Interior Designer Shares WORST Kitchen Design Mistakes (& How to Fix Them!) 

I’ve always had a tile floor in my kitchen so I agree with you that it’s practical. Now I’m in an open concept space and I couldn’t cut off the kitchen with tile so I was stuck with wood floors in my kitchen. I did have minor flooding that created an issue but I was still under builder warranty, so it worked out. I did get extra planks of wood to have on reserve just in case there’s a problem in the future.

I have to do in my remodel and my hard wood is pretty unmatchable since it’s from the 50’s along with us removing a wall and incorporating a laundry in the room - so tile it is

I've spilled a whole 1L bottle of olive oil and I just don't have the time or energy to worry about my floors, too, so I love tile. Tile is everything. Tile doesn't fear heat or humidity 😂 Not to mention tile is the norm for (italian) apartments from a certain era and if it's looked nice all those decades I trust it will keep looking good in the future.

I would be surprised if a wooden floor in the kitchen is something that people who cook daily would recommend. It's understandable for people who only cook on weekends, if at all, but everyday? Don't think so.

Tile is good, but not grouted tile. Even if you seal it, eventually the grout will absorb grease and be almost impossible to clean. The same applies to a backsplash behind the stove. No grout!

I personally love the flat panels myself! 🤍

Yes! Team drawers, always! You utilize all the space you can in that height. I always prioritize drawers over cabinets in all my kitchen design, unless the client specifies otherwise.

YES!! Ty! After having all lowers drawers only in a kitchen a few years ago I seriously wonder why every kitchen designer does not just refuse to put those stupid old style door bases in any new kitchen ever again!! Everyone should be talking about this and enlightening the masses to just say NO to lower door bases! Ok I know that drawers cost more but it is the difference of buying a car that actually runs or one that looks ok but is useless;-) Kitchen renos are too costly to cut that corner. Always chose drawers.

@@jenniferkannapel9450 We have lower cabinets in our kitchen, what an absolute nightmare! We don't even know what's down there, its so hard to bend down and see.

Why not open shelves? I like the idea of open shelves in place of upper cabs, but have never actually tried them.

@@LiberatedMind1 Well, if you are obsessed cleaning, then yes. Think all the grease that spread in the kitchen, when cooking, and then like cherry on the top, a little dust on top of it. Every dish you take out to use, you have wash it first so you can use it. Idea is cool, and kind of a show stopper, if you then have nice looking dishes to put on those open shelves. For me, not very practical.

I agree. The only way I could see that they would be useful is if you have more than 2 cooks in the kitchen at one time, or if the 2nd island is really more of kitchen table or bar set up and has little kitchen-specific storage so the main kitchen island is your extra storage and counter/prep space.

I use Murphy's cleaning spray and a soft toothbrush for those tight corners. Easy peasy

Great comment

Excellent choice! I loved honed marble personally, it gives a more timeless aesthetic with it being more minimal, and much easier upkeep that a high polish

Whereas tiled floors are a nightmare to me! Cold and terribly ugly looking. 👍🏻

@@CazHbokbok While I've seen ugly tile floors there are too many choices to make that generalization. I've seen gorgeous slates, tumbled stones, and classic Mexican saltillo tiles are far from cold/ugly looking. I've never felt "cold" with my tile floor even in northern WI though turning the in-floor heating on makes them feel heavenly.

@@CazHbokbok It's only ugly if you chose an ugly tile.

@@rebelliousraven What you really need is vinyl flooring.

Tile is terrible. Tile hurts to stand on, its cold, grout is difficult to keep clean and if you drop something on it chances are the item will break.

Oh no!! In that case LVL durability will always outlast hardwood in terms of hardniness

I tell you what beats it. VINYL FLOORING. High quality vinyl flooring. I've dropped dishes from coutnertop height on my floor, and almost never break anything.

Something else that beats it: cast flooring. Enough said

@@brockreynolds870 Tile is much more durable than vinyl.

@@LiberatedMind1 The vinyl flooring in my mother's house is just now starting to look a little long in the tooth (but still acceptable) and that flooring turns 53 years old this year. My Kitchen is 28 years old, and still looks as good as new.

Yes separate kitchens out side Iove. As well in not tropical country

Same! I absolutely prefer a seperate kitchen. When I'm cooking (as a mom of two children I do that daily) I don't want all the odors and greasy stuff all over the place. And when I have guests over I don't want them to see me at any time busy and stressed out in the kitchen. I just close the door and nobody will ever see me or the mess I left behind for the moment!! And yes! Islands are just in my way and not needed in a seperate kitchen. I have a big kitchen with some space for a little dining table big enough for the 4 of us. And for guests we have a big dining area in the living room a few steps away from the kitchen. Just PERFECT for us!

This makes me think about how much I loved my college 1 bed 1 bath tiny apartment. Everything was within reach and it was so quick to clean. And when I was in my wild days drinking all the time, just being able to roll out of bed and the fridge was like 10 steps away.... just grab some water and a bag of cheese and go back to bed lol those were the days

I have no island, and love it. My kitchen is 9X11.

Sounds like you have kitchen that works perfectly for you. That's the whole idea!

Makes everything look so much more seamless 🙏🏼

​@@mrphoenixgreyit really does!! When i can afford my own place, its exactly want I want - i believe its more cost effective too as youll only have left over of one material rather than carpet, tile and wood leftovers?

But they are super durable and cleanable. The best for people who live in humid/salty seawater beach areas

That means so much! Thank you 🤍

So happy I can help

Tile baby, or marble.

Not true. Continuing the wood floors into our kitchen is the one design idea my wife and I are most happy that I convinced her to agree to. We wouldn’t have it any other way. Two little kids, a dog, spills all the time… no issues.

Middle ground: I installed eucalyptus flooring for my home. 2-3x harder than oak, and very water-resistant (some outdoor furniture is made of it). Bonus: it's renewable (doesn't take as long as most other trees/hardwoods to mature) so it's cheaper than other hardwood flooring. Highly recommend.

@@mrvvoo give it time lol you'll see 🤣🤣🤣

@@starveartist 20 years and my wood floors are fine, they’ve even stood up to pets in the home

I personally LOVE the waterfall edge because it makes such an impact in a kitchen depending on what artistic surface stone you use. I continue to use it in clients homes and don’t see it going out anytime soon!

I personally had the option to do a waterfall edge, but nixed it in order to get more seating around the island. I reasoned that the function of having conversational style seating around the island was more important than the aesthetic of a waterfall edge. Just make sure that the island design meets your functional requirements. ♥️

Thanks so much for watching! And all your points for your kitchen are Design Daddy Approved 🙏🏼🤍

I live in Nicaragua and tile is the only viable option here as well. I use a washable runner rug with an extra thick pad between my perimeter cabinets and island. It really helps for long periods of standing

That means so much thank you! So happy I can help! I have lots more tips coming :)

@@mrphoenixgrey waiting for more , wishing you serenity & happiness 💫💫💫 be safe 👍

Yes! It sure is 🤍

Thanks for watching 🤍

Exactly!

Oh no!! Any appliance garage I’ve designed I always include a hidden vent system and trip cables for the power to only operate when it’s open to prevent this

Interesting approach. If someone is offended by “foul” language I find it’s a very generational thing to begin with, but to each their own. I don’t go searching for clients. They come to me just find based on my knowledge

Re-doing my kitchen now so I was drawn to this vid. I do think it's an age-thing. I don't have a mouth like a sailor, but I do occasionally use "foul" language (mid-30s here). I was talking with my designer, and he said, "those look a bit..."....I said, "shitty?"..."YES!". I ripped off that bandaid, and the vibe is more real and relaxed now. It doesn't bother me, but to each their own.

And so many people forget about this until it’s too late!

@@mrphoenixgrey thanks for the great reminders!

Love this approach! 🥰

You can definitely paint tile. Look into Rustoleum products, but I believe others work, too.

Why don’t you tile over the top of them is there something in the way

It is your forever home? If so, there are tiles just 3 mm thick that you can glue on the old ones. The commercial name is kerlite.

By the way, I have seen painted over tiles. They don't look all that good and consider that you have to clean your backsplash at least once a day. I don't think that paint can take all that cleaning.

@@MizJilly the tile that came with the house is the really thick, obnoxious tile and it’s textured so tiling over the top would look pretty awful and most likely not work very well. Thanks everyone for the great input!

Excellent question! Let me put something together on this!

Adding another part to this kitchen series 🤍

Ditto question. I am remodeling- currently ordering everything- and have decided to eliminate the island seating as it takes too much space from traffic flow, and the dining table is adjacent anyway (a few feet away). I am actually shaving a few inches off the island countertop for more walking space. This means that the island back wall now becomes much more visible and important to get right. I am considering Zellige tiles for their artistry and don’t expect the unevenness to be an issue below counter. (I believe backspash and full wall-window surrounds will be unglazed natural Zellige, this is near 100 square feet and my countertop is black so I won’t wrap that up the wall…. What would you recommend that is light in color for light-bouncing, and will add texture to an entire wall, in lieu of a light terracotta look???) Side note, I am installing Invisacook under honed granite in/ on the island (with soapstone kitchen sink off-island). So I am going to have a clean countertop that is actually the island cooktop. It will be charcoal- near black and there’s a significant amount of other countertop that will be the same, with maple cabinets). So again this becomes an island that can be used and “merchandised” strategically.

If you have the option to have the sink infront of a window - 100% 🙏🏼

Some brands are very expensive, but from what I’ve sourced - there are some more affordable brands that are still great quality! :) I’ll add some more for another kitchen series video

Video coming for this! Just filmed it :) so stay tuned

And yes subway tiles are hideous. Even when they were in fashion (15 years ago?), they were still ugly.

The hashtag took me out 😂

@@AnthonyDeluca 😁😁

I'm in the middle of a reno - We stuck with good old fashioned visible appliances in white/stainless because those 'panel ready cabinet depth' models were TWICE the price for less space and quality.

I agree! Downdraft venting is ineffective, and if the island incorporates a breakfast bar, it's dangerous for those seated near the cooktop.

Gotta be able to make fun of myself sometimes 🤣

Going to do a whole video on flooring breakdown coming up 🥰

Thank you for the feedback! I’m still very new to RU-vid! I’m going to let me editing team know moving forward to add this in. Thank you 😊

@@mrphoenixgrey you did that in other videos - I just saw more. I hope you understood my request :D Anyhow thank you for your content! It helps a million! We are moving in a new house and a channel like yours helps random people a lot with all the good advice. Your message reached Romania FYI :)

Very true but honestly skip these in a fridge anyways, they cause so many fridges to break just within a few years.