I think doing the Sweeby test on the "new to forum" post is a great first step.
Next, I'd hunt down pictures of inspiration kitchens and see what you like about each one. Whether you hire a kd or decorator or do it yourself, asking yourself the questions is vital.
You need to keep in mind your house's architecture and your other rooms. You want it to flow and not have a kitchen that does not work in context to the rest of the house.

I'd suggest making a mood board with pictures of elements you like and colors/swatches. You want to see how things relate to each other in combination.

If you feel like you need help with layout, this forum has many gurus with great advice. You can lay it out with a planner. I used Ikea's and found it to be a great tool because it is 3D online. You don't have to order from them to use it. I know others here can recommend other programs. Even old fashioned graph paper can be a great help.

I would talk with the kitchen and bath folks (preferably custom guys). Most of the time they have done enough in the past to do a good layout. I own a custom cabinet shop and a construction company and most of the time we do the design work with the help of the client.

Same thing goes for picking out the details. My partners wife who has great tastes generally helps the homeowners pick things out if they are having troubles or if they need a sounding board.

I am not trying to cut out the designers or the architects. They can be very helpful but if budget is tight and their are not a ton of major changes ask your cabinet guy or contractor first for ideas and go from there.

Travis Alfrey
Aberdeen, NC

I might ask a kitchen place for style ideas, but I would not let a general contractor pick out a light switch. Most of those are quietly hoping that all you want is their grandmothers' kitchen and Thomas Alva Edison's bath.

There are a lot of gc that I would not let pick anything out as well...but there are a lot that I know that have seen a large number of projects and they know what will work and what won't...so it is a great place to start and if you are not getting good advice then hire a decorator or an architect.

Travis Alfrey
Aberdeen, NC

Your instincts are correct regarding the architect not selecting interior items, that's generally not in their scope. If you plan to have the architect produce detailed plans, then you will need to add a designer who will work with the architect on specifications. A kitchen designer with a comprehensive portfolio that fits your style is likely the best choice. Some contractors have access to a designer, so you might ask about that in the interviews. If you know what cabinets you want, then you could use one of their staff designers to save a little on the cost of design.

Your post really is a mixed message because you want professionals to take care of all the details, but you have a tight budget. The more you are willing to do, the more you can save.

It sounds like you need a great kitchen designer,
if your architect is not someone you trust for the kitchen design.
I want to emphasize that the general contractor, electrician and other trades
can not be expected to provide any design advice.
They are being paid to install the floor, fixtures and cabinets that your designer picks out for them.
They are not being paid to make aesthetic and design decisions of the sort you need made.

I knew that I would have to make the big aesthetic decisions
about the floor plan, cabinets, granite, backspash, type of bathtub and toilet, etc.
But before my bath and kitchen reno I didn't quite understand that the contractor and trades would not have advice on the hundreds of little questions: what color of grout, what type of recessed lights, how high to mount sconces, etc.
All of these things need to be specified by you or your designer (or from time to time with help from the GW community.)

"If you plan to have the architect produce detailed plans, then you will need to add a designer who will work with the architect on specifications."

This is where I have questions. I guess I don't really know what a detailed plan entails. What I'd like is a plan that was fully thought out in every detail to the extent possible, knowing where the plumbing, wiring, and hvac had to go, and all the purchased items identified.

I think the actual case may be that the architect and the eventually-chosen contractor know one another and have worked together. Does that mean we should just get material specs, colors, and finishes from the KD and then she can step out of the picture? If I had a story board like the ones in the oak thread, but tailored the architecture and lighting conditions of my house, plus a layout that fit my walls, I'd be ready. Would a KD do the storyboard?

Finding a KD seems like a shot in the dark, too. We are new to the area. I wish I didn't have to do this project. I'm not at all excited about it.

I know I'd get darned excited about a lousy kitchen, though. I don't need a personalized one. The generic lovely kitchen would work fine for me.

Who wants the job?

If you do not feel confident in your own abilities to pick out product and supervise their installation, then it's probably worth it to engage a designer for a master design and/or project supervision. You budget will take a hefty hit though. If you want a designer to oversee the project, expect to pay 1-2K minimum for project management on a small project, more for a medium sized one. That is separate from any actual design fee, whether kitchen design or interior design, which can range from $500 for a small bare bones plan to +++. These are services that design and build firms build right into their project fees, but you do pay for it.

We hired an 'interior design consultant' for our new home build. We paid her $75/hour for her time. We had already picked out the cabinet finish when we found her, but she helped us pick floors throughout the house, verified the counters I wanted would work, helped us identify what type of pulls would look and then verified my selection when I found one when she wasn't with us, picked a specific paint color from the color family I was drawn to, helped us select light fixtures (after walking through the house with the electrician and us and identifying where lighting should go.)

She was worth every penny. She did *not* make selections for us--she identified what would work together so we could decide which we wanted. For example, I was drawn to tiles with pink undertones--she showed me why they wouldn't work with my cabinets and identified similar tiles without the pink undertone. She is the one who had us put a billiard table light fixture above our kitchen table rather than a round one.

She didn't do project management, she wasn't a GC, and she didn't provide any of the items herself, so there wasn't a commission involved. She did not design my kitchen--I did that, with minimal/no help from the kitchen "designer" at the builder's supplier, with *great* help from GW, and about 2 hours of consulting from an hourly-rate KD.

To find an interior design consultant, I'd check with a builder's supply store. I don't mean Lowe's or HD, but rather a store/series of stores that builders use for new homes. We have one locally where flooring, cabinetry, windows, doors, and lighting are "connected"--and they were able to recommend someone.

She also picked the paint color for the house we were selling--and once it was up, I liked it better than the colors I had previously had up!

Your architect will provide locations for the plumbing, electrical, and HVAC but if the renovation is extensive you will need to have an engineer from each of those disciplines prepare plans for permit applications.

You can have the architect stop at that point and you would work with a designer for the interior finishes. If you want the KD to do the storyboard, then you would need to put that in the contract. A storyboard is not a specification the contractor could use to complete the project. Listing all the items in detail and where they are to be purchased is another step in the process.

At this point I would ask if a renovation is worth it for you. If your existing kitchen functions well enough for a few years it might be best to wait until you are more motivated or have the funds to do exactly what you want.

Like most people here, I could not wait to get started on the update of my kitchen. The day my old sink and counters went out the door was fun even with the hassle of having to use the powder room sink for a while. If you're not on board with all this, it might be a good idea to reconsider.