I’m an architect and there are five things I would NEVER put in my kitchen: ‘A terrible idea’

An architect has revealed five design elements that can disrupt the atmosphere in your kitchen. One of them has sparked heated debate.

Georgina Wilsonan award-winning Sydney-based architect, shared the design blunders she would never want to make in her own kitchen.

Walk-in closets, serving areas and extractor hoods are some of the features that make the space inefficient and less pleasant to work in, the expert said.

1. Never install a walk-in closet

The architect said that walk-in closets, normally a must-have in luxury kitchens and the envy of many, actually reduce the space available for storage.

“Never build a walk-in closet, you just have more storage space if you don’t have one,” she says in a video.

She explained that kitchen spaces that work efficiently do so because they share circulation well with the existing space, and a walk-in space can disrupt that circulation.

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Georgina Wilson, a Sydney architect with 20 years’ experience, said that as popular as walk-in wardrobes and serving areas are, she thinks they are a bad idea design-wise

2. Never place a sink or hob on a kitchen island

The Australian designer said she wanted to shout the next tip even louder for “the people in the back”, advising them never to install a sink or stove on a kitchen island.

“It’s a fantastic, undisturbed prep space and you don’t want to get your guests or kids wet with water or cooking oil,” she said.

3. Always remember the 900 rule

It is important to ensure that the benches and kitchen islands are not too far or too close together, so that the kitchen is comfortable to use. According to Georgina, 900 is the magic number.

The sinks and cooktops in kitchen islands can also be dangerous and messy, according to the design expert, who said water and hot oil often splash into the rest of the area.

“The absolute minimum distance between your island and anything is 900mm,” she said.

4. Never install a servery or pass through window

The architect also warned people not to put a servery or walk-through window in their kitchen that leads outside.

“Don’t be confused by the pictures in magazines of cute children eating ice cubes from the display cases. This is a terrible idea,” she said.

5. Never install a downdraft hood

Extractor hoods with downdraft extraction are generally a popular option as they save a lot of space, but Georgina believes they are not nearly as effective for one reason.

“Remember, hot air rises,” she said.

While a few people completely agreed with Georgina, many Australians stood up for their walk-in pantry, saying it was the best part of their kitchen.

“I love mine, I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” said one.

“A walk-in closet is my dream,” adds another.

Others agreed with the architect, saying the built-in feature was a waste of square footage unless you were working with a huge kitchen space.

Many people found a sink or cooktop on a kitchen island “scary,” but others who had them were convinced that they worked well and were a social place to be while cooking.

Another said they wouldn’t trade their server window for anything.

“It’s so convenient to be able to hand things out to the party. And my partner can cook outside while I’m cooking inside and we can still work together, it’s the best,” she said.

An Australian suggested that people should not argue about the merits of kitchen facilities, but rather decide for themselves what they want.

“Just do what you want within your space, these rules are just opinions,” he said.