Your dishwasher died 4 months ago, the silverware drawer won’t close all the way, and now the fridge is making a whistling noise that CANNOT BE GOOD. Sounds like it’s time to begin the process of remodeling your kitchen! Although there are brave souls out there that choose to go in alone, that’s a lot of time and money to invest to get things wrong. Kitchens are the most complicated room in the home so how you do you choose the right kitchen designer for your home?
Every client I have ever engaged with has asked themselves this question. It didn’t matter if it was early in my career when clients were looking at minor remodels or now when I am working in kitchens that cost more than the average home. I recently reread an article I was a part of for This Old House and wanted to give my full thoughts on the matter.
STEP 1 – IDENTIFY YOUR SCOPE OF WORK
There are different professionals for different scopes of work and knowing where you land will help you avoid wasting time interviewing the wrong people.
Kitchen Refresh
Even though the list of items you want to accomplish may be long to you, it may be too small for some designers. Let’s say you wanted to update your appliances, paint your cabinets, and do new hardware. That would be considered a kitchen update or a kitchen refresh. You may be able to find some hungry new kitchen designers who would be willing to help you tackle this project, but most K&B designers are compensated when you purchase products. On top of that, their focus is on re-planning the structural and functional components of the space and if the plan is to leave most of them, then it likely isn’t the greatest fit. You’ll want to focus your search towards a small interior design firm who charges by the hour. To them, the scope of the project is less important because they are being compensated to help you however you need them to. You’ll probably need a few trades or even a skilled handyman, but the interior designers often have people that they work with on a regular basis for similar scope projects.
Kitchen Remodel
Most kitchen remodels can be broken down into different sizes based on the scope. What you want to accomplish also determines who and how many people should be involved. Let’s start small and work our way up.
Minor Remodel
A minor kitchen remodel usually only has 2 professionals involved to manage the project. The first being the contractor to oversee the trades and the second being the kitchen designer to manage the products. Projects of this size usually don’t need more professionals than that because the scope doesn’t creep too far outside of the kitchen
Major Remodel
If your plans are to remove walls, rearrange spaces entirely or even add an addition to the home, this would be considered a major kitchen remodel. When multiple adjoining spaces are under the scope, it may require more than our original 2 professionals. Most licensed builders, like myself, can identify load bearing walls and figure out how to restructure most wall changes, but there are instances where a structural engineer or architect may need to be added to the team in order to get sign-offs for approval with your local ordinance and more importantly, to make sure your house remains standing after all this work is done!
When creeping into adjoining rooms, you’ll find that some of the items you’d like to tackle may be outside of the kitchen designer’s scope. Maybe you want a new sofa for the great room, a rug for the dining room, to paint half the first floor, and accessorize your home after this remodel is complete. This is when the team grows to include an interior designer. There is no black and white division between these roles, but for simplicity’s sake, a kitchen designer deals in functionality and permanent pieces while an interior designer specializes in creating unification between rooms and less permanent pieces. I’ve worked on entire home projects where I am stretched beyond my purview assisting in that role and others where the interior designer leans into my lane. Most times there’s symbiosis, but sometimes there may need to be a conversation about roles early on. I often love having interior designers involved in the process because we can meld our ideas together to present to the client and create something that neither of us would have done on our own.
Depending on the price point of the home and amount you’re looking at investing in the project, will typically guide you towards different tiers of kitchen designers. There are kitchen and bath designers who work in more traditional price points, some that work in more upscale homes, and some that work in luxury. These firms will often offer different price point products to fit the clientele they cater to.
Beyond these 4 professionals (kitchen designer, contractor, interior designer, architect/engineer), there are other professionals you may consider adding to your project based on your needs. Lighting Designers, Smart Home Integrators, and other specialists may also be brought in to help bring the vision to life.
New Construction
And last but not least, we have full new home construction, which to me, is a breeze comparatively. I cut my teeth in remodeling so working in a clean slate is easy. In many of these projects, the architect is involved early on in the kitchen, baths, closets, laundry room, etc. Some even design the entire spaces. There are also interior design firms out there that don’t work with kitchen designers and choose to design the spaces themselves in order to achieve their aesthetic without outside influence. I am obviously biased, but I’ve seen enough projects like these that I feel bad for the ultimate client as they missed out on the opportunity to have someone truly plan the functionality of their spaces on a much deeper level.
STEP 2 – IDENTIFY POSSIBLE CANDIDATES
If you’ve lived in your area for a while, you may have an idea of what companies exist around you or have had friends or family with first hand experience that can make recommendations – or tell you who to avoid! Now that you know your scope of work and know what type of professionals you want in your project, it will make this step much easier. A simple search in your favorite search engine will pull up a list of who exists in the area. Next it’s time to make a list of who you may want to interview.
Read Their Reviews
The first thing you should do is read their reviews. If you see one or even a few negative reviews, be wary. Those reviews may not be the whole story. Unhappy people are much more inclined to write a negative review than someone who had a great experience. On the other hand, if you see a pattern, maybe it’s time to rule them out early.
Review Their Portfolio
The fastest way to decide if a specific kitchen designer is right for you is to see their work. If you have a very large intricate project, but their portfolio is full of smaller projects that don’t seem to line up with what you’re looking to accomplish, then it may be time to rule them out.
Think About Looking Outside of Your Area
You may be in an area that’s lacking talented designers and have to broaden your search even further out. When I was located in Michigan, people would drive up to 2 hours away to come visit our showroom and work with us. As I write this, I am located in Nashville, but am working in almost a dozen states across the country for clients. For them, the value wasn’t in ease of access. It was in getting the right person involved to curate their one of a kind kitchen/bath/closet/library/entire home.
Check Their Certifications & Accomplishments
Its a shame to me now, but a very large portion of the industry chooses not to become certified. When I was young, I really didn’t know better since there wasn’t a large pressure for it, but as I grew into my role, I knew I had to get certified with the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA).
I became an Associate Kitchen and Bath Designer (AKBD), then a Certified Kitchen and Bath Designer (CKBD), and would ultimately become the youngest Certified Master Kitchen and Bath Designer (CMKBD) in the country at the time along with a few other designations. My point is that if you are interviewing a designer who has these nonobligatory certifications, titles, awards, designations, etc. then that tells me one important thing – they have a passion for what they do. And I love working with people who are passionate about what they do!
STEP 3 – INTERVIEW & ASSESS
Do Your Due Diligence
You’ve probably heard it a dozen times before, but you should interview at least 3 candidates. Even if you think the first is perfect, get confirmation bias through the next two. You may fall in love with one of the later ones, or may find that you like some of the ideas from the those other consultations and want to use them no matter who is designing the space. I still have to interview for some of my projects, but am lucky enough to be in a tier of the industry where everything is referral and for most seeking clients, there is nothing better than physical proof from someone you know.
Ask the Right Questions
By now you’ll know a decent amount about the kitchen designers you are interviewing. You’ll know they are the right fit based on your scope, you’ll have seen their work online, read their reviews, asked friends and now it’s time to interview.
As a kitchen designer who has done countless consultations, I have been in interviews and I have been in interrogations. Remember, these designers are choosing you as much as you are choosing them. Be courteous, be curious, and take notes so you can assess them later.
For a list of questions that may be beneficial to ask, please click HERE. You can also find another link in the Sources section at the bottom of the page.
Understand Their Process & Compensation Structure
Every designer approaches things differently. Most kitchen designers are compensated based on the purchase of products from their showroom. Some are hourly. At more upscale design firms, you’re working with more talented designers who’s time is more sought after and they often require a retainer to start the process.
My process is drastically different than the rest of the industry. I include my time to design an entire space, curate the color palette, shop for appliances, specify all of the fixtures, and complete all of the architectural drawings detailing all the way down to where your outlets are going and how you’re going to turn on the lights when you enter a space as part of my cabinetry cost. I also only work in lifetime warranty, full custom cabinetry. The additional services and material price point I provide combine to make my cabinetry cost much higher than other firms, but we also don’t charge hourly fees to design the entire space or for the architectural drawings. Understanding your designers process, payment structure, and the services they are offering will reduce headaches in the long run.
Personality Matters
I can’t stress this one enough. I don’t care how talented or “qualified” a designer is. If you find yourself butting heads or with someone who is consistently argumentative, those are massive red flags. You are going to be working with this person for a minimum of 3-6 months on smaller project. On an extremely large project, such as a major full home renovation or new construction, they may be involved for a year or more in just the planning phase, let alone the time to build it all. That’s months to years of your life working through stressful, expensive situations. Better make sure you like the person who is steering the ship!
STEP 4 – CHOOSING YOUR KITCHEN DESIGNER
The right kitchen designer:
- Fits your scope of work
- Has great online reviews
- Will provide referrals upon request
- Has a portfolio that aligns with your needs
- Educates you on materials
- Provides solutions to your issues
- Has a process that works for you
- Is someone you can see yourself working with long term
- Keeps calm under pressure
- Can think critically and problem solve
- Is someone you’d invite to dinner in your new kitchen when it’s complete
Sources
Sources (links)
Featured Image – Free Stock photos by Vecteezy