I bought a house 20 years ago from a guy who owned a restaurant. Absolutely functional kitchen. I am looking for a new house and the utter garbage kitchen designs is shocking. I finally came to the conclusion that people who live with these types of kitchens do not actually cook.

Don’t forget the drawer handles designed to snag clothing, especially pants pockets and perhaps causing a person to drop something.

That island definitely should have been switched around. Someone works in the kitchen on the one side - but all the drawers are on the other side! Thanks for the tips!

When I was in high school in the late '70s I had a very rich friend, his dad owned a huge business employing 100s of people, and their whole house seemed nonfunctional. It was a big bungalow, but even thought it had gold taps in the powder room etc, it looked like they just put a magnification of 2.5 on the drawings to make the house. Everything was just bigger, but not better. I jokingly thought to myself that I had to pack a lunch to walk across the kitchen. My cousin was a multimillionaire and his house was designed by some famous architect in Scottsdale AZ. It too was a non functioning house. Especially the kitchen. Cool looking to the person that does not know there way around a kitchen, but an absolute mess to anyone who knows how to make toast and coffee. Who puts porous rocks on the wall behind the stove?? That kitchen you showed gave my anxiety and I wanted to scream "What the heck were you thinking". LOL. That was the perfect example of a very bad example. Everything was wrong in the 10th order. Even the non counter depth fridge stuck out like a sore thumb. More proof that just because you have money, doesn't mean you have smarts.

4:20 That island is straight up *backwards*. I've never seen anything so egregious in a brand new kitchen remodel. I would say somebody installed it backwards, nobody caught it or stopped it (supervisor or general?), but judging by the rest of the poor design decisions, they didn't have a real kitchen/cabinet designer in the first place. I was fortunate to work for several years as a GC alongside a custom cabinetmaker with incredible designers.

I am always surprised when a house costing over 1 MIL have an underwhelming, poorly designed kitchen. This kitchen definitely has the look of a middle income home and not a 5 MIL home. Come to think of it, it would be a fun game to show, say, 5 kitchens and then try to match them to their homes' exterior pic.

For me, one huge bonus of having an island is all that additional prep space. Put those chairs there, and that prep space has become extremely difficult to use. Every time you want to roll out some dough, you have to move at least one chair, or you have to walk around to the other side of the island. Ugh! If the owners think no one will want to sit at the island while they're cooking, they're sadly mistaken. That's literally the time when people want to crowd around the island, is when someone is working in the kitchen. The chairs on an island and there so people can sit around and chat with the cook(s) while the meal is being prepped. Why in the world would you sit at the island to watch the TV in the living room? Just sit in the living room! That kitchen was absolutely horribly designed.

This is the type of video I would like to see more of.

Im not opposed to a clean stainless steel look in an all white kitchen. Otherwise the white would be overwhelming with little color or texture transition. The white and clean stainless actually look great together especially if the appliances are built in! See ya next Wednesday, Mark!

Personally, I like the over the range microwave, because it saves space, but ours is flush with the cupboards, not sticking out like theirs, and I agree about the island, they have to walk around it to get anything out of the drawers, I've never seen one that way around, and I also agree with putting a deeper cupboard over the fridge, we did that. 😊👍

My first thought was that this kitchen was surely part of a MIL apartment, not the main kitchen. It will be interesting to see how long this house is on the market. The kitchen alone will scare off most buyers. Could you let us know when it sells?

I get waves of anxiety with OTR microwaves. I am 5'4" and I am so paranoid about spilling something I just heated which is now at face/eye level. So dangerous.

Your down to earth approach is not off putting to common folk as myself nor to the highly skilled designers ….you have really found your niche and the mere following of subscribers is evidence of that….Mr Tobin the Lord put you and your family on this earth for so much more…keep up the good work…the Great Designer…The Creator of all has really blessed plans for your household…sorry to go in this direction on message but it really is truth…and no matter how many times you go over same concepts yet are able to teach us something new…,and it’s seems like new info😂 that’s a gift…keep up the good work my friend…Great Blessings all day everyday to your household 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻& Gammy too🌸🌺🌷thumbs up all day everyday 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Wow. I wonder how many potential buyers are going to have a critical eye when it comes to that kitchen, because at first glance, it does look nice. That gas range can put out a crazy high amount of BTUs, and---I love you Jackie, but---that OTR can't begin to handle that output. That is a for real safety issue. Those island stools are ridiculous. Again, right in front of a high powered gas range. SMH. I hope that potential buyers watch this video and negotiate a good price so they can at least fix the safey issues. Anyhoo, love the video. Great content as always! Thanks Mark!

So, I chose an OTR microwave in my new home. I loved the under counter one I saw in the model but in practicality it's too low. I also chose more cabinet space over the asthetics. I have a smaller upstairs kitchen and a larger downstairs kitchen which worked perfectly for me for 30 years! Women looking to buy the home hated the smaller kitchen.

Before seeing the rest of the space, that looks like a kitchen in a 1950s post WWII tract home that someone fixed up for 2010. Then you showed the rest of the space. Whoa, why?? They prioritized open floorplan, views from stools, and looks. There was SO MUCH space to build a fantastic kitchen! That whole island is a waste the way it is. Maybe they don't eat? Don't they have other places in the house to watch TV?

My kitchen is roughly 18 years old and I still love it. I go through phases of wanting darker cabinets then lighter cabinets. This has been life long - so if I don’t alter colors, eventually I will be happy again. We have two islands, one with sink, raised backsplash so dishes, etc aren’t glaringly noticeable from certain angles. Separate fridge and freezer with panels, paneled DW front. Because we opted for separate pantry, we have a second sink, MW built into cabinets ( rarely used so opted for small one), more counter space and wall of 8’ cabinets with doors for food. But, we also have two corner pullout hinged doors with two lazy Susan’s. Absolutely love these and not sure why you are against them. The doors, when opening and closing, do not hit or impede anything. We are ready to downsize but not finding house/yard - could even be older home that needs remodel - that fits our needs. Everything seems to be in communities when there are hundreds of hoses, stacked on top of each order, with very little yard and no trees.

I agree with all of your criticisms of this kitchen but one of the worst design mistakes is that the window over the sink is too high and it overlooks the garage doors. Plus all that white is pretty darn overwhelming.

Love how detail your advice always is... and entertaining

This was really great! Things I haven't thought about before.

I love my ikea corner cabinet with lazy Susan. I have so much stuff in there! It’s really great.

Best decision I made re-doing my kitchen was making 90% of the couptertop at 40". No more stooping over or stacking cutting boards. :)

I agree over the range microwaves can be downright dangerous especially if your of short stature.

my number one pet peeve in kitchen design is the wasted cabinet space that could be on top of the refrigerator. i’m going to guess that about 90% of kitchens still have the shallow cabinet above the refrigerator. Such a waste a very valuable space. I like to use that space up there for my larger, countertop appliances like crockpots.

Being a kitchen installer this $4. million dollar home should not have a seam in the kick plate. It should not have a low profile microwave it should have a paneled vent hood. Last but not least it should definitely have a high end stove and or oven with separate cooktop.

Yes! I hate corner cabinets and have blocked them off in every kitchen I’ve built.

You presented important points very well. This is why I'm a subcriber.

That kitchen is so cramped for such a high end house, I didn’t catch the square footage, but I would’ve stolen space from some other room to make it bigger.. Also for 5 mil I expect Viking/Wolf or something of that caliber.

I agree with the dishwasher being on the other side. My old kitchen the dishwasher was up against the cupboard. Built in 64. So likely added after. Anything that went into that cupboard had to go in after the dishwasher was closed. We did add a microwave over the stove. I loved it. Bit high, but it gave me much needed counter space. When the fan in our new house hits the dust I will put a microwave there. Then the microwave shelf will get converted for cookbooks. I turned an old microwave stand I was given afterwards into a recycling area and a coffee area. Our stove had much needed outlets on each side. Cleared up more counter space. The stove we bought to replace the old one in our retirement home has none. And none on wall either. Wish I had noticed. Almost 2000 dollars and you do not get outlets. Only two racks in the stove as well. Not rich enough for a kitchen big enough for an island, but agree it should be flipped. Our old kitchen had a small pantry with shelves. I bought and installed a pull out metal rack from lee valley. Made a world of difference. Also bought their pull out garbage. We could not afford to rip out as we would not have seen the money back. But I added a drawer cupboard on its side to the end of the cupboards, for cutting boards and cookie sheets and painted to match. The re store. We bought a new counter. Biggest expence. Besides giving extra storage, I no longer had a dirt hole between the stove and the cupboard. The dishwasher would hit the stove without it. I collected stones and made a lovely stone backsplash. Put lighting under the cupboards. About 400 dollars.

I almost laughed out loud when I saw that island. What were they thinking?! If I'm cooking in the kitchen, and I'm serving some family or friends, I want them to be FACING me, I don't want their backs to me! The fact that they would be completely in the way was already mentioned, but one glaring problem is that the kitchen cupboards don't have a whole lot of storage. But there is a fare bit of storage in the island. I would find it a pain in the keister to have to walk back and forth multiple times to get things, when it would be so much easier if they were on the other side. Lol, I know it's a first world problem for sure, but for five million dollars, it's a bizarre choice!

People may not sit in those chairs if you are cooking but they are definitely in the way if you are using the island for prepping etc.

Most rich people have cooks and hpusekeepers and they care less about about functionality since they don't use their kitchen that much. They care about their kitchens being pretty, which is why they may have a second kitchen for the servants to use. The primary kitchen is for guests to see.

OTR caused an eyelid twitch 😅. It took me a while to understand the Uber and not so Uber rich mindset. When you can have anything you want but don't need, you want something different. Me look how functional this item works, them i paid $40k for mine. The lack of form and function, are too often prisoners of the impatient moment Seldom is the phrase used "I wish I had spent less time, patience, and careful planning" in any project.

Years ago I attended a party at the brand new 3 million US dollar home of a friend’s sister. Upon entering I was horrified by the ghastly craftsmanship and design. There were steps going up and down from room to room, countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms were pulling away from the walls and mitred corners were uneven on the casings around windows and trim around doors. The kitchen was a strategical nightmare for anyone going beyond microwaving popcorn. In those first minutes walking through the house my belief that money does not buy quality was confirmed and forever embedded in my brain. I have been shouting that premise to anyone I encounter building or remodelling since. There was no common sense or quality control in the build, rather it was perceived to be a “show” home to impress. It failed miserably. As always, I appreciate the honesty and blunt frankness of this video. Far too much political correctness around bad design and builds. You are appreciated for all you do. With gratitude and grace!

Wow that’s a small kitchen for that price! Unless they have a walk in pantry the size of my living room😂

I’m surprised (now that I’ve been watching this and a few other channels) by how many pictures of really expensive kitchens show really bad functional problems in the design. This one is true cringe though.

Thanks for mentioning an @uncommonresidential kitchen at 2:17! We don't see any slow down for custom panels on kitchen appliances in our market.

I wonder if the island placement was done to the customer demand. "hey, let's flip this around so the kids can watch cartoons while they eat, or so I can watch my game,,,,etc", without any thought to the ridiculous functionality it now has. I feel like this is a "frat boy" kind of decision. It really is kinda cringe-worthy to see.

I laughed when I saw you get a cup of coffee from the coffeemaker I told you to move. I feel like a wizard to have caused a coffeemaker to move in a neighboring country.

With the chairs on that side of the island, you also give up a ton of prep space

Some people still rinse of ,before putting in the dishwasher....hence the placement on the left....

Why does the dishwasher even have a dishwasher handle that sticks out? That is such a bad layout. Kitchen sell, or don't sell, a home and that makes no sense.

I feel like we’re bonding over our loathing of microwaves over the cooktop/range 😂 I’ve taken my feeling about microwaves too far, I’m kicking it into the laundry room which is closer to the tv bonus room man cave for microwaving popcorn, which is pretty much all it’s used for. I’m wondering if I’m making a mistake because I do melt butter in it…hmmm

Watching you pour a cup of coffee inspired me to make a cup of coffee 😂

In smaller kitchens, corner cabinets are needed, can’t waste that space.

Hey Mark, thanks for this video. How do you make a standard depth refrigerator look built in? Have you ever recessed a fridge into the wall behind it?

I would love to know what you think about the Blue Heron homes being built in Las Vegas/Henderson, NV. Those homes start at $1.5 million but actually sell at $7 million and up.

That island is the wrong way around. The drawers are facing the living room.

knew our kitchen needed renos the day we looked at the house.. its weird... I say its home made not custom made LOL. probably made in the 70s, weird sized cabinets and open cabinets at the tops someone put a bulkhead to hide, no backs on the cabinets either, some drawers- no glides-bare wood, chicken wire on some doors to let in mice, dust and grease, so eventually well have a few open shelves will actually be less open than what we have now.. a tad too rustic farmhouse kitchen lol. And we will get to reno it how we want instead of previous owners renoing it to sell and wasting money on it.

OTR microwaves suck. I mean, their exhaust fans don't suck very well. That's assuming they're vented, which many are not, and proper ventilation is important. At eye level height, they are a serious burn hazard, especially to older people. A senior taking a bubbling casserole out of an OTR microwave can so easily spill it on themselves.

Ooh, brand new viewer here! Don't we all have strong opinions about our kitchens, and others'? But think about it: if you have that much money, you're probably not interested in the kitchen, let alone cooking. So, I'm going to say it isn't a custom design, just something put together, for selling to someone else. Not a lot of thought went into it at all.

For the corner base cupboard, what if you put a small open top chest freezer with a removable top?

I saw this kitchen in the MLS listings. One of the first things I saw was the island was backwards. If I had been looking for a $5 million dollar house, it would have been a deal breaker for me. If they can't do that right, what else is wrong? As a mother of 5 who cooks and bakes, it would have totally frustrated me.

5:52 I smell merch! #nastykitchen Go MTKD for that notable quotable! And that OTR is a gem! That EXACT MODEL belongs in every high end home in North America! I know I have mine! Besides the misguided OTR musings, your observations were spot on! Thanks for another great video! ❤

You care a lot more about those refrigerator panels than I do.

I wish I could put a vent hood in my kitchen, but there’s absolutely no space for a microwave to go anywhere else (really small kitchen, not a lot of counter space or cabinets). I hate it but it’s all we can do, since we use a microwave heavily.

To paraphrase Dolly Parton, "it takes a lot of money to look this cheap"

Fancy arrow graphics 😋

what about a counter depth refrigerator..Frig is too big for the space

That kitchen was awful! I am also surprised how popular over the range microwaves are. Awkward angle, I'm a little afraid of them. Im suprised there aren't more accidents of people getting burned by hot food

I don’t understand why designers don’t like the “lazy Susan” (or why Americans call it that), it’s so great for stowing away kitchen appliances you don’t use every day, I got two in my kitchen, they’re great!

I can forgive not having a side panel on the fridge, but why is it not countertop depth? Hate appliances that stick out. They look terrible.

Personally I think when flipping a house they should list it for sale first with different design options on paper and let the new owner choose, especially at that price. I’m not a fan of the common white kitchens or grey designs. Grey never puts me in a good mood. I like a lot of warmth. There was very little thought put into this kitchen, yet kitchens are always the heart of the home. What a waste in so many ways if someone wastes money buying this and then guts it to what they want. But happens all the time. I’d be shocked if this place sells at anything close to the asking price.

Why would the chairs be close to a range? It’s so strange. And the offset window? What the what. Why.

What if your fridge is on a wall in the cornernext to an archway entry. The back door faces the side of fridge so only the trash can can sit next to it. Does a stand alone fridge need paneled in?

I can't see where they keep the ladder for reaching all those cupboards that go up to the ceiling. And with the microwave suspended over the stove, is there no fume extractor? Primitive.

My money is on someone putting that island the wrong way and some other one not saying anything and trying to pass it as intentional. That lighting would give me a headache. You could perform surgery there.

That lighting is horrendous too. Giant grid of recessed lights is never the answer.

This kitchen is not in that house at 2993 Innisfil Beach Rd. The view out the kitchen window in this video is a two car garage with yellow doors at a right angle to the kitchen. This is impossible with this house. The front of the Innisfil Beach Rd house is flat and the doors are dark brown. And that is not a view of the back of the house. Maybe this is just an inlaw cottage on the property, but this simply is not in the house shown.

How come the front of the 5M house doesn't match the view out of the kitchen window?

It is a tiny older kitchen floor plan. Options are limited. My mom's 1965 kitchen has some of the same issues. The kitchen works for the family who did it. Flow and warm and inviting rule.

Thank you for pointing out everything that I have been saying for the last year. We're going to build a house in the near future, so Zillow has become my addiction. And pinterest. But with Zillow? You get to see real kitchens designed by fools! The common design flaws that I point out would not cost any more money if done correctly the first time. The apartment that we are currently living in has a kitchen that you cannot open the refrigerator door & the pantry door at the same time. Very inconvenient.

How do you handle paneled appliances when they need to be replaced in 10 years? Who can renovate a kitchen every 10 years just for appliances?

I want to make a joke about a $5M home in Canada being a $500,000 house in the U.S. but that’s low-hanging fruit. Real estate prices in Canada are insane.

Why are there differences between European and North American kitchens? You would say something is effective or isn't? European kitchens have all appliances paneled, extractor hoods built-in the stove, separated fridge and freezer, steam oven, L, XL, XXL cupboards and of course a Quooker. While NA have a large non-fitting fridge/freezer with an ice machine, appliances not paneled, several water taps (luxury kitchens), in sink macerator, gas stove with oven, oddly placed microwaves(over the hood or at low levels under the countertop). Is anyone doing it wrong or is it just a market difference?

If I grant you that the microwave shouldn’t be over the range, in my case, it still needs to be high, because I cannot bend over. And I am less likely to drop something if I can get a good grab on it at high-level. There is no way I could do a lower cabinet level microwave and lift hot foods. Simple ergonomics for me.

This house looks like a flip - and one that isn't cheap. Using the countertop quartz as the backsplash material is usually quite expensive and adds little function - especially when the quartz is taken all the way to the ceiling. There's plenty of room in that kitchen to put a microwave anywhere but over the range. OTRs work best in small kitchens, IMHO. Anywhere but counter height makes the user reach up or down instead of placing hot food on the counter - and that applies to other types of ovens, too. But sometimes, one is stuck. That isn't the case here. There's more than enough space in this room for a fantastic kitchen - if the owner had consulted Mark Tobin Kitchen Design, of course. Finally, the whole space looks cold and uninviting. Part of the reason is the kelvin value of the lighting. A white kitchen combined with cool paint colors and cool lighting makes a space cold and uninviting. Just my opinion.

So if the microwave isn’t over the range or under the countertop or on the counter where should it be? Just curious? Mine is over range (the range itself vents outside).

And can we talk about those multiple cheap roof vents on the front of the house? There were better ways to vent that roof, especially for $4.9m!

Never put a refrigerator at the back of the kitchen. Needs to be easily accessible without disrupting other access. My older kitchen needs a remodel. Where I would put my range would not be ideal but at least the range vent would exhaust to the outside unlike the worthless fan I have now, and my refrigerator would be in a much better place.

The kitchen in the 4,9million dollar home is serving its purpose perfectly: Look expensive with 0 meals cooked at home. No woman who’ll live in such a house will ever cook really. 😂

Wow, that is a terrible kitchen in most every way. I suppose someone who could afford a 5M home could afford to rip it out and start over. I love looking at real estate listings, more videos like this with good and bad kitchens please!

Strange kitchen indeed

I think a microwave over the range looks fine and a big screen on the fridge does not. ; )

Waa-ay too many can lights. Just seems very small for the price of the house. The marble flooring is beautiful, but very unforgiving on your feet.

That island is weird

5 bedroom 3 full bath house. Tiniest kitchen in the world. 😢

Maybe it's the for-show kitchen and they have an additional "help" kitchen where the actual cooking happens lol?

Nothing like a $5M house with IKEA Sektion kitchen cabinets. The view from the property better be spectacular. Just saying...or...typing.

2:47 Neither option for the island chairs makes sense. 💡Make it round, chairs can be wherever makes sense @ the time, whole base = finally a sensible place for lazy susans

That looks like a condo. I can't believe that is a kitchen in a big house. 😧

The drawer/door fronts look incredibly cheap also. This house is a scam, like most houses in Canada nowadays.

Makes me think this house was flipped and someone who doesn’t know the market threw that kitchen together without benefit of a designer.

The background music is a bit much.

I have a 650 square-foot house. My kitchen is set up 10 times better than this one is.

That sure is a flimsy-looking door, easy to kick in, easy to break the glass. Is the rest of this supposedly expensive home that cheaply done?

This is got to be the worst kitchen in the most expensive house ratio I have ever seen. I would've guessed this was a $200,000 house. I'm not kidding. If I'm paying over $4 million for a house that kitchen had better not look like this one. Wow.

Maybe they thought the buyer would gut the kitchen, so why spend a lot of money on it.

Unbelievable!

I've seen way better kitchens in 300K houses. It's clearly just there because all houses should have one. These people eat out. Or, is there a functional kitchen in the back of that?