Kitchen Design Assignment
Slide Presentation
Concept statement - narrative describing how your kitchen works, feels, and is sustainable
Photos of kitchens that represent the visual look of your kitchen
Evidence of ideation (sketches)
Sustainability metrics - how are you measuring whether or not your kitchen is sustainable?
Final floor plan
Design a kitchen, following the instructions below. When finished, upload your drawings and insert them into this page in the designated areas following the upload instructions.
Create a design for the kitchen of your dreams. Assignment requirements are below; you will need to come up with at least design requirements of your own.
Learning goals:
Procedure - Concept Statement and design requirements
1. How will people feel when using your kitchen - what is their aesthetic experience? What elements will help your kitchen achieve the feeling you've described? For example, bright colors can feel energetic, muted colors with contrasting accents can feel elegant, and polka-dots can feel like a party. How can you use aesthetic principles of design to achieve the feeling you are after?
2. Review the visual design principles that you used in your poster for the guild project. How do contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity apply to kitchen design?
3. Consider what kind of equipment is needed in your kitchen. Think about the kind of work spaces you enjoy using. Are they bright and spacious, neat and organized, or relaxed and informal? What kinds of meals do you like to cook? Do you like to cook alone or with friends? Do you like cooking elaborate meals or are you more of a heat and eat kind of person? Do you need one large sink or several small ones? Do you need countertops to be higher or lower or is the standard height fine? Is it a kitchen for one cook or many? Make a list of furniture and equipment that you need for the kitchen you want.
4. What does it mean to have a “sustainable kitchen” How will you know if you have achieved a sustainable kitchen according to your definition? 75% of the materials used to build it sourced locally? Carbon neutral? Demonstrates permaculture principles throughout? All food and energy are 100% renewable and come from the garden outside? Make a list of assessment parameters that you can measure your kitchen against to determine if you have achieved your sustainable living goals. Consider whether or not you would actually be able to live within the parameters you have established..
5. Imagine that you are working with a client who has asked you to design this kitchen. Write a paragraph that incorporates the information above. Your paragraph should “sell” your kitchen to your client - they should be excited to give you lots of money to design and build it after hearing your pitch. This paragraph is your vision statement.
Procedure - Background Research
1. Use the internet to find information describing the footprint size of each of your functional design elements. Add the sizes to your elements list.
2. Use the internet and other resources to learn about various methods of addressing sustainability concerns for each of your functional requirements. Cooling cupboards or an ice box instead of a refrigerator? Coppiced fuelwood or biogas instead of a natural gas stove? Decide which combination of elements will best address your sustainability goals within your lifestyle practices comfort level.
3. Using the paper provided, cut out a representative shape for each of your design elements.
Procedure - Creative Ideation
Place your elements within the format grid on the paper provided. Move them around until you find a pleasing and functional relationship. Record your idea and repeat at least 4 times. Each time, consider how well your design reflects your vision statement (especially regarding visual unity and functional requirements) and what changes you can make to get closer to your ideal.
Procedure - Critical Thinking
Review your 5 floorplans and choose the one that comes closest to fulfilling your vision statement. Be prepared to explain why you chose the one you did.
Procedure - Documentation and Presentation
1. Make a final cleaned-up floorplan of your design idea. The floorplan should be legible, clearly labeled, attractive, and convincing. Remember CRAP!
2. Digitize your floorplan and upload to your website.