Looking for advice on working with kitchen designer

3 years ago

Hello!

I am currently working with a kitchen designer on a full kitchen remodel. We started the process in January, it took her about 6 weeks to get back to be with a design (which I paid up front for), another 4 weeks to bring someone out to measure and take a look at electrical/plumbing, and then another 2 weeks to send me a quote. Which is where I am now. The quote wasn't really finished and was on the high side of things. I do think once I put the deposit down, she will meet all timelines and expectations. She runs a small design center that is very busy.

My question is when working with a kitchen designer, how detailed do they usually get with you? And how many changes do you usually make once the original design is given to you? The cabinets were quoted at 38,000, that is not including demo and install, and I would like more information on what I'm getting. Sometimes I'll ask a question and she will answer it, but then I'll ask again and she'll correct herself saying she misspoke the first time (ie do the cabinets go to the ceiling). Or I'll ask her to switch something or address something and she says she will do it and get back to me, and then doesn't.

Is it a lot to ask a kitchen designer to go through the layout section by section in cabinets? I've only met with her 3 times - no longer than an hour each and it always seems rushed and vague. Is this normal? I've never done this before, so maybe kitchen designers just assume you trust them and let them go with it. I did ask her why the higher cost on the cabinets - and she said there are just a lot of custom pieces in there. And I was thinking, well maybe I don't want to the custom angles, I could probably do without the whole additional section. It's just little things like that. I'd be happy to dm the design to anyone who is curious.

I don't know maybe I'm expecting too much! What do you think?

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Comments (16)

itsourcasa
3 years ago
Demand an in person meeting asap, go over everything. I've done several kitchens, no designer so I have no advice other than that.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
3 years ago
I have no clue how she came up with a design without having all the meaurements, your appliance choices etc. Is this a cabinet salesperson you are dealing with? I have never designed a kitchen in this order . I also have never charged for a design all up front.
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I agree with previous comments. You have a really lovely kitchen with a pretty outlook, which many would die for - and I think it wouldn't take much to deal with the niggles you're feeling with it. What paint colour are the walls at the moment? In the first pic they look quite white - useful to know what paint it is. You do have a creaminess in the floors so you might need to look to something which has a taupe undertone to tie the units and floors together, or go for something bolder and completely different to either of them. I personally wouldn't bother adding anything over the cooker as I think it will make the space look busier and less serene. There's also a danger that it will fill up with knick knacks and dust, and therefore become something else that niggles you. Is there a particular reason why you want one? I understand your point about the upstands as I have the same problem in a couple of areas - if they aren't fitted well to wonky walls, you can end up with gappy bits, but you can generally keep them dust free with a quick nozzle vacuum and a wipe with a damp cloth. I also agree with the PP that upstands are nicer and more luxurious feeling than replacing them with tiles. I'd suggest that you look at whether the caulk was done properly - it may be a good idea to remove it and recaulk. You could add tiles above the upstand rather than removing the upstand altogether - that might help to give you a neater join and reduce any gappiness. I'm another one who has nothing on worktops other than a kettle - I even put the toaster away when it's finished with! My oven gloves and kitchen roll live in a drawer - they are only used for a matter of seconds each day, and take seconds to get out and put away again, so I don't feel the need to have everything out. You said "excuse the clutter" so we know that you don't always have all of that stuff out, but I'm guessing quite a few things arealways there, so a bit of ruthless decluttering may be just the thing to make the whole space feel fresher and more unified with the dining end of the room. I would take everything off the shelves, worktops and windowsills and only put back what you love and enhances the space. Eg your teapot and cups look pretty on the lower shelf, but the upper shelf looks cluttered. Maybe try just putting a plant on the top shelf, and resist the urge to fill up any open space. Find a home for everything else - rubber gloves in the cupboard under the sink, etc etc. I know lots of people love to have lots of things out in the kitchen and maybe you're one of them in which case ignore this whole point - but I do think it's worth trying as you may find that you fall in love with the kitchen when you can see all the lovely finishes properly. I have roman blinds in the kitchen and TBH I wouldn't again - they are a bit of a dust and grease magnet so unless you have very good grease extraction, I'd avoid them. Because roller blinds are rolled up, they capture less dirt. You could always replace the cheap ones with more expensive rollers, with a nice chrome chain etc? Re the knife block, does it really matter that the wood doesn't match? Having everything match isn't always a good goal - and you could just keep the knives in a drawer or cupboard as again that would help to declutter the worktops. But if it really bothers you then yes stain it, shouldn't take long.
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Those drawer packs either side of the oven are too small. All you will use them for is nick nack junk. l can see you have other drawers too but those small ones are not useful. In such a small area l don’t like the ’collection’ of wall units put together as it looks messy and bitty. Is there not a standard tall wall unit available? Wall units are available in 720mm and 900mm high. Ideally it would be good to have another tall unit at the opposite end to house the oven and an integrated microwave. However you don’t have a lot of worktop space and this would take away some of what you currently have. I’m not a lover of fitting a microwave in a wall unit from a safety aspect. l would worry about spilling hot soup etc when lifting it out. Why haven’t you planned a tall housing on the left hand side so at least the height is the same as the wall units? They are available. l think it needs replanning. Sorry it’s probably not what you wanted to hear. I have a combination microwave. Very useful.
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kos78
Original Author
3 years ago
I had the original blueprints, and she did come out for the original meeting and measure. I gave appliance choices to her last week. It does seem kind of all over the place. I’m at the point now where I have the design, and basically everything picked out, it wouldn’t be hard to ask another design center for a quote to see how they handle things. I’m not stuck on the cabinet brand...and from what I’ve read on here the cabinets are mid level, nothing high end. Like i said, it just seems so vague, and I don’t really know what I’m getting for the large investment.
kos78
Original Author
3 years ago
Also I did have an in person meeting yesterday and it didn’t really answer my questions. We didn’t even sit down, it was just hovering over a countertop. I don’t know if she’s overwhelmed, or extremely forgetful, or just doesn’t need the business. It just seems like something is off. But this of my first time, so I’m not sure what to expect.
Susan Murin
3 years ago
I had a great experience working with a local cabinetmaker who did entirely custom cabs for me that cost significantly less than the cabs through the cabinet shop- way better than one person to measure/order, another to manufacture and ship, and another to install and finis. He did it all including putting on the hardware and his cabs for my kitchen, 2 baths, family room, and linen cabs were less than the quote for just my kitchen, without installation, through cab shop. You may wish to consider that. I would stop working with this person- if you’re unhappy now in the low stress design phase imagine what it will be like dealing with her during the build if something goes wrong (which it will).
acm
3 years ago
It's possible she's over-extended, or that she's not sure you're going to pull the trigger. But I want a much better click with a designer than this -- is she who you want to be relying on when the wrong cabinets get sent or something else goes wrong?

I mean, she may not want to give you a detailed listing of all the parts because she's afraid you'll go and just quote the whole thing somewhere else. But the slowness and lack of response is what's really losing your loyalty. It's also possible that she's running into delays and supply problems because of the year of pandemic, which is affecting all kinds of things, but if she's not explaining, you're free to speculate.

How did you pick her? Did she work with somebody you know, and were they happy with the process? Did they know exactly what they wanted, or were they relying on her to a similar degree? It's hard for us to guess whether she'll really change modes once she has your deposit or whether you might still be at loose ends in another few months...
chiflipper
3 years ago
Heed your instincts!!! Your sub-conscious is telling you this will NOT end well. Better to lose the design fee now - rather than lose your mind later.
itsourcasa
3 years ago
Tell her that you are unhappy, you expected more time. Your meeting yesterday didn't amount to anything and you need to set up an hour sit down meeting. Come prepared with questions, etc. If not ask for your money back and start over.
PRO
Rosenhaus Design Group, Inc.
3 years ago
The last to comments are the most important considerations. Money and products are replaceable. Your mind isn't.
petula67
3 years ago
Our designer has spent HOURS with us going over the overall layout, the size of every cabinet, details such as upgraded drawer glides, etc. She's also responded quickly to several layout change requests. This is our second kitchen planning project, and the designer for the first project was also a gem. Both of them made the process fun. I don't think I'd enjoy working with yours.
Shannon_WI
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
It is not normal to be "rushed and vague". You should have a detailed layout from your KD showing all the measurements of each cabinet. Your quote of $38k could be perfectly fine or not - it is impossible for us to say without seeing the layout of your kitchen, what choices you are making in cabinetry as to finishes, door design, cabinet construction, and knowing what area of the country you live in.
chispa
3 years ago
I went back to check that you had paid up front for the design, so it isn't as if you are trying to get something for nothing. She should take the time go over the design in detail. The KD in my previous remodel had a design fee. We met to discuss my wants/needs. He took about 2 weeks to do the design. I then got 2 rounds of editing (not major redesign) and shorter meetings. When we got a good plan, he then quoted the design.

I spent a lot of time interviewing KDs before I picked him. I had decided on the cabinet brand and visited 5 KD/dealers that sold that brand within a 50 mile radius. I judged them based on personality, ideas they offered and the way their showroom was designed and built. The last one was important, because if their showroom doesn't showcase their attention to design, detail and the cabinets they carry, then you have to wonder how good they really are.

I ruled out one KD/dealer because their showroom made the mid/high end cabinets I was considering look cheap. due to the way they designed the small details that make a big difference in the overall look. The initial sketch they did also showed poor design/layout ideas.
User
3 years ago
If your designer isn’t giving you what you need from her, first be sure that you’re asking for it. Sometimes we are scared to voice our own wants and needs. That used to be me, after my first marriage, where he took care of everything. Part of me overcoming that was redoing the kitchen in that house that we had shared.

My designer was there to lend me emotional support through the paralyzing number of choices. My first kitchen with her was only a year after the death of my first husband. I had relied on him for a lot of decision making, and I was scared to death to make a mistake.

I was probably a pretty bad client. I needed that handholding, and going over everything. She was so patient, and just led me to make the right choice, that really worked. She’d watch my reactions, and then reassure me that what I liked would work. If it wouldn’t, she’d explain why, and lead me to a better choice. I loved that kitchen so much! It was just what I wanted, and didn’t know I could have. She gave me a huge amount of confidence that I could make good decisions.

So we did a powder room. And another kitchen, after I remarried and sold that house. And now we are doing a master bath. I recommend her constantly. Even for long distance people. She does e-design, if you need a backup plan, and you can’t work it out with your current designer.
julieste
3 years ago
Can I ask a related question?

What is the process when you are hiring someone to both design and supply cabinets and also act as the remodel contractor? We've been looking around and meeting with some people for our kitchen project. One guy we kind of liked wants a 10% retainer to proceed further. I have zero problem giving him this if I know I will commit to him, but some things are still too vague for me to feel comfortable committing.

He came out once at no charge, discussed our plans for maybe 20 minutes and measured. Then, about two weeks later he gave us a quote for a complete package. After that we met in his office to look over the design that he had on his computer, but we never got a chance to really look at the details of what he was proposing other than looking at the general layout for a few minutes. And, we don't have a copy of his plan, so it's not as though we're stealing his work. This was a fairly generic plan for our small kitchen which doesn't have very many options for layout anyway because of size and structural constraints. I'm guessing that what I planned on the IKEA software is an equally good plan.

We briefly met with him a second time because we discovered a structural issue we hadn't known about at our initial meeting. We knew that this would force some change (not huge) to the initial plan. At that meeting I think I offended him when I asked what the price of cabinetry is in the entire package price he had quoted us. He responded asking me why I wanted to know this. I responded that I was trying to make comparisons. I still have no idea what the cabinetry costs in this package deal.

I have no problem whatsoever giving him a 10% retainer if I know for sure that I intend to go with him. I am not asking to get something for nothing. But, to me, this seems like it is putting me in the situation where I am absolutely committing to him for the entire project without knowing the details or even a breakdown of costs. Is this the way things typically work?

Thanks for your insights.
User
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Don’t hijack posts. It’s rude. And yes, you probably offended him. It’s a pattern in all of your posts.
PRO
Rosenhaus Design Group, Inc.
3 years ago
Simple - Get another contractor's estimate. Or two. Either total package or cabinet dealer and different contractor. This way you will know the high, low and in between.

Looking for advice on working with kitchen designer

Comments (16)

itsourcasa

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Looking for advice on working with kitchen designer

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