Kitchen remodeling architect

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

We are in deciding stage "when and how" to remodel our kitchen:(. But I think without professional help it will take another year or longer. If anybody in northern VA, Washington DC area, known or may recommend architect or designer, it will speed our process dramatically.
Thank you, and any other advice for this stage would be greatly appreciated.

Ed.

[Sam Murdoch]

I suggest that you look up the National Kitchen and Bath Association - they can direct you to a certified Kitchen and Bath Designer which is really who you want to help you design a kitchen. This is their specialty, unlike architects and certainly unlike very many interior designers.

The major difference is that a Certified Kitchen Designer has studied and practiced implementing all the systems from cabinetry, to electrical, to appliances, to plumbing, to hardware, to lighting and to countertop and backsplash materials. No other profession in the design trade will be as well versed in current trends, local codes and how to integrate all these systems. YES - there are a few architects and likely a few designers and even a few builders who could serve you well AND - yes there are some certified kitchen designer dunces too (as in all professions) but the NKBA is where I would start.

[Walter Plummer]

We just did ours last spring. Our contractor took us here. http://www.kleppingerdesign.com/index.html. Very nice and had some good ideas. My only mild dissatisfaction is with a kidney shaped pull out corner unit. The cabinet is large enough for the largest shelf unit they make, but the door size limited us to the smallest shelf unit. No one caught it until the install and then it was too late to correct it. Still a nice unit, just could of been a great unit. There is a lot of little details like that to cover for it to turn out like you hope. Then there was all the other details... Appliances, cabinet pulls, counter tops, back splash, flooring, flooring transitions, Plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures, paint colors, trim details, on and on. Glad it is done now and we are very happy we did it. Good luck , Walt

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

Sam, thank you for advice, just check on internet for NKDA - found a few certified designer locally. Planning to call next week.
Walter - very nice site with multiple options. But this is exactly problem I have -to many option to choose, plus we would like to do remodeling with removing wall. This is why I want to ask advice from professional,

Ed.

[Mike Hollingsworth]

I find that the kitchen designers at home depot do a good job. For free.

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

Thank you, Mike - will try this option too.
Ed.

[Myk Rian]

Our kitchen was designed by the guy that actually did the work. Turned out to be more than we expected.

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

My main problem - kitchen layout. We have a small kitchen. I want to investigate options - removing wall between kitchen and dining room or not. What kind of lights - recessed vs hanging. Cabinets layout, could be changed or not? Choosing cabinets - is not a big problem, but everything around it is. May be I don't need a designer?
My goal - functioning kitchen, not picture perfect design.

Thank you,Ed.

[Walter Plummer]

The group I used are designers. The lady that did ours came to the house and measured everything and talked with us about what we wanted and hoped to get in the kitchen and then she took a couple days to do a layout and we met at the showroom and reviewed the layout and looked at the different cabinet lines they carry. We did probably two or three more revisions before we ordered the cabinets.

[Mel Fulks]

Designers who are talented can be a big help to builders and home owners. But I think those wanting new stuff in a house they are already in often do pretty well on their own. Came to that conclusion after hearing phrases like " this is quite popular now " too many times. Gonna make one suggestion that we plan on using. Use part of an adjoining room like a down stair "bonus room" or such to add door ,and perhaps wall to create a long narrow pantry with shelves on both sides.
then you can have a leaner kitchen with fewer cabinets. Look at lots of pictures on Google of kitchens from previous decades and you will find some useful ideas just waiting to come out of retirement.

[Jim Becker]

I agree about using a certified kitchen design person for that piece of the project, but you may need additional input for your project since it potentially involves removing what may be a load-bearing wall. A close friend of mine is dealing with that exact scenario "as we speak" and for cost reasons, they may need to abandon the idea of opening up that wall between the kitchen space (a portion of the home that was added on at some point by a previous owner) and the the dining room. That particular wall was originally an exterior wall and is supporting a lot of load.

[Sam Murdoch]

I agree about using a certified kitchen design person for that piece of the project, but you may need additional input for your project since it potentially involves removing what may be a load-bearing wall. A close friend of mine is dealing with that exact scenario "as we speak" and for cost reasons, they may need to abandon the idea of opening up that wall between the kitchen space (a portion of the home that was added on at some point by a previous owner) and the the dining room. That particular wall was originally an exterior wall and is supporting a lot of load.

Often CKBDs work in collaboration with local contractors and can bring the best team to the job. A good CKBD will always consult a builder or engineer when moving walls is part of the project. Doing some pretty intensive interior remodeling - moving walls, adding windows, changing flow paths in addition to all the other stuff typical to kitchen and bath remodeling is my primary business these days. 98% of these projects is in collaboration with a CKBD. My encouragement comes as a result of my own practical experience (with qualifiers noted in my earlier post, i.e, NOT all CKBDs are created equal). Fortunately I have worked with some who are as good as it gets.

[Brian Elfert]

A big box kitchen designer can be just fine if you just want to replace your cabinets and appliances in the same footprint. I would suggest an architect or similar if you want to move walls and stuff like that, or even put the kitchen in an entirely different room as some have done.