that something is off with the design — a small but painful detail that makes cooking far less enjoyable.

9. Ventilation and Light

Good ventilation is one of the most overlooked aspects of kitchen design yet it defines how fresh, pleasant, and durable your space will feel over time.

A proper hood above the cooktop should efficiently extract steam, grease, and odors, keeping both air and surfaces clean.

In addition, every kitchen should ideally have natural ventilation, i.e., a window. It allows fresh air to circulate, removes humidity, and balances temperature especially important when cooking daily.

Without it, the kitchen traps heat, moisture, and smells, which slowly damage finishes and make the space feel heavy.

Lighting matters just as much. The best kitchens combine integrated task lighting under upper cabinets with a main ceiling light that falls from the left side for right-handed people (and from the right for left-handed ones).

This way, your body doesn’t cast shadows over the work surface — giving you clear visibility for cooking, chopping, and cleaning.
Wrong Design Consequences: Poor ventilation makes the kitchen feel humid, sticky, and filled with lingering odors, while bad lighting creates glare or shadows right where you need precision. Together, they turn what should be an inspiring daily ritual into a tiring, dim, and overheated experience.

A good kitchen isn’t about expensive finishes it’s about thoughtful design and precise planning.

A well-designed kitchen feels effortless, logical, and calm like a perfect tool that works for you, not against you.