What the Best Kitchen and Bath Designers Actually Do
By Parham Shariat ·
Two designers can charge the same fee and give you very different experiences. One stays with your project from the first meeting to the final walkthrough. The other hands you a drawing and wishes you luck.
Before you hire anyone, find out which kind you are getting.
Do they visit your home?
A designer who has never been in your house is designing from a floor plan. Floor plans leave things out, like a slanted ceiling, a vent in the wrong place, or a window that sits lower than the drawing says. The best designers come to your home, measure it themselves and take photos.
Do they shop with you or for you?
Some designers go to the showroom with you and help you choose. Some pick materials on their own and present them. Some give you a design and leave the shopping to you. None of these is wrong, but you should know which one you are paying for. Most people want a designer who shops with them, because seeing materials side by side in person is how good decisions get made.
Do they stay involved after the drawing?
A drawing is not a finished kitchen. Questions come up on site, deliveries arrive with problems, and sometimes something does not fit. Ask these directly:
- Will you visit the site during construction?
- Who checks the cabinets and countertops when they arrive?
- Who answers when the contractor has a question about the plan?
- Do you coordinate with the plumber, electrician and framer?
Do they commit to a direction?
A good designer listens, offers a clear recommendation, and revises it when it makes sense. A designer who keeps changing course, or who keeps asking for new ideas without settling on one, is wasting your money. Each round of redesign costs you time, and often a bill as well.
Ask upfront how many revisions are included, and what happens if you want more. The answer should be clear and in writing.
Do they understand construction?
A beautiful design that cannot be built is not a good design. The best designers know what the framer, plumber and electrician need, and they ask those people before the plan is final.
Where US Floor Design Center fits
At our showroom the designer works with you in person, with real samples on the table, from the first conversation through selections. Your project does not end when the drawing is done. The designer stays connected to the build, and the plan is checked with the people doing the work before anything is submitted or ordered.
Visit the showroom at 30092 Santa Margarita Parkway, Suite G, in Rancho Santa Margarita, or call 949-589-9226.