🏠 Online Design Solution - www.mtkd.ca/design-services 📬 Join my newsletter here - mtkd.ck.page/newsletter I've made all these design mistakes over the years. Hopefully you can avoid them.
Haha! Life jacket yellow! I did that. Moved into a rental with a dark brown kitchen that faced north, the single window hidden by trees and shrubs. I painted it white with life jacket yellow cupboards. Made a world of difference. 😂
I recently renovated my kitchen and your videos have been extremely helpful. One mistake that I didn't take into account and I have heard this issue with many of my friends who recently got their Kitchens remodeled is with having Stone/Quartz backsplash and the space take by it. You end up losing an inch of space making it difficult to get a standard workstation and faucet fit easily.. I wish I knew this before but the solution is simple. Add a 2X4 behind your base cabinets to get that extra space in ... This will also help with your cooking range not popping out... I recommend making a video on it :)
We just moved into our newly built home, we did design all ourselves, we have been successful in all your points here.... except I do need a ladder 😂😅but it's beautiful ❤️ we are not experts.... just 60 years old and knew what I wanted and didn't. 😊... signed the wife, love your tips!
I'm only average height, but I will die on the hill of upper cabinets going to the ceiling in the vast majority of cases. If I can't reach a shelf, I don't put anything up there that I use regularly. We all know that space above the cabinets collects stuff too (and collects dust if left open), and I'd MUCH rather have those infrequently-used items on a high shelf in a cabinet than gathering dust and on display somewhere or taking up space in easier-to-access places!
My favourite is a very skinny pull-out broom cupboard between the fridge hinge side and the wall. You don't want the fridge right against the wall or the door won't open properly, but in room layout, against the wall is still where the fridge should go in many designs. Wedging a broom cupboard in there fixes the door opening problem.
I have a design idea for those blocked in corner cabinets. Why can't someone engineer a gas lift raising platform that could house one or two large appliances (like a stand mixer, together with the power for them. Press a button and a section raises or lowers your appliance, along with a section of the counter top. A bit like a dumb waiter set up, if you get what I mean. The appliance is then tucked out of the way when not in use, the countertop remains usable and the corner is not wasted.
I needed a 6" filler in my new kitchen - so I built a 6" cabinet that holds a stepladder on a vertical drawer. Super useful especially as I have VERY tall cabinets, even for a guy who is 6'2". I would have done the same for a broom, but I just hang the broom behind the door to the garage, which is in the kitchen anyway.
Bin placement is a paradox. You want it in the central prep area for convenience, then other people ask you to move so that they can put something in the bin while you're prepping. I feel that our present bin placement is simultaneously perfect and deeply irritating. It's Schrodingers bin.
Ah! Thank you for the "be sure to design a kitchen *for you* not someone else you'll likely never meet". I'm so TIRED of people that "but, but, resale value"! Hey buddy! I don't build my house to sell it, I build it (and decorate it in a bold manner) to LIVE IN IT. Is that such a strange concept?
Our nice and deep coat closet sits between the kitchen and living room. We have created 2 zones in it using ikea pieces to make a clear separation between our coats and a spot to put the daily swiffers. The rest of the cleaning supplies that we use less frequently are in another closed ikea cabinet in the laundry room which is further away near the bedrooms. This helped keep the daily items closer and weekly items further away because they’re part of bigger cleaning cycles. We also put other essential “reach” items like small batteries, flashlights, umbrellas, grocery bags in the coat closet. The real question is whether newer floor plans should just have 3 separate designated areas for laundry room, coat/mudroom, and utility room. We could only remodel, not rebuilt, so utility room is the only thing I miss.
Great video Mark! I felt like standing up and saying amen halfway through the video! Lol These are the REAL issues that need to be considered for a functional kitchen... IMHO.
Thanks so much for this video. I hadn't known about hideaway stools. At 4 ft. 7 in. tall, you can imagine how difficult (and dangerous) it is to reach upper cabinet shelves, this also applies to the microwave located above my stove.
That toe kick stand below seems like an interesting idea. I'm sure there's a way to make it stable. And yes, we should be sweeping often, something to think about. Good advice.
Just saw you are still making videos….between Thanksgiving and Christmas everyone is busy with engagements…fun to catch up👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻thumbs up all day everyday…Great, Great blessings to the Tobin crew & Gammy too🌷
Please! Too many kitchen design videos on YT address these issues in large and open concept kitchens, but never small, closed off kitchens like you’d find in 1950s homes.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Kitchen height adjustments are vital! I’m 4‘11“ tall. My mother was 4‘9“ tall and designed three kitchens that fit us. I have lived the past 20 years in an original 1970 kitchen that has never worked for me. I’m getting older and stepstools are not safe anymore. I need to remodel it just to be able to use it properly. No one seems to take this into consideration! The interesting thing is buyers have never complained about Mom’s lowered cabinets. 😅❤
So you were taught never to include a broom closet. So I assume that is common everywhere they teach design. Explains the disappearance of one of the most useful cabinets in the kitchen. That has actually been the conversation around many of a get together. Modern design and the removal of things like broom closets and pantries. A friend bought a new build and her mother took a look at the floor plan. Hall way style kitchen. Not great. But in the hall off the garage there was a large storage cupboard, despite having a large attached garage. Her mother suggested flipping the door to the kitchen side and having a pantry. Soon most of the new builds of that design were doing the same thing. It even had a section to hang a broom. Took a less than great kitchen and turned it into a fantastic kitchen.
The last owners of my home had custom cabinets built... and they are ~low~. Low to the point that I can't install a dishwasher, and I'm looking down on the top of the range hood when I'm cooking. So, there is such a thing as too low. I want to renovate, but it is _so_ expensive to do so. Until I can, I'm stuck with no dishwasher and weird cooking angles.
Dishwasher drawer to the rescue. Will work in a cabinet 18 inches high lol. One drawer is all I ever use so you can use it in a future remodel. If it lasts long enough, not a total waste 😂.
Considering doing a consultation with you. Would you say you help with interior design (picking colors, hardware, lighting choices etc) or do you think that you are better suited for overall kitchen design layout
Do you have any tips for organizing, retro-fitting cabinetry in rental units. I have a 40 yo unit, with the original cabinets. I moved in and froze when it came to the kitchen. The cupboards do not have adjustable shelves and they were painted dark brown on the inside. Essentially, they are deep dark caves and putting things in them felt like I would never see them again until I moved out. I laid down lighter colored shelf liners to break up the brown. The dimensions of the cabinets are odd; nearly every organizational item I buy is a fraction of an inch too big, much to my frustration. I have invested in pull out shelves slowly. They were $60 each when I started buying them and the dimensions of thing was a big problem. And I had to buy a right angle drill because of the low shelf height. I had a Rubbermaid cutlery organizer with a rolled edge that I bought for my first apartment, I had to cut off the rolled edge to make it fit in the drawer. My kitchen has now spilled over into the dining area. So I can maintain counter space. I bought a stainless steel worktop to have a place to put my espresso machine and toaster oven. Toaster oven is a necessity because the oven heats the kitchen up so badly; I live in Arizona, that’s extra air conditioning. I bought two stand alone cupboards to house various appliances and over flow. Now the kitchen seems even more dysfunctional, I want to put everything in the new cupboards because it’s so much more functional. I’m at my wit’s end with the kitchen.
If you look at the fold out step stool, you'll see the design is super simple! Anyone with a compact circular saw, a square, cheap drill, two hinges, a slide and a piece of graph paper can easily design it, cut it out, screw it together and install it. A handyman (or handy woman 😁) could do it in a couple of hours with one quarter piece of birch plywood and a cup of tea. 👍
🏠 Online Design Solution - www.mtkd.ca/design-services
📬 Join my newsletter here - mtkd.ck.page/newsletter
I've made all these design mistakes over the years. Hopefully you can avoid them.
Haha! Life jacket yellow! I did that. Moved into a rental with a dark brown kitchen that faced north, the single window hidden by trees and shrubs. I painted it white with life jacket yellow cupboards. Made a world of difference. 😂
I recently renovated my kitchen and your videos have been extremely helpful. One mistake that I didn't take into account and I have heard this issue with many of my friends who recently got their Kitchens remodeled is with having Stone/Quartz backsplash and the space take by it. You end up losing an inch of space making it difficult to get a standard workstation and faucet fit easily.. I wish I knew this before but the solution is simple. Add a 2X4 behind your base cabinets to get that extra space in ... This will also help with your cooking range not popping out... I recommend making a video on it :)
We just moved into our newly built home, we did design all ourselves, we have been successful in all your points here.... except I do need a ladder 😂😅but it's beautiful ❤️ we are not experts.... just 60 years old and knew what I wanted and didn't. 😊... signed the wife, love your tips!
I'm only average height, but I will die on the hill of upper cabinets going to the ceiling in the vast majority of cases. If I can't reach a shelf, I don't put anything up there that I use regularly. We all know that space above the cabinets collects stuff too (and collects dust if left open), and I'd MUCH rather have those infrequently-used items on a high shelf in a cabinet than gathering dust and on display somewhere or taking up space in easier-to-access places!
I have been pondering broom storage for YEARS! Still no optimal solution in sight. Thanks for another great video Mark! ❤
My favourite is a very skinny pull-out broom cupboard between the fridge hinge side and the wall. You don't want the fridge right against the wall or the door won't open properly, but in room layout, against the wall is still where the fridge should go in many designs. Wedging a broom cupboard in there fixes the door opening problem.
I have a design idea for those blocked in corner cabinets. Why can't someone engineer a gas lift raising platform that could house one or two large appliances (like a stand mixer, together with the power for them. Press a button and a section raises or lowers your appliance, along with a section of the counter top. A bit like a dumb waiter set up, if you get what I mean. The appliance is then tucked out of the way when not in use, the countertop remains usable and the corner is not wasted.
I needed a 6" filler in my new kitchen - so I built a 6" cabinet that holds a stepladder on a vertical drawer. Super useful especially as I have VERY tall cabinets, even for a guy who is 6'2". I would have done the same for a broom, but I just hang the broom behind the door to the garage, which is in the kitchen anyway.
Bin placement is a paradox. You want it in the central prep area for convenience, then other people ask you to move so that they can put something in the bin while you're prepping. I feel that our present bin placement is simultaneously perfect and deeply irritating.
It's Schrodingers bin.
Ah! Thank you for the "be sure to design a kitchen *for you* not someone else you'll likely never meet".
I'm so TIRED of people that "but, but, resale value"!
Hey buddy! I don't build my house to sell it, I build it (and decorate it in a bold manner) to LIVE IN IT.
Is that such a strange concept?
Our nice and deep coat closet sits between the kitchen and living room.
We have created 2 zones in it using
ikea pieces to make a clear separation between our coats and a spot to put the daily swiffers. The rest of the cleaning supplies that we use less frequently are in another closed ikea cabinet in the laundry room which is further away near the bedrooms. This helped keep the daily items closer and weekly items further away because they’re part of bigger cleaning cycles. We also put other essential “reach” items like small batteries, flashlights, umbrellas, grocery bags in the coat closet. The real question is whether newer floor plans should just have 3 separate designated areas for laundry room, coat/mudroom, and utility room. We could only remodel, not rebuilt, so utility room is the only thing I miss.
Great video Mark! I felt like standing up and saying amen halfway through the video! Lol These are the REAL issues that need to be considered for a functional kitchen... IMHO.
Thanks so much for this video. I hadn't known about hideaway stools. At 4 ft. 7 in. tall, you can imagine how difficult (and dangerous) it is to reach upper cabinet shelves, this also applies to the microwave located above my stove.
I can certainly imagine! I am 4’11” and my mom was 4’9” tall. Every day living is challenging, especially in the kitchen ❤
That toe kick stand below seems like an interesting idea. I'm sure there's a way to make it stable. And yes, we should be sweeping often, something to think about. Good advice.
Just saw you are still making videos….between Thanksgiving and Christmas everyone is busy with engagements…fun to catch up👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻thumbs up all day everyday…Great, Great blessings to the Tobin crew & Gammy too🌷
my broom is in the pantry. My cabinets go to the 9' ceiling. yep stool, still love 40 years later
Nice large kitchen, how about a really small kitchen?
Please! Too many kitchen design videos on YT address these issues in large and open concept kitchens, but never small, closed off kitchens like you’d find in 1950s homes.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Kitchen height adjustments are vital! I’m 4‘11“ tall. My mother was 4‘9“ tall and designed three kitchens that fit us. I have lived the past 20 years in an original 1970 kitchen that has never worked for me. I’m getting older and stepstools are not safe anymore. I need to remodel it just to be able to use it properly. No one seems to take this into consideration! The interesting thing is buyers have never complained about Mom’s lowered cabinets. 😅❤
Hi Mark, there's no link to your video on sink cabinet design. Could you please add it to the description, as promised in the video. Thanks.
So you were taught never to include a broom closet. So I assume that is common everywhere they teach design. Explains the disappearance of one of the most useful cabinets in the kitchen. That has actually been the conversation around many of a get together. Modern design and the removal of things like broom closets and pantries.
A friend bought a new build and her mother took a look at the floor plan. Hall way style kitchen. Not great. But in the hall off the garage there was a large storage cupboard, despite having a large attached garage. Her mother suggested flipping the door to the kitchen side and having a pantry. Soon most of the new builds of that design were doing the same thing. It even had a section to hang a broom. Took a less than great kitchen and turned it into a fantastic kitchen.
Have you looked at the design of new apartments and condos? Many of them lack linen closets. Thoughtless design is everywhere.
The broom! Ha I never would have throught about that. Smart.
The last owners of my home had custom cabinets built... and they are ~low~. Low to the point that I can't install a dishwasher, and I'm looking down on the top of the range hood when I'm cooking. So, there is such a thing as too low. I want to renovate, but it is _so_ expensive to do so. Until I can, I'm stuck with no dishwasher and weird cooking angles.
Dishwasher drawer to the rescue. Will work in a cabinet 18 inches high lol. One drawer is all I ever use so you can use it in a future remodel. If it lasts long enough, not a total waste 😂.
Mark, what happened to Michael from Kitchinsider? You guys used to do a lot of collaborations. He hasn’t posted in almost a year!
Another great video!
Considering doing a consultation with you. Would you say you help with interior design (picking colors, hardware, lighting choices etc) or do you think that you are better suited for overall kitchen design layout
Do you have any tips for organizing, retro-fitting cabinetry in rental units. I have a 40 yo unit, with the original cabinets. I moved in and froze when it came to the kitchen. The cupboards do not have adjustable shelves and they were painted dark brown on the inside. Essentially, they are deep dark caves and putting things in them felt like I would never see them again until I moved out. I laid down lighter colored shelf liners to break up the brown. The dimensions of the cabinets are odd; nearly every organizational item I buy is a fraction of an inch too big, much to my frustration. I have invested in pull out shelves slowly. They were $60 each when I started buying them and the dimensions of thing was a big problem. And I had to buy a right angle drill because of the low shelf height. I had a Rubbermaid cutlery organizer with a rolled edge that I bought for my first apartment, I had to cut off the rolled edge to make it fit in the drawer. My kitchen has now spilled over into the dining area. So I can maintain counter space. I bought a stainless steel worktop to have a place to put my espresso machine and toaster oven. Toaster oven is a necessity because the oven heats the kitchen up so badly; I live in Arizona, that’s extra air conditioning. I bought two stand alone cupboards to house various appliances and over flow. Now the kitchen seems even more dysfunctional, I want to put everything in the new cupboards because it’s so much more functional. I’m at my wit’s end with the kitchen.
Would love to have a kitchen designed by you. My kitchen has 3 walls and is 9 x 12. Would like to do a G kitchen to get as most space as posible
Curious where one could find these hidden stools?! 😮❤
If you look at the fold out step stool, you'll see the design is super simple! Anyone with a compact circular saw, a square, cheap drill, two hinges, a slide and a piece of graph paper can easily design it, cut it out, screw it together and install it.
A handyman (or handy woman 😁) could do it in a couple of hours with one quarter piece of birch plywood and a cup of tea. 👍
Thumbnail is very, very yellow