A kitchen can look beautiful on paper and still not quite work when you start living in it. Most kitchen regrets don’t reveal themselves on the day the cabinetry is installed. They appear slowly, in the everyday moments you never thought to plan for where you put the things you use constantly, how two people move around the island, or why the light is never quite right at six o’clock.
At Mowlem and Co. our designers spend a great deal of time understanding how a kitchen needs to work before we think about how it looks. Layout, storage, proportions, lighting, appliances and the everyday routines of the people using the space all form an integral part of the conversation. Because its often these seemingly small decisions that make the biggest difference once your living with the finished space
Here are six of the things we’d encourage you to think about before signing off your design.
Not having enough storage, or the right kind.
It’s easy to think you need more storage when what you really need is better storage. A kitchen full of cupboards doesn’t necessarily make for an organised space. The important question is what each cupboard and drawer is actually going to hold. Where does the coffee machine live? What about baking trays, chopping boards, pans, food processors and the things you use every day but don’t necessarily want on show?
A well-designed bespoke kitchen considers these details from the beginning. Deep drawers might work better for pans, a tall larder can keep everyday ingredients close to hand, while a dedicated appliance cupboard can keep the worktops clear without making the appliance difficult to use. We’ve always believed that storage should be designed around the person using it, rather than simply filling every available wall with cabinetry. The same thinking applies beyond the kitchen too, with pantries, boot rooms and utility spaces designed as part of the wider home.
Designing for how the room looks, rather than how you live
A beautiful kitchen that is awkward to use isn’t a successful kitchen. It sounds obvious, but it’s surprisingly easy to get carried away with the visual side of a project. An island might look wonderful in a drawing, but is there enough room to move comfortably around it? Is the fridge where you naturally reach for it? Can two people cook without constantly getting in each other’s way?
These are the details that become apparent very quickly once a kitchen is being used every day. The best designs consider the rhythms of daily life from the outset, whether that means a family breakfasting around the island, someone working from the kitchen, children helping themselves to snacks or a kitchen that needs to work just as well when entertaining. Mowlem and Co’s design process is deliberately collaborative for this reason: understanding how the room needs to function comes before refining the aesthetic.
Underestimating the importance of lighting.
Good lighting is often noticed when it’s missing. A kitchen needs more than one light source. General lighting, task lighting, softer ambient lighting and carefully positioned decorative fittings can completely change how a room feels throughout the day. Think about where you’ll be chopping, cooking, reading, eating and entertaining. Consider what happens when daylight disappears. And don’t forget the less obvious areas, inside cabinetry, beneath shelving or above a work surface.
We believe lighting should be considered alongside the kitchen design, rather than added towards the end. Knowing where appliances will sit, where you’ll use them and what needs charging can save a lot of frustration later. It’s the sort of detail that may not be noticed when everything is working well, but you’ll certainly notice when it isn’t. At Mowlem and Co. we truly believe considered planning at the start can make all the difference once the space is in use.
Not allowing enough space to work.
Worktop space is one of those things you can never quite appreciate until you don’t have enough of it. It’s not simply about having a large island. It’s about having useful areas of worktop in the right places. Where will you prepare food? Where will the kettle and coffee machine sit? Do you need somewhere to put a hot roasting tray? Will several people be cooking at once?
This is where proportion becomes particularly important. A kitchen can be generous in size but still feel surprisingly cramped if the working areas haven’t been properly considered. The island, in particular, shouldn’t simply be made as large as the room allows. In many of our projects, it becomes the visual centre of the kitchen, but its proportions, circulation and relationship with the rest of the cabinetry need to feel right.
Treating appliances as an afterthought.
Appliances can have a surprisingly large influence on the design of a kitchen. It’s not just about choosing what you like. Their size, position, opening direction, ventilation and relationship with the cabinetry all need to be considered early. A fridge positioned too far from the main preparation area can become irritating surprisingly quickly.
An oven placed at an awkward height can be uncomfortable to use. And a large appliance that wasn’t properly considered at the beginning can compromise the proportions of the cabinetry around it. At Mowlem and Co. appliances form part of the wider design conversation rather than being something simply slotted into the finished kitchen. The result is a space where the cabinetry, appliances, worktops and architecture feel as though they belong together.
Designing for the finished photograph, rather than the next ten years.
Trends come and go. A kitchen, we think, tends to stay. That doesn’t mean everything needs to be traditional or deliberately safe. Quite the opposite. Some of the most memorable bespoke kitchens we create are confident in their use of colour, stone, timber, texture or architectural detailing. But there is a difference between making a strong design choice and designing around something simply because it happens to be on trend.
The kitchens that continue to feel right are usually the ones with good proportions, the highest quality materials, thoughtful storage and a layout that works regardless of what happens to be trending. Our approach has always been to create something individual to the home and the people who live there, rather than working from a fixed formula. Every bespoke project is considered in relation to the architecture, natural light, materials and, most importantly, everyday life.
The best kitchen design happens before the finishes.
Of course, the cabinetry, stone, handles, colours and finishes matter. They’re what you see, touch and enjoy every day. But the kitchens that really stand the test of time tend to have something else in common: the thinking behind them. The right drawer in the right place. Enough room to move. Storage for the things you actually own. Lighting that works from morning through to evening. Appliances that make sense. Proportions that feel right.
These are the details you might not notice when you first walk into a kitchen. And that’s rather the point. When everything has been considered properly, the room simply feels right. And perhaps that’s the best way to avoid kitchen regret altogether.
Do get in touch with one of our designers in our Jesmond or Chelsea studio to begin your new space, and we look forward to welcoming you.