Simple Symmetry – we’re wired for it
Forgive me if I’m stating the blindingly obvious, but bilateral symmetry is such a useful design principle for kitchens – it gives a strong sense of order, and that makes for spaces that feel grounded and are easy to live in. I’m sure the feeling of safety and comfort we get from bilateral symmetry goes right back to the way new-born brains are programmed to respond to the symmetry of faces – we recognize the pattern without thinking, and we like its predictable quality:
Do you see eyes, nose, and mouth here? Via Style at Home
It’s an easy and logical principle to adopt for kitchens, where we tend to have a couple of obvious and natural focal points, such as the sink under the window:
photo Dominique Vorillon via This Old House
or the hood and range. Since both of these work best with work space on either side, it’s not a huge leap to arrange the other elements around them in as symmetrical an arrangement as possible:
Allmilmo - Symmetry emphasized by color
But don’t forget your Chi – if Feng Shui is a consideration, as it often is in my neighborhood, fire and water opposite each other are a problem. I’ve worked with practitioners who solve this by moving the sink slightly off the axis, or by accessing either sink or stove from the opposite side of the island. Placing wood between the elements of fire and water is also a solution – could that be a good justification for a wood counter-top?
At first thought it seems odd that something as easy on the eye and the brain as lining up the cooktop and the sink on a single axis of symmetry would cause problems in a system like Feng Shui, which surely could not have survived 3500 years or more if there weren’t at least some sense to it (I will be posting more on this subject very soon). But it causes problems in our current culture of kitchen design too, which has survived considerably less time. You do have to think about how the kitchen will be used. Is there enough room between sink and stove for two people to work back to back, (will someone be working at the dishwasher while another cooks) or is there room for a separate clean-up sink?
Wingate House via 1st Option
So while bilateral symmetry is an easy and obvious way to please your brain, don’t forget that your kitchen has to function well for you, too. If you want a kitchen that works hard and makes you happy every day, let’s start talking!
In the meantime, don’t forget the charms of asymmetry and the unexpected – a whole other post, to be sure, but I can’t resist this little taster:
Off kilter - Walnut's Farm via 1st Option
Hi Joseph – I tend to lean (no pun intended) towards asymmetrical balance myself, which is why I have to come back and remind myself how bi-lateral symmetry is sometimes just so obvious and right. Guess that’s what I was doing with this post.
Symmetry is very important to me. I have sometimes designed a piece that is asymmetrical, because form follows function, and sometimes the function of the piece will not permit a symmetrical composition. But I am always nervous when I do so, and I find myself agonizing quite a bit before I commit to such a design. Symmetry, by way of distinct contrast, as has always been an easy decision for me!