The Awful Grey Area of Kitchen Design
The kitchen design is only one process involved in your new kitchen; there is the manufacturing of the kitchen, then the installation. The advice I give to all my clients is to take your time. The challenge you have is to convey your ideas of style, design, and specifications, (which could just be floating around in your head as a vague idea) to the kitchen designer. It is this massive ‘grey area’ that clients and companies can get into trouble.
But there are ways to avoid this grey area. This is where you need to educate yourself, so go to as many showrooms as possible and get all the brochures you require and ask questions about any product you think you might like in your new kitchen, you need the know the pros and cons of all your possible choices. With most brochures, there are websites for you to do some more research in the comfort of your own home. Buy kitchen magazines and either mark or cut out photos of what you have on your mind. Remember the old saying “a picture is worth a thousand words”.
It is also a good idea to get a detailed plan from your kitchen designer with overall sizes, so you can get out your tape measure and actually see for example how big your breakfast bar is going to be, or how wide the drawers are. Then get a computer-generated 3D view of the relevant angles, so you know what the kitchen looks like, and how big things are before the kitchen is started or most importantly, before you have paid the deposit. Speaking of deposit, never pay it until you have all the above information.
Keep asking questions, don’t presume they are going to do things the way you envision them, check the details of the quote, and if you are particular, or want something done a specific way, check before you pay the deposit. If you don’t, the kitchen will be done their standard way, which may not be the way you were wanting it done. A kitchen company that does custom-made will have no problems with your questions, or how you want things to be done. They will actually appreciate the fact that you know what you are talking about, this way you and the designer should be on the same page as to your ultimate kitchen design. Never let someone pressure or rush you in the design-making process, as you are spending a lot of money, so by taking your time, you have a better chance of eliminating the ‘grey area’.
