· Michael Blair
Finishes are reversible. Layout is not, or not without a second remodel. The decisions worth agonising over are the ones fixed by plumbing, structure and circuit placement.
Clearances people regret
Walkways want around 36 inches and work aisles around 42, more with two cooks. An island that looked generous on a plan becomes a bottleneck when the dishwasher door is open.
Check every door swing against every other. Dishwasher against oven, refrigerator against island, and the entry door into the working aisle are the classic collisions.
Where appliances actually go
A refrigerator with no adjacent landing space means everything gets carried across the room. An oven with no heat-proof surface beside it means a hot tray goes somewhere it should not.
The sink, cooking surface and refrigerator want to form a reasonable triangle without traffic cutting through it — which in an open plan means thinking about where people walk, not just where things sit.
- 36 inches for walkways, 42 for work aisles
- Landing space beside the refrigerator and the oven
- Check every door swing against every other
- Keep through-traffic out of the work triangle
- Plan the bin location before the cabinetry is ordered
Electrical and lighting decided too late
Outlet placement is fixed at rough-in and code requires specific spacing along counters. Island outlets need planning because they cannot be added afterwards without opening the floor.
Lighting is the most common regret. Under-cabinet lighting needs a circuit and a switch decided before drywall, and ceiling cans positioned for where you stand rather than centred on the room.
Ventilation, which is usually undersized
A recirculating hood filters grease and returns the air and the moisture to the room. In a Middle Tennessee summer that matters, because the kitchen is already the most humid room.
Ducting outside is far better and has to be planned around joists and exterior walls at the framing stage. Retrofitting a duct run after cabinets are in is disproportionately expensive.