Kitchens are often described as the heart of the home as this is where most households tend to gather.

Therefore, those looking to sell their home or just looking to up their house value may want to pay the most close attention to this room.

To help households out, interior designer at RJ Living Bree Steele, has shared several features in kitchens that could “devalue a property” and “put off potential buyers”.

Overly personalised design choices

Kitchens that feature highly personalised designs like bold and personal colours or interesting cabinetry “deter potential buyers” who don’t have the same design preferences. 

They might think that more renovations are needed to make the home to their liking, which can be “off-putting to buyers” who don’t want to increase costs or put in effort to change things.

Poor layout 

If a kitchen is laid out in a way that isn’t very functional or that feels cramped, this can “make a buyer uninterested”. 

Most people are looking for functional kitchens that can be a central hub of their home that inspires them to cook and socialise, which is hard if the kitchen is hard to navigate. 

Fixing a bad layout isn’t as easy as replacing design features either, because it might involve a full kitchen renovation to make things work more well-rounded, warned Bree.

Outdated appliances and fixtures

Kitchens with old or inefficient appliances can be “a really big reason buyers are disinterested in a property”, particularly if they really like contemporary living. 

Many buyers also understand that older appliances can be more expensive to run, which might mean they need to spend money updating things.

Bad lighting 

A dark kitchen with poor natural or artificial lighting can “make the space feel smaller and less welcoming”, which makes the kitchen look less inviting when potential buyers are coming to look at the home.

Buyers want good lighting for aesthetics and also to make their home more practical because bad lighting can make food preparation areas feel less safe and the space less inviting in general.

Not enough storage space 

Limited storage options in a kitchen can be “a big disadvantage” for some buyers, particularly because kitchens that don’t have sufficient storage can seem cluttered and impractical. 

This means a buyer might have to think about the extra cost of adding more storage space or think about how they can accommodate less space which can be really frustrating.