#1 Design Trend for 2012: Symmetry & Balance

After review of the nearly 500 designs submitted to the 2012 NKBA Design Competition, created by leading designers from across the North America, a number of themes rose from the mix. Beginning with the more blank slate of new construction, skilled designers bring room spaces to life through the creative implementation of many components. The #1 Design Trend for 2012 was demonstrated by V6B Design Group’s new project in Vancouver, pictured below.

A strong sense of symmetry enacted in room design creates stability and balance. If not a mirror reflection of itself, the space should possess components and pieces that act as counterbalance to the one another. So in this kitchen where there is a heavier expansive furniture style island, there is subsequently more substantial lighting overhead, and a generous ventilation hood waiting in the background to compliment. A large framed window anchors the wall behind the sink and open cabinetry, glass door cabinetry and open wire doors draw the eye up and around the well-composed room.

By creating balance in height as well as horizontal evenness, the room appears grounded, steady, and classically comfortable. Symmetrical placements within design generate purpose and contentment. Symmetry as a design trend appears rooted to remain, simply translated into contemporary applications and with current styling impacting change.

NKBA Magazine Spring 2012 – For full article, click here

 

Elements of the Style

This transitional kitchen design combines both contemporary and traditional features to create an updated look. Not too modern, and not too traditional, transitional kitchens are for those who want their style somewhere in between. V6B Design Group recently completed a stunning new home interior which included a brilliantly airy and functional transitional live-in kitchen. Winning both a Crystal design award and being published in NKBA’s 2012 Top Trend list, we look at the elements of style in this 21st century kitchen.

The best part about transitional design is the freedom it affords to the homeowner. Many of our clients enjoy a variety of looks that do not neatly fit into a particular era or style. Their tastes are not disjointed, but rather a culmination of the designs past and present that fit their visual palette. The beauty of transitional kitchen design is that it allows our clients to pick and choose their favorite themes to create a style that fits their home and their sensibilities.

“White is the most timeless kitchen color around. Unlike color tones and wood stains that can shift with fashion tides, a well-designed white kitchen will never look dated. Even modern kitchens tend to emphasize monochromatic color schemes (black, white, and gray). Because of this, white cabinets can give a traditional style kitchen a more transitional or slightly contemporary appearance, depending on the design. You can be trendy and timeless with a traditional style white kitchen.”

– Earl Lawson, V6B Design Group

Contrasting the stainless steel hood against the white cabinetry helps anchor the back wall without it being too busy. Likewise, the design celebrates the classy look of stainless steel appliances by choosing not to include traditional door panels that hide them. The ovens, coffee maker, warming drawer, are all integrated into the inset frame cabinetry so they do not protrude out past the face of the cabinet.

Unlike modern kitchens, the transitional kitchen allows for a tasteful amount of ornamentation. The clients in this case, choose their favorite crown moldings, corbels and turnings to make the kitchen as rich and elegant as they desired, all while maintaining a degree of contemporary flair. We set the overhanging dining counter directly on top of the island top to create a different level and the sense of a separate table top. “We also incorporated a variety of open cabinetry, glass door cabinetry, open wire doors and an open space at the hood fan to minimize the volume of cabinetry,” says Lawson.

Coming up with a the sink details also brought the element of layering to the design. The unique undermount sink detail, with the countertop directly on top of a stone sink skirt, and the window sill directly on top of the countertop was something which the clients were ecstatic about. That, and the trim throughout the house matching the kitchen, integrates the space completely with the interior architecture.

Interior Design Solutions: Tech stations, Library, and Bathrooms

Rather than a jumble of cords all over the house, we have always designed entry cabinets and media stations, nice and close to the home’s command centre: the kitchen. An entry cabinet provides a place where everyone can store their “stuff” when they come home. A custom plug-in bar for charging phones, iPods, and BlackBerrys keeps these contemporary must-haves close at hand, but out of sight.

Likewise, detailing the library in such a way that everything has its place, and the overall look and feel isn’t just a wall of books. Rather, this space was an opportunity to create a sculpted piece of cabinetry that brings warmth and character to what would otherwise just be simple book storage.

Character was what the household bathrooms needed to evoke as well. They are bright and airy, have exceptional detailing and design and very clearly show you why it’s important to design with a holistic approach – not just for your budget, but for the overall package that defines the consistent character of the homes interior.