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Kitchen DesignersFor the majority of families, the kitchen and eating area around it are the centerpoint of their homes. Everyone has different cooking styles and culinary and dining needs, and everyone has their own tastes and preferences when it comes to how a kitchen is designed, layed out, and decorated. One of the most common household projects people do is remodeling the kitchen. Over the course of a decade or two, almost any kitchen will begin to look dated and worn. Modernizing your kitchen with new counters, new cabinets, and new appliances usually results in a home value that will allow you to recover most, if not all, of your remodelling expense. That is why involving a kitchen designed in the process is so important. Below, we will look into what kitchen designers do, how much they cost, and what you can expect when working with one.
What do kitchen designers do?Kitchen designers are professionals, often with an architecture or design background, that aid you in designing, planning, and decorating your kitchen, whether at a newly constructed home or during a remodel of an older home. Most of the time, working with a kitchen designer involves meeting with them in person, letting them see your kitchen space, and then discussing your wants and need in a new kitchen, including materials for counters and floor, cabinet colors and styles, backsplash requirements, the need or desire for new appliances, requirements for cooking and dining space, and consideration for who will be using the kitchen the most (ie, some people opt for areas with lower counter heights for baking needs). Once you've gone over your requirements for your kitchen, the designer will use a CAD (computer aided design) program on their computer to create design plans, measured drawings, and 3-D mock-ups so you can see what the final product will look like. Depending on the services offered by the designer, the work may stop there, or they may also coordinate with your kitchen contractor in the procurement of materials for the job if you are using custom tiles, specialized appliances, etc.More than likely, your initial consultation will include a pretty detailed survey to complete regarding kitchen use and desires. With questions about storage (lazy susans, hidden hinges and rollers on cupboards), countertops (types of materials, amount of space needed, heights, etc.), lighting and electrical design, appliances (placement of microwave, double ovens, trash compactor?), room layout, need of the main cook, how many people will normally use the space, your designer will get a good feel for what your REAL needs are, apart from the pretty pictures and brochures you may point to and claim you want. Each kitchen is ultimately a personal space, and it should reflect your needs, style, and personality when complete -- after all, you will be using it everyday! How much do kitchen designers cost? Most charge from $400 - $1000 for their basic services, with the lower end price being for a long-distance consultation (no home visit) where you send them measurements and basic requirements and they produce one or 2 kitchen designs for you to consider. If you have a large kitchen, want several plans to choose from, or expect to make multiple changes and iterations of the kitchen plan, expect to pay more. Designing your new kitchen usually happens in a few steps. The most basic thing to consider is the size and shape of the kitchen - this will set the most basic constraints for what you can do as you accomodate wall spaces, windows, doorways, and traffic areas. Based with that basic blueprint, you then need to work out the layout of the remaining elements of the kitchen - cabinet and pantry areas, work desks, where appliances will sit, island, bar space, access to dining areas, etc. This is where a lot of the most creative work takes place, considering all the options available and then picking a layout that works best for you. The next step is filling in the details - choosing countertop materials (granite or corian? tile or slab?) and colors, wood type and stains for cabinets, door and drawer styles, hardware, flooring types and color, wall and backsplash colors and materials, sink hardware and appliances, etc. Chances are, at some points, you will feel ready to throw your hands in the air and give up over all the options and decisions you have to make, but the time and effort put in up front will be well spent when it comes to avoiding headaches and confusion when the kitchen is actually built. Kitchen Design VideosOne good site for ideas about kitchen planning and design is HGTV.com. Home and Garden Televsision offers a huge selection of kitchen design ideas, for small kitchens (with ideas for shallower refrigerators, smaller islands, and ceiling height pantry areas), kitchen eating areas (thought about banquettes for eating nooks?), kitchen sinks, storage, islands, cutting edge cabinetry, and much more. They also have a lot of nice pictures of actual kitchens in all kinds of styles for you to get ideas and inspiration from. They have kitchen design videos each week as well, with a featured kitchen on display. Videos are a few minutes long and discuss kitchen remodel and design projects, again giving you good ideas to start from for your own home. You can also find a lot of kitchen design books and magazines at any bookstore or homestore if you want to do some brainstorming and wishlish building prior to contracting with a kitchen professional. It helps if you have an idea of the looks and styles and products available in the marketplace that you like, rather than hoping your designed will be able to find exactly what suits you best.Some sites will even help you find a kitchen designer near you. You can visit homeblue.com/kitchen-designer.htm, enter your contact info, describe what you are looking for, and your information will be forwarded to their network of contractors who will contact you and plan a meeting to discuss your kitchen. KitchenSolvers.com can also help you find someone in your area, and they also offer an online Kitchen Design Center where you can select cabinet styles, colors, hardware, and countertops and then get a quote based on your selection.
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