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Kitchen Design
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A basic understanding of kitchen design principles will help you make decisions about your space that are both artful and functional.
When planning a new kitchen, many different elements need to come together into a unified whole. Cabinets, appliances, backsplashes, countertops, flooring, and decorative pieces all have their own colors, textures, and forms. In short, they compose design elements. Design principles help you to guide the use of those elements.
For example, take the element of color. You need to not only consider the color of your cabinets (Stained or painted? One color or two colors?), the color of your countertops (Light or dark? Patterned or solid?), etc., but you have to also have to figure out if all the colors will work together as a whole. With a solid understanding design principles, you’ll be more prepared to put all of the different pieces together in a way that is beautiful and suitable to your space. These are the basic principles of interior design we will talk about in this article:
- Balance and symmetry
- Focal points
- Scale and proportion
Principle #1: Visual Balance & Symmetry
Have you ever walked into a room and had an immediate sense that something was “off”? Perhaps there’s too much empty space in one area, while an oversized TV and sofa dominates the rest. When a space doesn’t feel right, it might be because the visual balance is tilted in one direction or the symmetry is off.
A well-balanced room communicates a sense of relaxation and security. When you enter a space that follows the kitchen design principle of balance, the whole room will feel centered and composed throughout.
To create a balanced room, start with a center point. As the point where your gaze lands, this is typically the literal center of a wall or room, though it may not be. Around that center, build symmetry.
All in all, symmetry helps create a sense of harmony and calm. However, your space doesn’t have to be a mirror-image of itself to have balance. Asymmetrical kitchens can still distribute its elements such that they balance out.
Principle #2: Focal Points
Focal points are objects or displays that immediately draw your attention in a room. You might think about a fireplace, a TV, a large piece of art, or a wildly colored piece of accent furniture.
Common kitchen focal points include the stovetop, backsplash, and hood, but your kitchen’s focal point may be a sink, center island, or a window.
Ideally, other objects in the room will support and not compete with the decided focal point, although larger spaces might benefit from having multiple focal points.
Principle #3: Scale & Proportion
The kitchen design principles of scale and proportion ensure that elements in a room are properly sized in relation to one another. Any object should be scaled relative to its surroundings so as not to seem too large or too small for a room.
Your dream kitchen might have a large, professional-grade cooktop and a massive kitchen island for entertaining guests. But does that 48” induction range really fit in your 12 x 12 space?
Will your island seating squeeze your walkways to the point of discomfort?
This is where proper sizing is important: ensuring that the elements in the space suit each other and suit the space as a whole.
How long does it take to remodel a kitchen?
When it comes to remodeling, everything depends on the size, scope of the details of your particular project. That includes your time frame. But what if you don’t have much experience remodeling and don’t really understand how long construction work takes?
What’s a good benchmark for setting a remodeling time frame?
Nine months is generally sufficient time to get what you want and stay on budget for the average kitchen remodel. That’s six months to plan your project (searching, shopping, designing, preparing, ordering, hiring and scheduling), and three months of contract work to build it out.
A lot of homeowners wrap up their projects much faster depending on how they use their time. But don’t take time for granted. Time is a resource that allows you to get more of what you want. And we all forget how much time it takes to shop. You’ll want the time to discover products, vendors, and seasonal sales.
It’s okay and normal to want your kitchen remodeled in time for the holidays. But be sure to give yourself enough time, and start planning in January!
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