Good design is defined as design unity and a timeless look. But to achieve unity and an evergreen look, all design principles must be considered. Remodeling your kitchen and bathroom is much more than selecting fixtures and painting the walls. A good remodel will have a well thought out design concept that starts with design principles as a foundation.
The principles are balance, rhythm, emphasis/focal point, scale, proportion, and harmony/unity. To get a better understanding of these concepts, we will look at each of them in relation to bathroom remodel planning and kitchen planning.
Let’s start with the balance that is the distribution of the visual weight of objects, colors, textures and space. In a recent vanity design, a client requested tile to be installed over the vanity all the way to the wall and considered tiling the entire wall, not just the vanity. The vanity, being very small, could only visually support a small number of tiles without making the space feel bulky or heavy. Based on the principle of balance, we opted for less is more and decided not to do the entire wall. Thought was also given to the pendant lights we chose, again wanting to keep the balance of the room, we chose streamlined lights that had very little volume and clear glass to keep the balance of the space feeling light. These decisions helped the design of this small room feel spacious even with the lack of square footage.
Going to the rhythm. The easiest way to create rhythm within a space is to repeat design elements that can include lines, shapes, textures, colors, patterns, and light. In a recent bathroom project, we used floral mosaic tiles in the shower, on the floor, and on an accent wall. We repeat the pattern in several areas on muted colored tiles to give the bathroom rhythm. In a recent kitchen we use straight lines on cabinet doors, hardware, lamps and furniture to create rhythm and flow. The idea is to keep the eye moving in a natural way that makes one feel relaxed and comfortable in the space and never overwhelmed.
Emphasis/focal point is one of my favorite design principles to work with. Here the idea is to show a part of the design and keep the attention of the viewer. Often referred to as the “wow” factor, you can be as creative as you want, as long as you think about the rest of the design principles. One of my favorite design projects was a master bath that was designed in marble. The entire bathroom was in awe, so creating a focal point meant we had to get creative. The solution was to build a false wall to house a fireplace and a herringbone-tiled wall-to-wall niche that was accented by sunlight from a skylight. Although the entire space was impressive, everyone who entered kept their attention on the fake wall we created. Focal point achieved!
Scale refers to the relationship of two or more objects, one having a commonly known size. In a kitchen, we know that the average prep sink is 12×12. When selecting a faucet for this sink, it would not be appropriate to select a large gooseneck or commercial kitchen faucet.
The ratio is an obvious principle and easy to spot if not calculated correctly. Simply put, one cannot have a nine foot walk-in shower in a bathroom that is only 8×9. The proportion of the shower is overwhelming and too big for the space. Likewise, we wouldn’t use a giant chandelier intended for a cathedral ceiling in a kitchen with eight-foot ceilings. Scale and proportion go hand in hand and are a very important part of good design.
Harmony is all the different elements that come together to create a beautiful and well thought out design. In a recent mid-century makeover, we thought through every element we added to the space. We chose dark blue tile, bold gold fixtures, walnut-colored cabinets, and turn-of-the-century lighting. Once all the elements were combined, the harmony of the space was evident. We would not have added polka dots or nickel finishes to this design. Anything outside of mid-century would have disrupted the flow.
Design has endless possibilities and with proper care of design principles, any bathroom or kitchen can become a showplace.