We all know and envy those perfect magical show room kitchens on magazine spreads and in films. Well, looking at them doesn't do much good, sometimes it's more effective to focus on your room and where you went wrong. Afterall, you can't learn from your mistakes before you know what they are. We've collected 3 bad habits lots of people make the mistake of following and continuing to follow when designing their kitchen.

1. Thinking the only thing you can afford to change about the kitchen is the wall paint
   Money woes are the worst, but don't fall into the hole of despair. There's lots of ways to jazz up a space, kitchen or otherwise without having to replace all of the expensive furniture. In this case, fabrics are your friend! A bit of DIY work with fabrics and paint and all appliances can get a new lease on life.
2. Forgetting you NEED counter space, and lots of it!
   We've all done this, it's the price we pay for a small kitchen with moving room. But there has to be a balance; use your noggin and think about what you're using the kitchen for, you need at least 2 cupboard lengths near each fridge, oven or sink, and that's not including space covered by appliances!
3. Getting distracted by trend led design
   There's nothing worse than not listening to your own likes and your own style, just because something's in right now doesn't mean you'll grow to like it. Even worse, when it's not, it'll just be ugly. Do yourself a favour and think about everything you put into your kitchen, will you be happy with it 5-10 years' time?