Aesthetics and style in design are as important as functional space planning in kitchens and bathrooms.
Today, the consumer’s definition of good design in residential kitchen and bathroom planning places equal importance on function, style, and beauty.
- Consumers expect the kitchen and bathroom to look good as well as be functional. One aspect of the plan is not given up for the other.
- Consumers pride themselves in planning their own kitchen or bathroom; however, they expect the kitchen/bath specialist to help them create a personalized, one‐of‐a‐kind space.
- Consumers who desire luxury products as well as those on a more modest budget are interested in good style and design. Their appreciation of style and design has grown from exposure to well‐designed home products, including those created by recognized designers, artists, or home fashion experts in retail stores, on television decorating shows, and on the Internet.
To meet this professional challenge and provide design excellence, both experienced and novice designers need to expand their planning expertise to encompass the elements and principles of design as well as a variety of historical or specific cultural design trends and themes, often requested by today’s clients. Doing this requires both academic study and the ability to think beyond the industry standard of covering the walls with well‐engineered cabinets and specifying highly functional, well‐made manufactured mate-rials, fixtures, and appliances to create an aesthetically pleasing, creative, and personalized kitchen and/or bathroom.
The primary focus of this volume of the NKBA Professional Resource Library is on the planning of the physical appearance of the kitchen and bathroom. Included is a brief history of the design of kitchens and bathrooms (chapter 1) as well as some basics of creat-ing a design, using skill and creativity to personalize designs for clients (chapter 2). It explains and details how to apply the academic elements (chapter 3) and principles (chapter 4) of design and selected historic and cultural style themes to specific kitchen and bath-room situations, enabling the designer to more clearly understand how to apply these tools of design to daily business practice. The historic and cultural style themes are presented as chronologically as possible. Those through and up to the end of the nineteenth century are discussed in chapter 5; those through the late nineteenth, through the twentieth and into the beginning of the twen-ty‐first century in chapter 6, with selected cultural style themes presented in chapter 7. Although references to the design planning process, kitchen and bathroom layouts, types of equipment, and various materials are made, the major thrust of this volume is how the kitchen or bathroom visually presents itself to the customer using and enjoying the space. New and expanded illustrations of the application of each of these concepts to kitchens and bathrooms are included to enhance your knowledge and skill as a designer and serve as reference points and real‐life examples to use when creating designs and working with clients.
For the design student and designers preparing for the AKBD Exam, this volume addresses the following selected competencies in the NKBA Body of Knowledge:
Body of Knowledge Competency: Design
Design Principles: Demonstrates knowledge of color theories and how color relates to space (chapter 3).
Design Principles: Demonstrates design solutions using the elements and principles of design to satisfy aesthetic criteria (chapters 3 and 4).
Kitchen Planning & Bath Planning: Demonstrates knowledge of kitchen and bath historical styles and shows awareness of current design trends (chapters 1, 5, 6, and 7).
Kitchen Planning & Bath Planning: Evaluates client needs and incorporates them in the design solution (chapters 2, 5, 6, and 7).
This volume also addresses the following selected CIDA Professional Standards 2014:
II. Interior Design: Critical Thinking, Professional Values, and Processes
Standard 2: Global Perspective for Design—Have a global view and weigh design decisions within the parameters of . . . cultural context) (chapter 7).
Standard 4: Design Process—Apply all aspects of the design process to creative problem solving . . . and generate creative solu-tions that optimize the human experience within the interior environment) (chapter 2).
III. Interior Design: Core Design and Technical Knowledge
Standard 8: History—Apply knowledge of interiors, architecture, decorative arts, and art within a historical and cultural context) (chapters 1, 5, and 6).
Standard 9: Space and Form—Apply elements and principles of two‐ and three‐dimensional design (chapters 3 and 4).
Standard 10: Color—Apply color principles and theories (chapters 3 and 4).
There is an abundance of information included in this volume, meant to serve as a reference when working with clients. My hope is that it will increase and enhance your knowledge and skill as a designer. Enjoy design and creating those perfect kitchen and bathroom spaces for your clients, whatever the style or theme.
It was an honor to be asked to revise this volume, a culmination of more than 40 years of college teaching: interior design theory and history along with space planning and other interior design courses. These basic design concepts (elements and principles of design) are the backbone and building blocks of any designed space, including kitchens and bathrooms. The trend to restore, re‐create, or create the feeling of a historical space to complement exterior architectural and interior style has increased in recent years, so much so that it became an integral part of my teaching in the history of interiors and space planning classes. Students have enjoyed the challenge of applying this historical and theme aspect to their design projects and have been inspirations. My thanks to them.
Many contributors made this book possible. Special thanks go to Johanna Baars, Publications Specialist at NKBA; Paul Drougas, Editor, and Michael New, Editorial Assistant at John Wiley & Sons; Ellen Cheever, CMKBD, ASID, author of the first edition; the designers whose projects illustrate the design elements, principles, themes, and styles; and the peer reviewers who provided useful comments and suggestions. Finally, special thanks to my husband and family for their encouragement, support, and patience throughout this process.
