Well, sorry that didn't turn out to be the one. I posted on a thread 3 or 4 days ago, where the person was feeling guilty because her contractor had his saws stolen right out of his truck in front of her house. She got a lot of responses from most people telling her that although feeling bad about it was natural, she wasn't the one who failed to secure the truck. I posted too, and now, I cannot find the thread. I've wandered back through the pages, I've search my user name, I've searched for keywords. Anybody seen this thread? Red

I agree with Stef. I think the best thing for you to do is call the KD and discuss the issue with her. If she gave you the plans without mentioning what you could or could not do with them, it sounds like she wont mind you asking her if you can use them to shop around. This is exactly why I never give out my plans without a retainer fee paid. Ive worked on my own and with two companies....for the first company, we required the initial meeting to be at the design center where clients met with us designers and gave us an idea of what they are looking for, including providing us with rough measurements. Once we "qualified" them (gave them a rough estimate of what things would cost) and showed them our portfolio then we asked for a retainer fee before we would come out to their home or do any real work if they wanted to move forward. On my own, all of my clients were either referrals from a past client or knew of me when I worked for the first company and were usually people who didnt want to shop around but wanted to pay someone to do the all the work for them. I always came to the client's home, spoke with them, took measurements and because I sleep, eat, and breathe this, I could give them a pretty close estimate of what things cost. If they wanted to move forward, they paid me a retainer right then and there and then I would schedule the next meeting which we would go over my initial design. All of these meetings were at the clients home, I brought samples to them and we only would meet at different show rooms if there was not a sample or photo of something I could bring to there house. With this last company, they do both ways, just depends on the client. Personally, I prefer the way I did things on my own. I was able to personally meet the client in the comfort of their own home, which I find it easier to discuss such a big money item. But never, I mean, NEVER, would I give anyone my drawings without some type of retainer payment. On the last thread, there were some pretty mean things said about KD's, whether some were real designers or just KD's. Some interior designers dont do kitchens, some do...Ive worked with alot of Interior Designers who told clients they did kitchens, but hired someone like me to work behind the scenes to actually do the design work, especially with detailed custom cabinetry...so it all depends on the person. KD's do have credibility (look at Jennifer Gilmore...she does mostly kithcens, is listed as a KD, and is in all the trendy magazines) I personally have an Architecture degree but fell in love with Kitchen and Bathroom design when I worked for a company during college....does that make me any less of a designer? Bottom line, its wrong to take someone's work and give it to another person to use, even if its just for pricing. I would be pissed if I gave someone a plan and they took the exact plan to another KD, Designer, or Architect, whatever...then again, I would never give anyone anything without acquiring necessary payments, so maybe since she gave it to you, its not a big deal...but you should definitely ask her first beforehand. PS. Just because a KD is affiliated with a cabinetry line does not mean they are any less of a designer than someone that isnt affiliated with a cabinetry line and is willing to work with which ever cabinetry line the client choose....some people can be so mean and really dont know what they are talking about. This really is a niche in itself because there are many variations on what type of designer exist and what clients expect. I think that if you want to shop around and find the best deal then be up front about it when your meeting with someone so that both of you know and expect the same things...why be so sneaky about it? I've have people tell me that they are shopping around and either I make sure to lay out exaclty what they can expect from me or I let them know, hey Im not the cheapest designer around and I can't do what you want at your ideal price...this way they are not wasting my time and I am not wasting theirs. But remember, alot of people on this forum write in about the "little" mistakes their KD has made or didnt catch and some of them probably went the cheapest route...as with anything, you get what you pay for...those "little" mistakes have never came up in my business, then again Im not the cheapest option. We are the first ones to get blamed yet we are the last prof that people want to pay. This is not to say that there are not bad KD's or designers becuase there def are and they give the industry a bad reputation. Im not saying the OP is trying to be sneaky, I just wanted to say what I felt and the last forum was getting a bit too long. Sorry to go a rant, but I'm kind of tired of the anti-KD or anti-Designer feeling I get alot of times when I log on here. All the best with your kitchen remodel!

If you try to submit another post immediately after your first (or previous) post, the system views that next, immediate post as a repeat. In that instance, you will have to change the subject line of your follow-up post. For example, if the subject of the thread is something like: "Why I like kitchens," you may have to change the subject line on your follow-up post to something like: "Another reason why I like kitchens." If there are posts entered by others between your own submissions, you shouldn't have to do this. HTH

Hey, Madeline Why, exactly, do you feel like "a dummy"? You got your picture posted just fine, an accomplishment envied by many here. Next time you'll know to just add in your question text right above or below the picture code, but it works fine the way it is. Remember, "Preview Message" is your friend. Good going and welcome to GW! As far as your question, my immediate reaction was "no," but after reading palimpsest's answer and giving it some more thought, I agree that because the 3 areas are separated in both space and function, it does work. Have you looked at the various kitchens which have the island in a different color than the perimeter? If you really don't like the dark color it is now, you might also consider doing a lighter stain or even a color. We've had a couple of painted color cabinets recently that are really good looking. Not saying don't do the white, just saying consider the possibilities before making up your mind for sure. P.S. I sure hope you can find a place to recycle that granite.