What’s the mistake amateur kitchen designers make the most often? The answer can be summed up with this old expression. “Trying to put eight pounds of sausage in a six-pound wrapper.”
When you are an amateur kitchen designer you often judge your success by how much you fit in a kitchen.
Fitting 5 stools at the island instead of 4. Putting the tallest cabinets in the room possible. Or inserting large preselected appliances into your design can feel like accomplishments. Fitting your “must haves” into the kitchen is often the only criteria for success. When you are an amateur kitchen designer. Professionals understand the problems that are created if you are forcing too much into a tight space.
Kitchen designers make more money when they sell you more cabinets.
So when designers object and tell you spaces are too tight, they are putting your best interest first. Becoming annoyed with the professional or thinking you know better makes things worse. Because after you don’t listen to the first few warnings, many designers will stop being critical of your ideas. They will sell you the bad kitchen you seem to want. Because knowledgeable advice is only frustrating you.
THE IKEA EFFECT, is a delusion where people believe that what they have designed is better than what is reasonable.
Because of this amateur kitchen designers often believe their design is great. However, the people that visit your home will be remarking at how crazy and tight your kitchen is. And when the time comes to sell your home, you will get a more objective evaluation of your design by the offers you get from perspective home buyers.
Kitchen designers have to shake their heads at the reasoning many of our customers will give for why they are OK with things being too tight. When the island is too big customers tell us that they will be getting very small stools. If something else is too tight or doesn’t work, it might be OK because it is “better than what I have now” or “my friend has it”.
The best designers will not stop objecting at each new wrinkle that lacks the space needed, but many designers will be worn down quickly. One of my customers with a great sense of humor assures me that she is coming to her appointments with her boxing gloves on. It is her ability to laugh about our collaboration, but still take my advice seriously, that has helped her design a great kitchen.
Hoping that you will allow your designer to put your interests above what you think you “must have”.
And of course . . .
BON APPETIT!
Paul