How to Use the Golden Ratio for a Balanced Kitchen Remodel

Have you ever seen a kitchen and it just looked right to you? There are several reasons why that can happen. The design was to your liking, the colors were great, the lighting was amazing, and the layout was perfect.

But there is an invisible binding that holds all of these things together: the golden ratio.

The golden ratio is a mathematical principle that has appeared in lots of designs. It was first described by Euclid (a Greek mathematician), and its value is approximately 1:1.618. It appears in Renaissance art, interior design, engineering, and even web design.

For some reason, the golden ratio is visually appealing to human beings. That’s why many designers use it (sometimes unknowingly). Today, we are going to discuss how you can use it to remodel your kitchen and create a balanced workplace that feels just right.

Start With the Kitchen Layout

The golden ratio can be applied to many things. So we will begin with your kitchen space. You have to divide it according to the ratio so that you have a major zone and a minor zone.

According to calculations, the major zone should be 62% of the total space, while the minor zone should be 38%. So, how do you want to use the zones? You want to keep the bigger part for the prepping ingredients and doing most of your cooking. It should also allow for more movement. The minor zone should be kept for storage and appliances.

When you translate this to real life, it will look something like this:

• The longest wall gets divided 62 to 38. The 62% section gets the sink, big counter, and the cooking range (if you are going for a traditional style). The smaller section gets the fridge and cabinets.
• In an island setup, the island becomes relegated to the minor zone.
• In a U-shaped kitchen setup, the leg in the major zone is overdesigned to keep it visually dominant, while the other sections are less so.

Everything in the major zone should be visually attractive and catch the viewer’s eye. So things like visually distinct faucets and luxurious countertops go well in that space. A high-end premium workstation sink can be even better, as it provides a plethora of benefits along with being visually attractive.

Minor zones, on the other hand, should be minimalist and have muted colors.

Use It to Shape Your Cabinets

A core part of your kitchen’s visuals is the cabinets. They can be placed near the floor or higher up on the walls. When applying the golden ratio to them, you have to think vertically, too.

A good idea is to use the following layout:

• Let about 60% of the vertical space be occupied by upper cabinets (or shelving)
• And the remaining 40% by lower cabinets

You don’t have to apply the percentages like an engineer. Ballpark figures will also work. You can enhance the look further by using open shelved and closed cabinets too.

It really depends on what you like. If you want a busy-looking kitchen, then closed shelves will be great. If you want a modern, minimalist approach where you can show off your glassware and dinner set, then use the open cabinet design.

Apply the Ratio to Your Kitchen Island

Many modern kitchens have an island. The island is sometimes ornamental and only serves as an extra countertop, and sometimes it is functional and has a sink or cooking range installed in it.

Regardless of which function it serves, you can apply the golden ratio to it. The rule of thumb is to take the total length you want, divide it by 1.618, and use that smaller number for the width or secondary dimension.

This keeps your island from looking oversized, too blocky, or visually heavy. And that is something that happens in a lot of remodels, especially in open-concept homes.

So, applying the golden ratio saves you from that mistake.

Optimize For The Kitchen Work Triangle

Traditionally, kitchens follow the “work triangle” (sink, stove, fridge) setup. This is a type of setup where the layout is optimized for access to and movement between the sink, stove, and fridge.

If you’re keeping it, the golden ratio will help you refine distances between them. A common approach is to:

• Keep the main leg (sink to stove) visually dominant.
• The other two legs should complement it rather than compete.

If your kitchen is more of a workhorse, then you can use the golden ratio to balance your workstation zone with your secondary zones. The workstation zone will obviously include the work triangle, i.e., a workstation sink, a stove, and a fridge, while the secondary zone will be for cleaning, storing, or serving.

With the golden ratio, nothing will feel cramped or overemphasized, and you will have a balanced kitchen.

Use the 60-30-10 Color Rule

The golden ratio isn’t only about spacing; it also applies to colors. However, the interpretation is a little different in this case. The rule that designers swear by is as follows:

• 60% of the colors = dominant color (walls, large cabinets)
• 30% of the colors = secondary tone (island base, backsplash, flooring)
• 10% of the colors = accents (hardware, lighting, décor)

The walls and large cabinets occupy the most space, so they are usually painted with dominant colors. The island, flooring, and backsplash occupy the secondary colors, and hardware, lighting, and decoration work with the accent colors.

This approach keeps your remodel cohesive, even if you choose bold colors or mixed textures.

Let Lighting Follow the Same Proportions

Lighting can make or break any remodel.  Thankfully, you can use the golden ratio again to make your lighting enhance your kitchen. Here’s how the ratio is applied to lighting:

• One major light zone should take up about 60% of your illumination
• Smaller or decorative lights fill the remaining 40%

The major light zone should naturally cover the major work zone where your triangle is situated. The rest of the space can be covered by smaller, decorative lights.

For example, just imagine a large central pendant or linear light over your island, workstation, sink, stove, and fridge, while the cabinets and shelves have subtle LED strips under or around them.

Place Appliances Proportionally

Believe it or not, where and how you place your kitchen appliances can also be improved with the golden ratio. If you treat big appliances like a “major zone” and small appliances like a “minor zone,” you can optimize their placement to reduce visual clutter and make your kitchen feel just right.

Here’s how you can do that.

• Pair a visually strong element (like a tall fridge) with lighter, smaller elements beside it, instead of stacking two big “visual weights” side by side.
• If a wall looks too appliance-heavy, break it with negative space or open shelving. As always, keep the 60-40 balance in mind.

Textures & Materials Matter Too

Since you are doing a remodel, you will naturally use some different textures and materials for surfaces and cabinets to fit the theme you are going for. In such situations, it’s easy to overuse certain textures or materials, which results in every surface fighting for attention. Nobody likes that kind of visual noise.

A good way to divide them is like this:

• 60% matte or soft-finish elements
• 30% naturally textured surfaces like wood grain and stone veining
• 10% polished, glossy, or metallic accents

Obviously, the 60% will go on the walls, the 30 percent on cabinets and countertops, while fixtures, faucets, and handles will occupy the 10%.

Final Thoughts

Proportions are the most important aspect of design. The golden ratio gives us an easy way to make proportions work easily. We learned that space,  layout, colors, appliance setup, and even cabinets can all benefit from the golden ratio.

Now you have a functional idea of how to apply the ratio in your own remodel and get yourself a kitchen that looks and feels just right.