how many hours would it take a KD to design a basic layout?

10 years ago

If I provided just basically the wall dimensions and any other relevant spaces from the home? The rest would be completely empty as far as any of the required kitchen elements.

I am continuing to struggle with putting together a layout that GW thinks is functional. I want my kitchen design completed before we reach final plans with the builder....so before we even break ground.

Therefore I am wondering how many hours (so I could anticipate what fees we are talking about) it would take a KD to get me that initial layout of where the sink, range, ovens, fridge, size and position of island, etc, would be. The rest of the cabinetry details can be handled later (probably from the builders cabinet designer as I want to use their custom built cabs in my build).

thanks!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (28)

User
10 years ago
A software "basic" layout, as it reflects the space as it is currently? 15 minutes to an hour depending on the complexity and size of the room--and interruptions. Doing a layout that involves some thought and creativity? A couple of hours to a couple of days, depending. There is no "set" time for creative inspiration to strike. A lot of times at night, I'll be almost asleep and think of something, grab a pen and paper and jot it down, and then try to go back to being drowsy. Sometimes, I have to get up and hand sketch it just so the idea will leave me alone and I can go to sleep. That might not count as traditional "design time", but you can't predict when those flashes will come to you.

Then there are the revisions, usually budget based, and those can be endless. By the time the "average" kitchen is ordered, I can have 4-10 hours of work in it. I've had those that went on for a year or longer, getting a tweak every couple of weeks. I've had quick ones where architecture dictated the basic layout unless a lot of money was going to be spend on changing that architecture. Those might have an hours worth of design time, and an hour's worth of sales paperwork, and an hour's worth of ordering. That's why I say 4 hours minimum, with no maximum.
illinigirl
Original Author
10 years ago
ok thanks, that gives me an idea. I'm looking for a bones plan, the foundation for a functional space that flows and accommodates our family. I have plenty of my own ideas of how I want it to look style wise. It's the placement of the important stuff I can't seem to hammer out. Actually, I really think it comes down to the sink. I think everything else will fall into place once the sink finds a home.
Related Discussions
Would you hire this KD
Q
Comments (21)
Egad. No, I wouldn't hire her unless she's willing to do a free initial consult with you where she: 1) shows you a portfolio of her previous work 2) provides you with references (customer references, not GCs) 3) explains to you her process for working with you to determine your needs and wants, and how she goes about incorporating them into the design and budget, 4) gives you a detailed list of what to expect from her when she's done (i.e., is she essentially plotting out the room in the Ikea planner and that's it, is she suggesting Ikea hacks appropriate for your space and providing guidance to your GC on them, is she picking out colors/finishes/fabics for you, is she selecting appliances and sourcing them, etc., and 5) Who is responsible for costs incurred due to incorrect planning? (i.e., if she designs your space and the contractor installs it to spec, and you discover that you can't open a drawer because it hits the dishwasher, who ponies up the cash to fix it? It looks like you already have a plan that may not be perfect, but it's a great jumping off point to obtain feedback here. What is she bringing to the table for her $500-$1000 fee?
...See More
How Best to use KD @ This Stage
Q
Comments (33)
Oh for sure, for sure mock it all up. I have pictures of my husband sanding our vanity drawers underneath a paper arched doorway. We piled boxes everywhere to represent the pantry and base cabinets, kinda like building a fort. And I kept the box our trash can came in for months because it was roughly the same size as an upper. That thing got taped up on nearly every wall in the kitchen. I would also suggest moving your little table to the living room for a bit to see if you hate the idea as much in practice. I would amend the plan comparison list to say that, like the drawers, it's less about the total counter lengths than how it is distributed. Even without the flip-up counter in mine, you get two wide swatches of counter (42" and 36") to work on. Anything less than 30" is not really useful as a work space -- just as a landing zone -- because it is less wide than a human body. In the OP, you have just one true work space that is 30-36" (depending on the size of the dishwasher), and no other swatch of counter is wide enough to work on. I know you don't cook, but even assembling a simple salad requires some space to spread out your ingredients, to chop, and to mix. Right now, you have a big stretch of counter on the peninsula, and you are going to lose that. I am not saying add back the peninsula because I don't think it is good in the space, but do block off all your counter work space except 30-36" for a week and see how if you can live with that plan. For sure, I could not. This is why I suggested running the microwave wall counter through the pantry in the OP and a flat glass cooktop that can double as a counter. I like very much how open and simple and clean the OP layout is, but I dunno that you will have real space to DO anything with the plan as it is. That lack of counter would bug me everyday. It's the thing that has kept your kitchen rolling around in my head, thinking there must be a better solution. The other concerns I had about the OP are really much more minor and the type of trade-offs we all have to decide to live with in our kitchens, but with counter space issue, it started to seem like a long list of things that could be better. Like the long-ish walk between the two sides of the wide galley is un-ideal. The way the sink wall cabinets just cut off randomly on their way to the front door without dying into a wall or other natural stopping pointing, so when you enter the home, your view straight ahead would be of the floating sides of an upper and lower, just hanging out there. The table placement on the end of that cabinet run also seems a bit random and after-thought-y, and the table there would be an obstacle that you have to walk around. The bottom three stairs also stick out kind of randomly and are an obstacle you have to walk around. And then there is so little counter. And all of the work spaces face the wall. Do you go in the basement often? If it is rare that you go down there, could your table and chairs go against that basement door even if it isn't moved? The stairs and table grouped together on that side has a lot of benefits -- the walkway past them stays wider, the stairs aren't sticking out randomly by themselves, and it's a much cleaner, less-obstacled flow from the front to the back of the house. Maybe you could add a wall stub or vertical beam against the wall or something minor architecturally at the end of the sink wall cabinet run, so it is dying into something and the ungrounded ends are not what greets you at the front door. In my layout, the trade-offs are the extra built-in storage means the space will feel a bit smaller (although I hope not too badly -- I kept the walkways wide and the windows big, and things will be neater and less cluttered with more storage), you won't have seating in the kitchen, and the cooktop venting will not be ideal. I'd make sure the window above the cooktop opens and get a downdraft cooktop and call it good enough. I wouldn't hang a range hood. I know you'd prefer seeing the window to seeing the hood, and your cooking habits barely need venting. That is an exterior wall -- if your future buyer needs a more serious range hood solution, it is easy enough to add. Perhaps you could have to help keep things from feeling closed in. A mirror would be useful too for when you are putting on your coat and hat and stuff on your way out, and it would bounce light around. There is no helping the kitchen seating issue. I'd just try moving the table to the living room for a week or two and make sure that is a deal breaker for you. Between the two layouts, it seems a choice between function and feel. Function in the kitchen vs. how the kitchen makes the rest of the apartment feel. It's not that one functions while making everything else in the apartment feel horrible and one doesn't function but makes everything else feel like a luxury palace. But each plan is slightly weighted in one direction. You'd just have to decide what your top priority is and what you'd rather compromise on. As a side note, I am surprised you wouldn't use the hinged counter. I thought you would particularly enjoy working or sitting at a big counter with a view of the garden. You'd asked for seating with a view initially. Like on a cold day, flip up the counter, heat up some soup, stirring while looking at the garden, and then sit there to eat it looking out at the garden. Seemed nice. Then you just flip the counter down when you are done. As a second side note, you'd be committing yourself to a long time without a kitchen, but if you absolutely can't make up your mind, you might gut your kitchen now so you can really mock up these layouts up in the space you have and get a real feel for them. This post was edited by Jillius on Mon, Jan 5, 15 at 16:42
...See More
Trouble finding KD – pls help with layout
Q
Comments (22)
Ok, now that I have better dimensional info (location and size of posts and beams), here are two variations on the G shape kitchen. Also, I plan on just centering the windows as seen from inside the kitchen. Option A1 is a more detailed and better dimension-ed version of A above: Option A2 is a variation. Basically, I move the fridge down to the other side of the post (but in a way that requires a bunch of explanation): Advantages of A2 - +the work triangle is now within guidelines. Its close but just slightly large with version A1. +I get a really nice large 4+ft pantry + if I ever really wanted to, I could more easily add a freezer column on the other side of that post (just lose some pantry). disadvantages - lose some counter and drawer space in that part of the kitchen (traded for more pantry space) explanation - the fridge is still essentially recessed in version A2. The reason is that I learned that some timber frame owners space out the lower and/or upper cabs out from the wall the width of the post, so they don't have to build the cabs around the post, and can still order standard cabs. The way I have it drawn, the lower cabs are spaced out from the actual wall 6 inches, and the counter is now 31" deep on that wall (standard the rest of the kitchen). The uppers are on the actual wall, so you will still see the post between the uppers and lowers, and the counter is cut around that post in the corner. I could also space out the uppers, or order deeper uppers (trying to keep the cost in check however). I'd really like to move that post by the fridge about 1.5 feet down and put the fridge where the post is now, but I'm not sure that's possible or reasonable. A1 or A2?
...See More
How many chill hours does a River Birch need?
Q
Comments (14)
Rather astounding at the flagrant dismissal some can give to documented evidence - not just babble back anecdotal reports - at the risks involved in indefinitely delaying dormancy of temperate zone plants! We are not talking about all the number of many species on the planet, only those that are native to temperate regions of the globe where a necessary period of dormancy is part of their genetic biological make up. And I could also suggest that rather than tossing about cheap (and unsubstantiated) statements such as "the other person is, quite bluntly, completely wrong and unable to change their minds and update their knowledge with some research" that the poster do their own research, as they appear to be grossly uninformed. Even any reputable bonsai site will state the same. Completely wrong?? So then I guess is the vast majority of the rest of the population!! Just a little arrogance happening here. Bonsai Learning Center: "the vast majority actually need the cold in order to put them into “sleep mode” for the winter. If they don’t get it, they are like marathon runners who never rest. They begin to slow down and gradually lose vigor. Eventually over time, they simply run out of energy and die. This is what happens to temperate bonsai which are brought inside the house during the winter months because their owners fear that exposure to cold weather will kill them" Bonsai4me: "Some bonsai beginners feel that their trees may perish if subject to the harsh conditions of the winter months and bring their trees indoors to 'protect' them. This continuation of heat and light through the winter prevents dormancy in temperate trees. The resulting continual growth throughout the year goes against the trees' internal clock which is requiring a dormant period, the clock can be tricked to an extent; the tree will continue to grow inside. It may even grow continuously for as long as two years after which, whatever the season or conditions, deciduous species will drop all leaves and evergreens will stop all growth. This out of season dormancy usually results in very sickly trees and even death." All things bonsai: "It is quite common for beginners in bonsai to want to over protect trees by bringing them into the house or into a heated conservatory. This may result in the trees not actually entering the dormancy period. If this happens the trees may carry out growing throughout the winter. This distortion of the natural cycle will harm and can eventually kill the tree. The dormancy period is essential to the health of trees from a temperate climate. Trees from tropical parts of the world do not need this dormancy period as they do not experience it in their natural environments. They can therefore be kept indoors all year round."
...See More
User
10 years ago
Post a floor plan that shows the space, with the windows and the surrounding rooms.

Placement depends on the way the traffic will flow, and it has to flow in and out of the surrounding rooms.

You have several traffic paths to consider ... the cook, the snack-seekers, the cold beer fetchers, and the table setting and clearing.
illinigirl
Original Author
10 years ago
thanks, i will, but maybe tomorrow. my brain hurts for the night
jakuvall
10 years ago
LWO- I want your clients :)
I rarely if ever get to order in under 20 and then consider myself lucky. Partly I've always said I'm slow, partly fuss too much, and partly what I attract.
Added-12-16 to retainer, 40-60 to done. Some move in.

This post was edited by jakuvall on Fri, Jul 26, 13 at 18:27
illinigirl
Original Author
10 years ago
alright, here are the PRELIMINARY plans. There is a lot that we are going to change, especially with the whole pantry/laundry corner of the house. He gave me a HUGE pantry that has a HUGE window in it. Obviously that's not going to work. Also he put in a gigantic island, I was thinking a little more like 9-10 feet long, not 12.

As you can see there is no formal dining room so the eating spots are the kitchen table which will be by the sliders, and island seating for 4-6 people depending on the island size. I think I can get a window put in on the left 15 foot counter run if that helps anything.

I've also included the elevation just for kicks. There won't be a band of stone running along the garage. More elevation will show on the right side of the home because it's a walkout. The elevation is also a preliminary.

here we go:
[img]
[img]

[img]
[/img]

[img]
[/img]
User
10 years ago
What do you want to see from the great room? A sink and refrigerator or a range? Are any other sightlines more important to you? What size appliances are you thinking of using? That by itself can determine where things can go. Also, with you having a second floor, how are you planning to ventilate your cooking appliances? If it will be up and out through the roof, the second floor plan has to align properly with the space below to allow that. If it will be through the nearest exterior wall, you have to plan the route for that, and disguising the ventilation ductwork. Which ties into how you plan to delineate the differences in space between the nook, family room, and kitchen.
illinigirl
Original Author
10 years ago
Hollysprings,

36" rangetop
Wall oven-undecided about single with micro on top or double oven with micro located somewhere else.
Standard width fridge
30" sink in a 36" base

Sightlines: i'd like to be able to see out of the south windows in the dining area into the back yard. I forgot to mention the back of the house faces south for maximum sun and light into the home.

I am not concerned about seeing any kitchen elements from the great room. Any/ all are fine.

I think we can ventilate either way since only second floor space is over the garage, nothing over the kitchen.

THe great room will have a vaulted ceiling while the kitchen and nook are at 9'. This will help i think defining those spaces. I am not sure if the nook and kitchen need to be visually separated?

THanks!
suzanne_sl
10 years ago
Wait! There isn't any such thing as a standard width fridge. There are some sizes that are readily available. 30", 33", and 36", come to mind. Counter depth units tend to be wider, and some people use a full size fridge and a full size freezer side by side. This is something you need to give some thought to as it will be a non-negotiable space for the life of the kitchen once you choose a size. Unless you want something really big, I'm thinking you might want to look at a 36" unit, and when I say 36", I really mean numbers like 35.875". You don't need to choose the particular fridge you'll buy down the road, but you do need to choose a width for planning purposes.
illinigirl
Original Author
10 years ago
36 is what i meant by standard. i guess because that's what i've always had. I didn't know 30 and 33" were that common. sorry. But yes, I am planning a 36" wide full depth fridge. I'll accomodate it by recessing and making the counters on that side a little deeper.

I'm not sure if the 52" walkway currently in the plan is considered enough clearance to have the fridge where I think it should go (which is across from the shorter edge of the island, or somewhere on that wall at least)
illinigirl
Original Author
10 years ago
here is another L shaped kitchen that i really like.

[img]

[Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Flemington Architects & Designers Pickell Architecture[/img]

it is also open to the family room on one side and dining area on the other like mine is situated.
illinigirl
Original Author
10 years ago
can anyone comment on the photo of the kitchen I posted as inspiration for my layout? I'm thinking I may have to extend the range wall in my layout a little bit to get all the elements in there. Also can anyone guestimate how much countertop is to the left and right of the cleanup sink? Perhaps based on the upper cabinetry?

There are a couple other photos of this kitchen on houzz that show the wall ovens are just out of the frame on the left of this photo also against the range wall.
Fridge would be on the other wall the runs perpendicular to the range wall to the left, across the short end of the island (which based on comments in houzz is 9 x 5) The photographer is standing in the family room taking this photo, just like my layout is.

thanks!
herbflavor
10 years ago
52-58 inches to left of sink/24 inches to the right/sink takes 15 in based in 18 in cab-total run is about 96 inches or about 8 feet give or take. I would never exceed 10 feet-this one is about correct,give or take. Altho pleasant and light filled, this is a casual dining zone....as the sole dining area in your home, I might be concerned about resale later down the road. It's your home, and you have designations of your priorities, but dinners involving a Holiday or guests.....you will always have action and kitchen in front of you.It's wonderful in some ways.....a risk in some ways.Any chance of appliance[range and hood] and sink to shift left on back wall, and devote 30 in or so at far right, near dining zone for a hutch type cabinet with sides and glass doors that comes to rest on counter....a little more decorative/display/visual and useful buffer for that perpetual connection of dining and kitchen.
rosie
10 years ago
Illinigirl, that's looking like a 30"er by the stove to me.

I just wanted to suggest that that handsome kitchen didn't get that way by accident. To put it mildly. Notice that the picture does not include the refrigerator? Hardly an accident that it wasn't positioned in the main view, or at least cut out of the picture. What sizes the appliances are, their locations, proportions, balance, and various other considerations all come into it.

If you want to end up with something that nice, I'd suggest you not split the design up between a KD whose main job seems to be to help you position the sink, then an unassociated cabinet shop, and an amateur homeowner/designer. You seem to be vastly underestimating what a good design shop (and why on earth would you hire anything but) does and in the process underestimating what you don't know. Positioning the sink and appliances is the easiest part.

If you do consult a kitchen shop, by all means take your inspiration pictures with you for discussion on how to develop your space, and ask questions--lots of them. That you have a lot of ideas about what you want will be a good starting point.

BTW, refrigerator size? Since you're in the custom design phase, my own suggestion would be to position a perhaps 15" cabinet alongside the refrigerator space just in case 5 years from now the newest great refrigeration-something combo required no less than 4 feet. That may seem farfetched, but 48" refrigerators are already in kitchens, easing open the market for new products that size.
herbflavor
10 years ago
oops-I was calculating island size....it's so nice to gaze at. Cleanup sink-27 in to the left...33 in to the right, or so. Get the cleanup sink away from dining zone,and ditto what rosie is emphasizing.
illinigirl
Original Author
10 years ago
Rosie,
first, thanks so much for your input. So appreciated.
Second, and here is more ignorance on my part, but I thought a KD was part of a kitchen shop.....What would you recommend I do if I intend on using the builders custom cabinetry for my kitchen? I thought that would be consulting a separate KD (who I thought would be located/working out of a kitchen shop).

I thought that the cabinet design person at the cabinet location (a separate service my builder also offers) would need to be involved in designing, and measuring (and later building and installing) the cabinet portion of the kitchen. How is this supposed to all work together?

Herb,
Thanks for the ideas and estimates on counters (yes I was asking about the back counter run with the range and main cleanup sink on it. I guess I was thinking that with the main cleanup sink being close to the dining area that made sense for the clean up zone (dirty dishes coming from the dining table go to the clean up zone close by) And at the same time kept the cleanup zone separate and out of the way of the cooking and prep zone. Can you explain more why my logic is faulty here?

A hutch is a nice idea if I can think of anything to put in it. I have no formal china to display.
rosie
10 years ago
Ask the designers here. But, aside from everything else, I'm thinking one architect, one set of owners, and one kitchen design/cabinet adviser are plenty. You know the one about too many cooks.

I have a picture of you settling on an idea from the first shop, communicating it to a second who gets the wrong picture but goes with it and shelves his own best ideas, the architect getting overridden by you and the designer--who are both missing something important, your husband talking to the architect who thinks something else has been agreed on, the contractor making "executive" decisions overriding everybody to keep work moving, and the plumber advising you alone that it'll be much better if you shift something over a few inches and he can do that right now f you'd like (amazing how many house trades feel qualified to give design advice)--with NO one having control or a truly, clear picture of what's going on. That happens when only two people are trying to work together and just think they're on the same wavelength.

Communication was our biggest problem in building our house, and we lived on site and were in the house observing the work every day. And we had the best contractor in the area, a very nice and experienced man with a long-time reputation for conscientiousness. Every mistake resulted from miscommunication between people in smiling agreement.
illinigirl
Original Author
10 years ago
ok rosie,
I have my first meeting with the cabinet design woman on Tuesday....from what I understand she is the builder's 'kitchen designer'. I do know she has a degree from the area's most reputable design school but I don't know what her specialty is. I will ask her when we meet on Tuesday.

We are using a home designer rather than an architect. This designer works with our builder and a number of the other high end builders in the area....I have toured several of the homes he's designed for our builder and for other builders. You can see the preliminary design he made for us- we like a lot of it but as I mentioned earlier there's certainly changes to be made.

Perhaps I need to wait and see how the meeting on Tuesday goes.

And I do agree I don't know what I don't know. For sure. I'm doing the best I can to make informed and thoughtful decisions on this. Indeed I have spent hours every day working on the kitchen for the last 2 months. I have dozens of pages of notes on varying kitchen (and other home building) topics saved to reference as the time for those decisions draws near.

I guess, back to my main topic, is that every time I post a layout no one likes it or at least if they do they don't say so. I thought my space was similar to the one in the photo so I was wondering if I could translate that layout to my space and go from there on the rest of the design. If the layout in the photo is GW approved then I have a foundation to go forward with. That's my question at this point.
herbflavor
10 years ago
A main cleanup sink next to the only dining area is not wise.
It's the cleanup sink----and you are gathering for a meal together to enhance your relationships/enjoy good food/break from the other issues of your day.....as well, this has to be appealing to other potential buyers . Even if you have a super casual lifestyle/don't entertain or have larger gatherings at Holidays,etc, it would be foolish to think another occupant would not look at the dining setup with scrutiny. Things that are more acceptable in that immediate spot: oven stack/built in mwave/small entertainment sink/hutch cabinet to counter as discussed/ clear counter with open shelves/corbels and pottery/bowls /vases on display.....
illinigirl
Original Author
10 years ago
thanks herb. I understand what you are saying, but for the life of me what I can't understand is why a sink is so offensive! How many feet away does a cleanup sink have to be to not be offensive to diners? People are going to see the sink from everywhere in the kitchen, dining room, AND family room. If people hate being by sinks so much why do they always congregate in the kitchen? So much I don't understand. People always talking about hiding dirty dishes. I put my dirty dishes immediately in the dishwasher. Then I wipe out the sink so it's clean.

ah well. Let me ask you this: do people who design their kitchens with you typically mind if their main cleanup sink faces a wall with no window? Maybe I need to be more open to this idea. It really bothers me though. In my own plan the only place the sink can face a window is if it's towards the dining end of the kitchen. The only other spot I see as an option is in the island, offset towards the opposite end (far away from the dining) maybe two feet away from the edge of the island, with the dishwasher being on the very end of the island. My prep would take place to the right of the sink at the 5 foot expanse of island, across from the range, or next to the range on one side or another.

Then I could move the wall ovens to the spot closest to the dining area.

Snackers could access the fridge, a snack counterspace and the dishwasher all outside the prep and cook zone.

something like this except swap the trash and dishwasher and perhaps i don't need a prep sink, or perhaps the prep sink should be on the other side of the range:
[img]
[/img]
illinigirl
Original Author
10 years ago
please ignore the 12" overhang in the above layout. It would be 15". Also, how important is it for the island edge to line up with the range wall counter edge? I have it offset by one foot to expand the walkway where the fridge is? If that is aesthetically unpleasing I could line it up.

thank you.
herbflavor
10 years ago
sinks do not have to be under a window....you have a lot of light from the alcove and all the windows...and it is a fairly large open space....the roasting or frying pan with grease/oil.....the pan with the tomatoe sauce/the pasta boiling pot/ the colanders/dirty spatulas....I don't find it appealing and it doesn't all get dealt with until after the meal for the most part. sinks and sink areas do not in day to day life look like clean shiny glossy pictures on houzz. You are thinking of some good alternatives-let the designer work on this also when you go in. What you have done already is the perimeter sizes of counter runs/basic walkway dimensions and where the dining zone and island will be situated/in addition you've nailed the shape of the island, correct? The next important and useful thing to help the designer be super efficient with you is the appliance models and their dimensions and spec sheets....then let him/her play with positioning and the tweaks and see where their creativity can come in and help you with this finalization. You've done quite a bit...but I would just for the sake of it have one maybe 2 backup plans [in only a basic drawing] in case all this goes south or you change your mind majorly or the designer points out something/etc.-- but that's how I am...back up plans that let you compare/contrast make your final decisions seem more secure and certain and when you decide, you'll feel the process gave you the product you want. You're doing great I think.....not sure it would be the kitchen for me, but that doesn't matter.
illinigirl
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks for the words of encouragement herb! I am trying to do too much myself and I'm not exactly qualified. I will have to wait and see what the cabinet designer has to say and what the realm of her experience is overall. Would it be typical of someone who is the cabinet designer to be qualified to design the entire kitchen? As part of our build, the builder has 3 staff members to assist with cabinetry design and interior design. I am hoping they can get me through this.
jakuvall
10 years ago
illinigirl- "do people who design their kitchens with you typically mind if their main cleanup sink faces a wall with no window"
some clients object to facing the wall, some object to a sink in the island. I kid around that I keep two lists -"5 things that all clients want" and "5 things that all clients hate"
...both lists are identical :)

In open plan kitchens seeing the sink is not unusual. If that bothers someone they will be looking for a house with a dining room and/or maybe a butlers pantry.

Lining things up....
Aisle clearance and walkways and function all override lining things up. The exception would be certain modern design concepts where everything lines up with something else, in which case clearances still matter but objects and walls are moved to accommodate both.

In most cases the "cabinet designer" is the same thing as the "kitchen designer" they should be able to assist you with the entire kitchen (some better than others) adding in an interior designer only helps.
Go to them with what your preferences are, yours, you have to live there, there are very few hard and fast "rules".

Hopefully you will be working with someone who attempts to figure out what suits you personally the best. I worry if a client doesn't do at least one thing I don't like; could mean I'm not doing my job properly.
illinigirl
Original Author
10 years ago
great, thanks for the response jackuvall!

That makes sense about the aisle clearance. I would rather not lose and extra foot of counter run on the back wall just to have it line up with the island, as long as it won't be considered "wrong" or unsightly.

thanks again.
debrak2008
10 years ago
Jakuvall, Please post that list! Actually I think that would be a great thread on its own.
jakuvall
10 years ago
debark2008- almost everything someone asks for someone else will say they can't stand.... one man's ceiling is another's floor.

The most common - musts for some, hated by others...
lazy susan (any kind), diagonal corner wall cabinet, pie cut upper w/center hinge, open wine racks, open shelves, glass cabinets, sink in island (including prep!), cooking in island, OTR microwave, undercounter micro, granite with movement.

less requested lately but still belong on both lists- appliance garage, open tops, double sinks, desk ..

Honorable mention should go to white which gets on three lists -I want, I hate, I wish I could.

Three things almost everyone agrees on:- pull out trash, magical disappearing microwave, and my favorite- "More"
debrak2008
10 years ago
Oh I can see how those items are love or hate.

I must say I will be a dissenter on pull out trash (like stand alones) and hiding the microwave (its gets used so often it would be a pain to hide it).

illinigirl, I understand your frustration about the sink. I have no answer but will say and I too like to put things directly into the dw. Right now I'm sitting at my island. As I look at my sink along the wall and I can't see very far into it. I suspect that there are dishes at the bottom but anyone at the island would not see them. If you wash the majority of items in the dw and you load as you go, I don't think the dirty dishes issue will be a problem. If you do a lot of hand dish washing then it could be a problem if people are seated close by.

how many hours would it take a KD to design a basic layout?

Comments (28)

User

illinigirl
Original Author

Related Discussions

User

illinigirl
Original Author

jakuvall

illinigirl
Original Author

User

illinigirl
Original Author

suzanne_sl

illinigirl
Original Author

illinigirl
Original Author

illinigirl
Original Author

herbflavor

rosie

herbflavor

illinigirl
Original Author

rosie

illinigirl
Original Author

herbflavor

illinigirl
Original Author

illinigirl
Original Author

herbflavor

illinigirl
Original Author

jakuvall

illinigirl
Original Author

debrak2008

jakuvall

debrak2008

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

how many hours would it take a KD to design a basic layout?

Comments (28)

illinigirlOriginal Author

Related Discussions

illinigirlOriginal Author

illinigirlOriginal Author

illinigirlOriginal Author

illinigirlOriginal Author

illinigirlOriginal Author

illinigirlOriginal Author

illinigirlOriginal Author

illinigirlOriginal Author

illinigirlOriginal Author

illinigirlOriginal Author

illinigirlOriginal Author

illinigirlOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

illinigirl
Original Author

illinigirl
Original Author

illinigirl
Original Author

illinigirl
Original Author

illinigirl
Original Author

illinigirl
Original Author

illinigirl
Original Author

illinigirl
Original Author

illinigirl
Original Author

illinigirl
Original Author

illinigirl
Original Author

illinigirl
Original Author

illinigirl
Original Author