Function Following Form

While the basic layout of a well-designed kitchen or bath will always follow its function, designers say the style of the home will dictate some of the finer points. "All floor plans have to take into account the style of the home. You can't design a floor plan one way, change the style and still make it work," says Tim Scott of XTC Design in Toronto, an award-winning design firm focusing on highly functional kitchen and bath projects.

Over 12 years of operations, Scott and co-designer Erica Westeroth have worked on both classic and contemporary designs. While their first priority is to design a kitchen or bath that fits the clients' needs, they acknowledge that once a style has been established, it greatly influences the way they approach the floor plan. The affected elements include balance, shape and window placement. A contemporary design makes it easier to use these elements to satisfy unusual needs.

Balance. Classic plans tend to be symmetrical, while contemporary ones need not be. "With classic, whatever is on the left is on the right," says Scott. That means in a classic you will usually see upper and lower cabinets flanking a sink on both sides.

By contrast, a contemporary plan may be balanced or not, so the cabinets don't have to follow any hard and fast rules. In one contemporary kitchen, for example, XTC specified clear glass shelves over the sink to help open the kitchen to an adjoining space, a detail that Scott says may not work well in a classic kitchen.

Shape. "A contemporary space may have more angular or curved shapes than a classic home," Scott says, pointing to the various gently undulating shapes of countertops, ceiling elements and even flooring patterns in some of the firm's designs. And while any style of kitchen plan can include an island, the shape of the island will follow the style. "A classic plan could include a bowed or gently curved island or breakfast bar, but it is unlikely to be angular or asymmetrical," Scott says. Contemporary projects also let him create unusual nooks. One project included a seating area with what he calls "a diner look."

Windows. "In a classic space, window type and placement has to fit with the rest of the home," says Scott. This can leave the designer with fewer options about where to put the bathroom or how to arrange it. That's not as much of an issue in contemporary designs. And window placement in contemporary spaces can be creative and unique, opening the plan to unexpected views to the outside. "For one contemporary bath, we had two floor-to-ceiling walls of glass," says Scott of a home whose owners considered a flood of natural light preferable to a symmetrical facade.

Contemporary designs also give the designer more options for interior windows and openings, which can help solve floor planning issues. In one project, the wife wanted their two-story master bedroom to include a bathtub, while the husband wanted it in a separate room. XTC solved the problem with movable shoji screens. Opening the Japanese-style translucent wall panels exposes the tub to the two-story master bedroom space around two sides, and gives XTC two satisfied customers.