Three Questions to Answer Before Your First Appointment

A professional kitchen and bath designer has the expertise to make your project dreams a reality. There are several questions to ask yourself before meeting with your designer that will help get this important relationship started on the right foot. We’ve listed a few of those below to get the ball rolling.

1. What kind of design style are you looking for? 

Your designer will need to get a feel for what look you’re going for in your new room, so consider the following carefully.

• Do you want to keep the same overall design style for the space or create a new one? 
• Does everything in the space need updating or only certain elements such as cabinets, countertops and flooring?
• Do appliances or fixtures need updating?
• How does this space join other areas in the home?
• What do you want this room to say about yourself or family?
• Are there any room scenes that you’ve seen on Pinterest or Houzz that you’ve felt drawn to?

Not sure how to describe your style? Our Cabinet Design Styles article may be able to help.

2. What layout do you think would work best for you?

An avid home cook may want his or her spice rack at the ready when cooking on the stove in the new kitchen, or a bookworm may want to create a small reading nook and bookshelf in the new office. You may dream of a laundry room with a dog-washing station in it, or a dropzone to collect all of the shoes, coats and bookbags.

Before going to that first design appointment ask yourself and your family:

• How do you want to use your new space?
• What appliances or design elements should be group together for optimal functionality?
• What problems do you have in your current kitchen that you want the new design to resolve?

Learn more about Kitchen Layout Planning, Bathroom Planning, and Home Office Planning.

3. What are your organization and storage needs?

• Do you need more countertop storage space, more cabinet storage space or both?
• Do you like drawers for storage versus shelving?
• Do you buy in bulk and need to store those items in your kitchen?
• Do you have an abundant amount of cookbooks, kitchen tools or spices?
• Do you entertain frequently and need platters within easy reach?
• Do you prefer a lazy susan or pull-out shelves?

As you consider these questions, take a walk through your kitchen and thing about what items need to go inside your cabinets. Write them down, as well as the ideal way to store them, to capture a full list to revisit throughout your design process.