You’re excited for your new kitchen reno, but there’s an important part of the process we’re all getting wrong time and time again. Because the key behind every successful kitchen isn’t the color of the doors or the style of cabinets – it’s all in the planning, say the experts.
So it might come as a surprise that many of us are planning our modern kitchen ideas all wrong. “A truly successful kitchen design is not defined by how it looks in a photograph, but by how it supports the life that unfolds within it,” says Felix Milns, founder of HUX London. “Every decision matters: the placement of each drawer and cupboard, whether to incorporate an island, and how that island interacts with the rest of the space. All of these shape the functionality and experience of the kitchen.”
After all, the best kitchens don’t just look fabulous, they function brilliantly for the space and for everyone who uses it. And for that to happen, it’s all about planning.
So how can you stop making the same planning mistakes and get the ultimate kitchen remodel that’s finetuned for looks and living. We’ve gone straight to London’s top kitchen designers who reveal seven common planning mistakes – and how to avoid them. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail might just be the mantra every new kitchen needs to live by.
1. Overlooking How the Kitchen Will Be Used
This sounds obvious, but before any work begins, it’s crucial to understand exactly how you plan to use your space, including figuring out your kitchen zones. After all, modern kitchens need to work harder than any other room in the house. They are cook spaces, dining rooms, and storage hubs, sometimes WFH offices and entertaining zones.
“The biggest mistake we see is homeowners leading their design with aesthetics rather than thinking about how the space needs to work,” says Al Bruce, founder of Olive & Barr. “It’s key to consider lifestyle factors, space, and flow as these will determine the best layout.”
“How you cook, how you store, how your family moves, and how you entertain,” adds Felix of HUX London. “It is these rhythms that should guide every decision. To design purely for aesthetics without this understanding risks creating a space that may look striking but quietly fails its purpose.”
A good place to start is to look at the shortcomings of your existing kitchen design, seeing what doesn’t work and why. Do you need more worktop space, for example, or a place to eat with the family, or better kitchen storage ideas.
Felix runs HUX London, which designs bespoke kitchens, cabinetry, and furniture for a wide range of discerning private clients and design professionals.
2. Not Planning the Right Type of Storage
Storage ideas are a top priority for every kitchen, yes. But not planning the right type of storage is where many of us go wrong.
“Clever storage is still the element people underestimate the most,” says Charlie Smallbone, founder of Ledbury Studio. “Beautiful cabinetry is wasted if it doesn’t hold what you actually use. Designers like us spend a lot of time mapping the client’s real lifestyle: the oversized platters, the coffee kit, the spices they reach for daily.”
It's a common mistake, say the experts, to chuck in as many kitchen cabinets as possible and think this will solve all our storage problems.
“Instead, we work with our clients to assess the essentials and encourage them to really consider what items are being used and what are simply taking up space,” says Al, founder of Olive & Barr. “Too many wall cabinets can make the space feel top-heavy, while smart internal storage and open shelving keep the kitchen feeling open, airy, and stylish.”
Charlie is the founder of London-based Ledbury Studio. He champions kitchens as spaces for living, cooking, and entertaining, and his latest designs showcase exceptional craftsmanship with original materials and modern technology.
This stunning, large brown basket makes for the perfect kitchen storage solution. You can add it to your pantry and even on your kitchen countertop for a stylish storage fix.
3. Ignoring the Workflow
Getting the workflow wrong in your kitchen is one of the biggest planning mistakes, according to the designers. But what does this actually mean, and how can you get a great kitchen flow right from the start of your project?
“One of the biggest mistakes I see is planning a kitchen as a series of disconnected ‘moments’ rather than as a space that needs to function beautifully every single day,” adds Charlie of Ledbury Studio. “People obsess over the statement island or the hero material, but forget basic circulation. If you can’t move comfortably between cooking, prepping, and clearing up, the kitchen will never work, no matter how stunning the finishes are.”
“Getting the kitchen flow wrong can create bottlenecks or lead to appliances being positioned impractically,” adds Amy Hicks, lead designer at Blakes London. “We recently visited a home where the dishwasher had been placed behind the sink, meaning rinsed plates had to drop across the floor before being loaded.”
Spending extra time in the planning stage is the answer for a kitchen that has real flow, says Sebastian Aronowitz, founder of The London Kitchen Company: “It can sometimes be easy to think of everything in solus — almost fitting in boxes, a space for the oven, a space for cabinetry, the dishwasher, fridge, and so on. And it’s only when it comes to a finished kitchen or actually living in it, that a homeowner might realise that there’s no real flow in the space, or that they’re always bumping their hips into the island due to the angle.”
The ‘kitchen work triangle’ may not always be possible, says George Miller, kitchen designer at Neptune, “but zoning your kitchen is really important to allow proper workflow in the space — and making sure you have specific areas for prepping, cooking, and cleaning."
Sebastian founded The London Kitchen Company in 2008, following a career in cabinet making. He puts his clients at the heart of every kitchen design, understanding their day-to-day lifestyle, wants, and personal style.
4. Neglecting Kitchen Lighting
London designers can’t shout enough about the importance of kitchen lighting. Every kitchen needs targeted task lighting for cooking, general lights for day-to-day living, and accent lamps to elevate the decor. The result is an effective layered lighting scheme that will elevate every kitchen to the next level.
But it’s an element of the kitchen planning that we can all too often neglect. “A well-laid-out kitchen can be ruined by ineffective lighting choices,” says George at Neptune. “Lighting is critical in a kitchen, and working areas need to be lit sufficiently to allow them to function correctly.”
Consider under-cabinet or under-shelf lighting for practical tasks and an atmospheric glow. And make sure your lighting scheme is planned at the very start of your kitchen reno. This way, all the wiring and electricals can be fitted in the correct places — without the hassle of moving plug sockets and disruptive work later down the line.
Light up your kitchen with this beautiful Ostrea Large Pendant that will look perfect above a kitchen island or even your dining area.
5. Not Considering Appliances From the Start
While we might all focus our attention on the style and color of kitchen cabinets from the get-go, it’s easy to leave the choice of our kitchen appliances, such as the cooker, hob, fridge, etc, until the end of the project.
And it’s a planning mistake that the designers see happening all too often — and your kitchen will pay for it. “Too often, clients choose appliances at the end of the process,” says Charlie at Ledbury Studio, “but their size, ventilation, and placement fundamentally shape how the kitchen operates. When appliances are considered from the start, both functionally and aesthetically, the whole room feels calmer, more cohesive, and far easier to live with.”
Amy at Blakes London couldn’t agree more: “We often see beautifully designed schemes that haven’t fully accounted for the practicalities of installation. Appliance specifications, the weight of integrated door fronts on hinges, fridge ventilation requirements, and the routing of extraction for hobs all need to be planned early to ensure the kitchen functions as well as it looks.”
And always plan for more hidden kitchen sockets, says Sebastian at The London Kitchen Company: “This gives you the flexibility to make small design or lifestyle tweaks as you go on. Extra sockets on an island allow you to use more appliances as you need, while incorporating sockets in a pantry gives you more scope for a hot drinks station.”
If you're looking for a kitchen island socket, then this beauty is sure to elevate your space in no time.
6. Not Setting Out Your Budget or Being Realistic About Timelines
Being absolutely clear about how much a new kitchen costs is a must, as it's critical to kitchen planning. But it’s something many of us don’t do.
“Ensure you’ve accounted for everything — cabinetry and furniture, worktops, appliances, flooring, lighting, including sockets and switches, wall paint, blinds and curtains,” says George Glasier, co-founder at Pluck. “Whether you create a spreadsheet or handwrite with a quill, do this analysis honestly to save you stress further down the line!”
And so too say the designers are being realistic about timelines.
“Contact your kitchen design company with plenty of time, as designing and making bespoke kitchen furniture does not happen immediately,” adds George. “We have a five to six-month lead time at Pluck. There can be flexibility as projects do shift, but bear this in mind!”
7. Not Thinking Through Material Choices and How They Will Age
Choosing the right kitchen materials is an exciting part of the kitchen planning process. But what the amateurs tend to forget is how kitchen materials will look in a few years.
“A kitchen will look fantastic in a showroom or when it’s brand new and just installed, but the finish may not actually be that resilient,” says Sebastian of The London Kitchen Company. “All materials — especially the visible ones, but also the internals — should be considered in terms of how they’ll look in a few years.”
Natural materials such as marble kitchens or even timber may stain, scratch, or wear over time, but they can often wear more gracefully than some man-made materials.
Planning your new kitchen isn’t just about looks; it’s all about how a kitchen functions and flows. All the top London kitchen designers focus on the planning stages in real detail, so you get your dream kitchen. So spending time thinking about what you really want for your kitchen and how you will use it is key.
Don’t plump for the most obvious layout, as often the best creations come from thinking outside the box. “An independent designer is likely to have the specialist skills and time to dedicate to thinking about different design possibilities,” says Sebastian of The London Kitchen Company. “And by considering different layouts and design iterations, you’re likely to use the space more cleverly and really think about how you want to be able to use your kitchen.”