Top designers weigh in on do's, don'ts in kitchen

Top designers offer their views on what they can't live without and what they'd like to see less of:

--Linda Woodrum has designed for HGTV's "Dream Home" for 10 years.

Love it: "A huge, huge sink. I hate these little divided sinks. Actually, I can't live without two big sinks."

Lose it: "Wall-mounted upper cabinets. I want my kitchen to be more like a living space, and not feel so functional."

--Joan Kohn is a kitchen expert and author of several design books.

Love it: "A small kitchen island on wheels. It's adaptable andversatile -- a portable work station."

Lose it: "Any excess. I have a minimalist aesthetic."

--Kenneth Brown has his own interior-design firm in Los Angeles.

Love it: "The removable cutting board. I've been doing wooden butcher blocks that are integrated into the countertop, so it's nice and flush to the counter, but then you can take it out and give it a good, good sterilization with plenty of hot water."

Lose it: "Multiple work triangles. You just need one."

--Lin Lee has her own interior-design firm in Colorado.

Love it: "Great lighting. That means several layers of lighting, including task lighting specifically over workspaces, either under cabinets or as pendant lights over an island so there are no shadows where you're working; ambient lighting throughout the space so it's bright; and then accent lighting for drama, such as overcabinet lighting. It's the key to function."

Lose it: "The ubiquitous kitchen desk we all had to have in the '80s."