The kitchen is the heart of every home. It’s an intimate space where memories are created, a space where we cook, drink, and socialise. Much like our hdb toilets, modern 4 room hdb kitchen designs seamlessly combine aesthetics with functionality, creating spaces that are a true feast for our eyes AND stomach!
However, creating your dream kitchen interior may be a challenging (yet fun) endeavour, especially when you try to balance easy usage and elegant design. There are many aspects to consider, whether you’re building a brand-new kitchen or renovating an existing one in your HDB. As experts of kitchen design, we’ve done the work and compiled a list of 5 common mistakes that you should avoid!
Mistake #1: Kitchen Design That’s Not Practical
Depending on your daily usage, your HDB kitchen might get a little messy so it is probably wise to choose your fixtures’ materials wisely. From countertops to backsplashes, they have to be durable enough to endure elements like food spills, liquid stains and high heat. Choosing the nicest looking materials may not always be the best choice. We recommend considering your daily usage as well.
Ask yourself how often you’ll use your kitchen, what kitchenware you use, and how heavy the cooking is. Some materials like granite are porous and require regular sealing to maintain its water resistance. Let’s review countertop materials as an example.
If you’ll frequently cook at home, sintered stone is your go-to choice. Natural stones are one of the most durable materials on the market with high heat, water, and scratch resistance. You wouldn’t have to worry about burning your countertops from hot kitchenware or staining it from accidental spills. Cleaning is also convenient due to its non-porous nature, making sintered stone an excellent choice for those home chefs!
Alternatively, solid surfaces are another great option and lighter on the wallet as well. Made from layers of minerals, resin, and acrylic, solid surfaces are highly versatile, non-porous and easy to maintain.
They can also be paired with your backsplashes and cabinets to create a cohesive kitchen design. However, as with its counterparts, it does have its drawbacks. Despite its solid name, it is less durable than sintered stone, but any burn marks or scratches can be easily scrubbed or sanded away.
Mistake #2: Kitchen Flooring
Don’t overlook your choice of flooring either! Just like your countertops, apply a similar criteria when assessing your options. An important and overlooked factor here is safety, as some floorings are more slippery than others when wet.
It’s important to choose the appropriate flooring that matches your kitchen design with your level of usage. Again, we suggest considering the material’s practicality to ensure its longevity. Gorgeous hardwood floorings may complement your home’s scandinavian style, but it’s not water or scratch resistant.
Vinyl flooring is a popular option in Singapore. Made by compressing layers of synthetic materials, it’s an affordable option that is waterproof, durable, and easy to clean. They’re also relatively versatile with different types and designs to choose from. Vinyl floorings are also scratch resistant to a certain extent, making it a popular choice in recent Singaporean homes. However we would still advise against dragging any furniture across the floor.
Other popular choices include ceramic, porcelain, cement & cork. At Reno Loft, we have the experience when it comes to selecting the right flooring that is suitable for your lifestyle. Our passion lies in creating functional yet beautiful spaces that reflect our clients’ unique personalities and lifestyles. Find out why our clients choose us here!
Mistake #3: Insufficient Kitchen Storage
Cooking is often, but not the sole culprit of a messy kitchen. How you organise your utensils, tableware and small appliances play a big part too. These are everyday items found in your kitchen, and when organised carelessly, create clutter. Plan early on how much storage space you may need as clutter has been shown in studies to increase one’s stress and reduce their focus. Too much clutter adds concerns to potential fire safety hazards.
Take advantage of those vertical spaces! Maximise your storage spaces, by adding shelves or wall mounted cabinets above your countertops. Mount pegboards, hooks, or smaller racks where space is limited. Turn awkward corner spaces into more storage with extendable corner trolleys or lazy susans.
Kitchen Drawer Organisers
Adding additional storage may become a double edged sword if executed wrongly. It may create opportunities for more clutter which is the issue in the first place! Alternatively, you might want to rethink your kitchen cabinets entirely with more efficient storage.
Ever been frustrated reaching for something deep inside your kitchen cabinets? This is where drawer mechanisms come in. Not only is it easier for you to access items stored at the back, its various compartments or dividers keep everything neatly organised. Organising your storage space keeps your kitchen clean and minimalist, and saves your bank account from buying unnecessary storage in the long run!
Mistake #4: Buying Your Kitchen Appliances Last
Planning your kitchen appliances ahead is an early step to take when designing your HDB kitchen. In our experience, homeowners often put this off till nearing the end of their kitchen renovation, which can complicate things and limit your choices.
You don’t want to give up a much needed fridge upgrade because you wouldn’t be able to fully swing open its double doors.
Avoid such a dilemma by doing some window shopping or browsing online before your kitchen renovation. Making a wishlist of desired kitchen appliances allows you to note down their dimensions and be more accurate in planning your measurements.
We design all our HDB clients’ kitchens around their desired appliances, to ensure the best customer satisfaction. Not to worry if there is no wishlist, we can connect you to our network of partners for great deals as well!
Mistake #5: Choosing The Wrong Kitchen Layout
While the size of a HDB kitchen is often of one’s control, you can choose its layout. A well-designed kitchen layout aligns with your lifestyle needs and makes sure no available space is wasted. Finding the right layout for you reflects heavily on your daily kitchen usage and habits. Neglecting this often results in inconvenience, leading to frustration. From single-wall designs to u-shaped configurations, rest assured we work closely with you to assess the spaces and provide our design expertise and guidance.
If your HDB kitchen has a rectangular layout, a parallel setup may be suitable. Called a ‘galley’ layout, your kitchen cabinets and appliances are lined up on opposite sides, creating a spacious walkway in the middle. While this layout provides ample storage, your walkway may get crowded if there are multiple people in the kitchen. We recommend designating one side of the kitchen for preparing food and dishwashing, and another for cooking. This works best for dividing your kitchen space, allowing family members to hang around or help out comfortably.
If you have more space, U-shaped layouts are a popular choice! An extension of the L-shape setup, cabinets are built in a U-shape along three adjacent walls. If daily cooking is your jam, you can get the little ones to help out too as everything is within easy reach.
This is the design concept commonly known as the ‘kitchen triangle’ where your stove, sink, and fridge are positioned on each of the three adjoining walls. Having three primary working zones within a quick turn saves your effort walking all around.
Creating your dream 4 Room HDB kitchen design requires plenty of careful consideration. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of it all and make any of these mistakes. Some of them can be pretty costly to fix too, so be mindful of these traps. The key takeaway here is to always consider the practicality of every design choice. After all, kitchens are the heart of every home.
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