10.) What do you mean that refrigerator won’t fit through my doorway?
9.) Avocado, why don’t they make Avocado anymore?
8.) Did you notice, now that the range is installed, we can’t open up the cabinet
drawers any more?
7.) Why can’t I install a downdraft cooktop if I am on a slab?
6.) What do you mean replace my oven? I said the microwave is broken.
5.) I know ventilation isn’t required by code in Indiana
how my Viking Range
overhead, instead of a hood.
4.) Why does my work triangle have five point?
3.) How did the pantry end up in front of the window?
2.) Hmm, I didn’t think the island would keep the refrigerator from opening?
1.) Well at least now my husband will take some time off, to recover from the 600
pound refrigerator falling on him.
Seems a little silly, but I’ve heard every one of these instances happening and more often than
you would probably think. While there is much more that kitchen designers do, I’ve tried to focus
Does everyone need a designer? No…but unless you are an architect, you are unlikely to catch
everything a kitchen designer would catch. Sound trivial? Not if you are the homeowner whose
brother installed a Viking range with cabinets overhead instead of a hood, whose house
subsequently burned down, and whose insurance company refused to pay because the range was
installed in a non-approved manner. That was a $287,000 mistake.
The other examples aren’t as expensive but any one of them can cost several thousand dollars and a
lot of man hours to fix. And as for the man whose refrigerator fell on him, three broken ribs and a
broken collar bone isn’t a fatal injury, but it’s certainly one I would rather avoid.
So back to the original question…does everyone need a kitchen designer? No, not if you are
replacing a single appliance or a pair of them, but if you are making alterations to a kitchen and not
simply replacing appliances with updated like appliances, you should use one. Think they are too
expensive? How much do you save if you avoid any of the problems above…probably a minimum
of $1,000. Most kitchen designers will meet with you and give you ideas and keep you from
making stupid mistakes for less than a $200 consultation fee.
Need more incentive…how about putting in a new island with a granite countertop?
Sounds pretty simple, right? You find a beautiful island and the granite company puts
an amazing looking top on it for you, but about week 3 you realize that saving $120 on
the top by going with pointed corners instead of rounded ones was a bad call, and
you’ve got a black and blue hip to prove it. These are simple things that they are
trained to catch. You’ve got twenty more years of bruises to look forward to…
Taking stupid mistakes out of the equation, kitchen designers take pride in turning your
kitchen into a work of art instead of just a hodge-podge of wooden boxes and metal
machines. Most people left to their own devices are going to at best create a room that
is free of mistakes, but without the decorative elements of bumping out this cabinet
here, adding this scrollwork there, incorporating this lighting to transition the room
nicely into the greatroom, and making sure that the overall design accommodates not
just your sense of style, but how you will utilize the space. While I have seen some
nice kitchens created without a professional designer, I have never seen one that made
me say wow. And in this business, getting people to say wow when they walk in your
kitchen is what it is all about.
How do you find a great designer? That is an article for another day, but if you are
doing anything more than a simple one for one appliance switch out, I recommend that
you use one. In Indianapolis
cannot list out every one of them, I will list out a few that I have worked with over the
years:
Mike Teipen @ Kitchens by Teipen http://www.kitchensbyteipen.com/
Kristen Zwitt@ Kitchens by Teipen http://www.kitchensbyteipen.com/
Kristin Okeley @ Kitchens by Design http://www.kitchensbydesign.net/
Lisa Stites @ Kitchens by Design http://www.kitchensbydesign.net/
Gene Abel @ Kitchens by Design http://www.kitchensbydesign.net/
Carolyn Allen @ Steward Boarman http://www.stewardboarman.com/
Roger Steward @ Steward Boarman http://www.stewardboarman.com/
Nancy Barbee @ Cabinetry Ideas http://www.cabinetryideas.com/
Chris Alspaugh @ Distinctive Kitchen & Bath http://www.distinctivekb.com/
Tom Davis @ Millermaid Cabinets http://www.millermaidcabinets.com/
Jim Floyd @ ADS Cabinets http://www.adscabinets.com/
Tom Jeffers @ Pioneer Kitchens http://www.pioneer-kitchens.com/
Charlie Kincaid @ Millermaid Cabinets http://www.millermaidcabinets.com/
Rob Klein @ Conceptual Kitchens http://www.conceptualkitchens.com/
Tony Maxwell @ Accent Cabinets http://www.accentcabinet.com/
Jesse Longenecker @ B&L Cabinets No web (765) 379-2471
Alisa McPheron @ Millermaid Cabinets http://www.millermaidcabinets.com/
George Wilson @ ADS Cabinets http://www.adscabinets.com/
Chris Wright @Wrightworks http://www.wrightworks.net/
Steve Campbell @ Trillium Cabinets http://www.trilliumcabinet.com/
Grace Bradley @ Grace Bradley Designs GBRADLEYDESIGN@HOTMAIL.COM
Shari Porter @ Indiana Kitchen Company http://www.indianakitchencompany.com/
David Reese @ Reese Kitchens http://www.reesekitchens.com/
Sandi Perlman @ Blue Ridge Design http://www.indianakitchendesigner.com/
Scott Perry @ The KitchenWright http://www.thekitchenwright.com/
Is this an all inclusive list? No, not by any means. But I have worked with all of these
designers at one point or another, whether they remember me or not, and they
qualified by creating beautiful, functional kitchens and had customers who were
routinely not just satisfied, but elated with the level of service they received.
Do I get anything out of the referrals, no, but they are all people who I am very
comfortable recommending for anyone needing the services of a professional
kitchen designer. And frankly speaking, who doesn't want one more beautiful
kitchen in the world?
You want wow…these designers can deliver it.
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