5 things people regret most about their kitchen design – and how to solve them (2024)

Fitting a new kitchen or refurbishing an existing space is a huge undertaking for any homeowner, and there are innumerable choices to make and, inevitably, obstacles to navigate.

In February of this year, Which? surveyed more than a thousand homeowners about the biggest regrets they have about their kitchens, to help others avoid the same design pitfalls.

Read on for the five biggest kitchen design regrets, as well as some practical solutions to overcome them.

1. Not enough space on kitchen worktops

The worst offender according to Which? respondents was a lack of space on kitchen worktops. In the design stages, work surfaces may have appeared ample, but once you start adding appliances – especially if you’re a keen cook, tempted by a new food processor, a bread maker, a steamer – then the space for food preparation becomes smaller and smaller. A kitchen island is a natural solution for larger spaces, but in smaller kitchens, a butcher’s trolley is a very simple and functional fix for added storage and food preparation space.

2. Not enough storage (specifically, kitchen cabinets)

The second most common complaint according to Which? was lack of storage, and specifically too few kitchen cabinets. Whilst there are a number of clever kitchen storage solutions available to tidy clutter, storage is a vital part of the initial design process. Most kitchen retailers like Wickes and Homebase offer free design consultations to get the best solutions to your storage dilemmas before any work begins. You can even get a free 3D kitchen plan to better visualise how you will use the space.

3. Position of the kitchen cabinets

A well-designed kitchen is a functional kitchen. Whilst cabinets may look better in certain configurations – perfectly symmetrical, flush with appliances – there is little use in cabinet doors that bump one another when opened, obstruct walkways or catch the corners of your work surfaces. Getting the positioning of cabinets right is key to the flow of your space. For the average homeowner, measuring and fitting cabinets is not a feasible DIY project. The Country Living kitchens at Homebase are hand built in the UK and arrive pre-assembled to your specifications, to avoid any kitchen cabinet blunders.

4. Not choosing better-quality materials

For most of us, the kitchen is the heart of the home, and it has to stand up to a considerable amount of wear and tear. Respondents who regretted not investing in better quality materials reported issues like warped worktops, flaking paint and worn-out units. Durability is of utmost importance when designing a kitchen, but it doesn’t have to cost the earth. The Country Living Kitchens at Homebase come with a 20-year guarantee so it will stand the test of time.

5. Not enough kitchen power sockets

Power sockets are a feature easily overlooked in the design process, when there’s exciting things to focus on like colour combinations and cabinetry. But if you’re planning on expanding your cooking repertoire and investing in those food processors and bread makers, endlessly switching appliances between a single socket will quickly become tiresome.