The Myths of Kitchen Design & What They Cost You

Planning a kitchen remodel is exciting. A new kitchen can transform how your home looks, feels, and functions — almost like moving, without packing boxes or switching utilities.

But there’s one mistake homeowners make more than any other — and it quietly leads to budget overruns, delays, and long-term regret.... and that's rushing the kitchen design phase. Let’s talk about why slowing down is actually the smartest (and least expensive) decision you can make.

Rushing Kitchen Design Is Tempting

Most homeowners are eager:

• To lock in a contractor’s availability

• Start picking out all the pretty things

• Stay on track for an upcoming event or deadline

• For demo day!

  
  

The problem? Speed feels productive — but in kitchen remodels, speed before clarity almost always backfires. Most homeowners simply don't know what they don't know and are operating with the following beliefs:

Myth #1: Kitchen Design Is Really Just Picking Finishes, Right?

Cabinets. Countertops. Tile. Nope! There's usually a lot more depending on the scope of your project. Most kitchen designs include:

• Establishing a realistic budget

• Layout and space planning

• Storage strategy

• Structural constraints

• Flooring considerations

• Electrical and layered lighting plans

• Plumbing locations

When design starts with shopping instead of planning, homeowners often end up revising layouts, reordering materials, and redoing work that could have been avoided.

Myth #2: I’ll Design My Kitchen After the Contractor Starts

This might look easy on TV, but in real life it’s super stressful. Starting construction without a complete design is like booking flights after your vacation has already started. Decisions are rushed, options are limited, and stress skyrockets. This approach often leads to:

• Costly change orders

• Construction delays

• Pressure-filled decisions

• Frustration between homeowners and contractors

Rushing design doesn’t save time — it simply pushes decisions into construction, where fixes and changes are far more expensive. Change orders can add up fast. Moving plumbing, adjusting electrical after drywall, or reordering cabinets can add thousands of unexpected dollars to your project.

Waiting until the last minute can mean paying premium shipping fees or settling for materials that aren’t your first choice due to limited availability.

The Cost of Living With Regret

Not all costs show up on an invoice:

• An island that end up too small

• A pantry that doesn’t function well

• Finishes you wish you had chosen differently

These regrets are all permanent — and you will live with them every day or pay a lot to redo it.

The Truth Homeowners Need to Hear

Starting construction without a complete design will not save you time — it will cost you more. Taking the time to design your kitchen isn't a delay, it's an insurance policy for your entire remodel.

Most homeowners only get the chance to remodel a kitchen once or twice in their lifetime. Taking time to plan isn’t slowing down — it’s protecting your investment. If you’re eager to start, that’s normal, but future you will be grateful you paused, planned, and designed intentionally.

My best advice, start planning early to design smarter, not faster. Look for next week's blogpost where I share the four key phases of kitchen design and how long each one takes.

You can also subscribe to my podcast where I dive into everything kitchen remodel! Click the image below to listen now. You can also find the Kitchen Remodel Made Easy podcast on Apple, Spotify and most any podcast platform. Thanks for being here!