Most kitchen designers are well-versed in the elements and principles of design and how to apply these aesthetic guidelines when creating a classic kitchen. For this story, we’ll define “classic” as a kitchen that is partially or completely separated from adjacent living spaces.
When planning such a space, designers pinpoint one area of the kitchen and then organize the details of the space to highlight this area.
Mantel hoods or elegant metal sculptural hoods are great focal points in such spaces. Using decorative ceramic or porcelain tile backsplashes coordinating with some type of geometric pattern below or around the hood area is another great way to create a sense of visual excitement and pull the viewer’s eyes toward the highlighted cooking area.
Great Room Focal Point
A different approach should be taken for a kitchen that is part of a multipurpose living area. In these open-plan living environments, the focal point may be the view outside the space, or an adjacent art-filled living area. In these cases, the kitchen needs to be visually interesting, but a space created to play a “supporting role” in the overall area.
In addition to changing how a focal point is identified, designers may find it useful to combine materials, select certain finishes or link different work centers together so they appear to be large or even over-scaled blocks of the kitchen work spaces. This approach to managing space is visually effective for living/cooking/dining communal spaces.
Ventilation equipment can also support this new approach to integrating the kitchen into a grander living area. Interesting new ventilation equipment innovations offer designers functional ways to make the ventilation system “almost disappear.”
One new exhaust engineering system, called “perimetric ventilation,” pulls airborne vapors, steam and heat through small openings along the perimeter (hence the name “perimetric”) of the ventilation system. This system does not require a large canopy holding area, which is an integral part of more traditional hoods.
In addition to this new ventilation system itself, re-engineered downdraft ventilation systems integrated into the cooktop, or downdraft telescoping ventilation systems, have been introduced. There is a renewed demand for such equipment because it can provide effective ventilation without having any wall- or ceiling-mounted overhead appliances required.
Principles of Design 101
When redefining a kitchen’s focal point, a quick review of the elements and principles of design is worthwhile. The NKBA Professional Resource Library volume entitled “Design Principles: Color – Form – Style” has an entire chapter discussing the elements of design. Using the information here, designers can create large room kitchen layouts that focus on the concept of combining lines into various shapes, and by defining space by the forms that are created within a room.
Consider these tips for working with shapes:
The shape of an object has a dramatic impact on the sense of fluidity within the room.
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