You need to figure out how she gets paid -- by the hour or by commission, and what the design includes. If you just need help with cabinet layout, then that's less than if the designer is picking colors, tile, light fixtures, etc. What are the designer's strengths, and do they match with your weaknesses? I got a lot of layout advice reading here and playing with Chief Architect, so I went with an interior designer who had more expertise in colors and fixtures and making the pieces fit together over someone who was a kitchen specialist who loved to do layouts and countertops (but her references didn't rave about her eye for colors).

Be honest about your total budget, and see what chunk of that the designer wants to take. Then go back and see what that means for your materials and labor budget.

For me, a designer and an all-inclusive contractor helped reduce the stress of a new kitchen considerably, and I ended up paying for high end help and using more budget-friendly materials (Formica counters, Frigidaire and IKEA appliances, etc).

I got a job that ran smoothly, a designer who helped me laugh through the mess, and a very functional kitchen. (I don't live in a high-end neighborhood, so I don't think I've hurt my resale value as much as the bad market in general has.)

Bottom line: It all depends on what you want, and what the designer does well. Get references, and ask open ended questions about people's experience with the designer--that helped me a lot.

Depends on the size and budget of the project, the amount of work you want- just a layout and cabinet rec or do you want lighting plans, appliance selection and integration, multimedia integration, color and fabric co-ordination, on site management, ect...

A VERY broad ranges is 10% of project cost or $500 - $10,000.

We are using a KD for various reasons. We wanted someone to think outside of the box that we were stuck in for purposes of the layout and that has worked out very well! We also wanted someone to be available to oversee the installation - that was a convenience factor that I needed!

The KD will be at our house to receive and inspect the cabinets when they arrrive next week and she will be in and out during installation overseeing the GC. She will also be there for the templating of the countertop.

Her fee just for the design plans was $1,500 but that was credited to the cabinet cost which we purchased through her along with the countertop. I got her input on the sink, fauet, knobs, lighting, etc but have located and purchased these items myself.

All in all a great experience so far. The installation takes place over the next few weeks so we will see how that goes.

We hired a KD for drawing up just the layout. We agreed on an upfront fee of $120/hour (and discussed how many hours it was expected to take). He came to our house with his design software and spent about 2 hours with us, and we had complete shop drawings for the cabinets, plus some window sizes spec'd for the kitchen and dining area, when he left.

Thanks for the replies! We met with her and I LOVE the design. The total (without custom work for the banquette and the time for GC, demo, etc) comes to just under $14K. I have a budget of $20K (not including flooring) without appliances. I'll be tight, but it may just work. We talked in detail about buying the plans off of her or going to a Kraft Maid and although she's find with it, she charges $95/hour for design time and $65/hour for something else, can't remember...anyways, she said she would want to go with me to have the other estimate so that it would be apples to apples, of course she also said that it would be more time for her to adjust the plans for other cabinets, for example certain depths come standard in her maker that may not in a KM or similar. Sooooo, I'm not sure but I'm leaning toward giving the job to her. She comes HIGHLY recomended by my GC (who I adore!) and I trust him whole heartedly. He has also tried to stay impartial for me, which I appreciate and is having me pay her direct (he really is amazing, doing the same thing with tile guy, etc.) -- he's honest and fair. Lastly, the cabinet company (and her design company) stand by their work, she said within reason, they will just come out and replace, no matter what...no jumping through hoops...I liked the sound of that, as we're not planning on moving EVER AGAIN. haha, we've had 6 moves in 7 years, exhausting. Anyways, I need to go look at the finishes and glazing options tomorrow. Oh and I should add that the option w/out glaze only took it down $1000, and with the fake wood (can't remember the name..malinate??? something) only another $1000, just doesn't seem worth it to me.

Great news!
I think you should go with her. She sounds wonderful!
~boxer