Did you consider the 'sightlines' of your kitchen when you designed your space? Shea McGee says to always look at this small but crucial thing before deciding on a kitchen layout

Have you ever considered the sightlines around your home? How do they affect how your space looks and feels? Even if you haven't consciously acknowledged your room's alignment, it's undoubtedly something you're doing subconsciously to an extent.

Proving the importance of accurate kitchen layout ideas, interior designer Shea McGee took to Instagram to discuss the format of her own kitchen and how she achieved its symmetrical design using sightlines. Shea also shares the behind-the-scenes process of the kitchen in the Crestview project too, proving that even the trickiest of layouts can be improved with this meticulous technique.

The term 'sightlines' may be unfamiliar to you, but the clue really is in the name. A 'sightline' is a hypothetical line that guides the eye to an object. Anything in the line of sight, for example, a kitchen island positioned in parallel with a window, would be considered part of the sightline. It's the obvious place to start when planning any room's layout – where are the existing sightlines in the room? Where do you want to guide sightlines?

'Alignment creates a really thoughtful feeling in our home', begins Shea. Shea's kitchen ideas might appear very effortless and not-overly curated but they do focus on accuracy when it comes to the initial planning. She ensures that the space is symmetrical by first considering the sightlines of the larger features of the room.

Ensuring the core architectural pieces are aligned Shea talks about efficient kitchen layouts and explains, 'The sightlines in your kitchen are really important. I needed my kitchen sink to be exactly lined up with the center of my fireplace and I wanted my island to be exactly lined up with the center of my dining room.'

It's important to consider the placement of large pieces to avoid a clunky setup that jars the eye. Aligning your pieces correctly ensures your kitchen is visually pleasing and seamless, with one parallel line of pieces forming a queue of symmetry. It's something you might not consider as important initially, but we promise you if the alignment in a space is off it will be the first thing you notice.

Sightlines have practical benefits too. They prevent any awkward furniture placement, ensuring that the kitchen area is as useable and functional as it can be. Shea practices alignment in every space she's designing, explaining, 'When we're looking at the architectural plans of clients' homes we do the same, we make sure there's some sort of alignment. Sometimes it can't all be perfect but you want to get some sort of alignment if possible.'

Even when you are dealing with tricky layouts, sightlines can help guide your decisions. Shea uses her Crestview project as an example, explaining, 'The Crestview home is the perfect example of a remodel that didn't have the perfect conditions but we made it feel very natural and like it was always supposed to be that way.'

Successful interior design focuses on the home as a whole rather than individual rooms. Shea acknowledged the kitchen's surrounding rooms as they connect and add to the symmetrical feel. In doing this, she says 'the sink and the rangehood aligned with the windows in the great room.'

Moving on to the central kitchen island placement, she explains, 'Because it was a remodel, we ended up with this extra space on the end of the island that was just going to be an open, passage through space. But the client really wanted that extra worktop area, so we extended the island.'

Shea acknowledges, 'The island isn't perfectly centered under the light fixtures and that's okay because we changed it to a butcherblock with open shelving on one end which visually tricked the eye into believing that the pendants were centered over the island.'

Shop Shea's kitchen style at McGee & Co

Shea considers all the details when it comes to kitchen design. She proves that alignment is crucial when designing a home as it ensures your overall scheme is connected and practical for everyday use.