FIVE TIPS TO GETTING THE MOST MILEAGE OUT OF YOUR FREE KITCHEN DESIGN CONSULTATION:
Where do you start when working with a kitchen designer? What is the best way to prepare for your first meeting? What should you bring? What should you do beforehand to get the most mileage out of your free session? Here are five tips that will help you get the most value out of your design consultation for your kitchen, bath, den, laundry or other room renovation:
1) Make your own scrapbook of ideas. You should start by cutting out photos from books and magazines, printing images from the web or from our website and blog and creating your own little scrapbook of things that you like. It’s VERY IMPORTANT that you use a post it note on the photo and write the reason you pulled that particular photo. Write what you like about the picture at the time you pull the picture because it has been our experience that once clients have a library of 20 or 30 of these, they often tell us they have no idea why they liked that photo. Sometimes it might be the light fixture, sometimes it might be the hood, or perhaps you had a question about the backsplash tile you liked. It may not have been the overall kitchen, it may not have been the cabinets, but there was something about it that you found particularly appealing at the time you pulled it out. Therefore, it is very important that you capture that reason on a post it note attached to the photo.
2) Write up a wish list. Your wish list should include specific things that you’re trying to add or change about your existing kitchen. Analyze what you like and don’t like about your present space. Make a list and leave it in the room for a couple of weeks. Are appliances outdated? Is the space unattractive? Is it inefficient? Do you need more counter space? Do you want more storage? Write it all down. Do you like the lighting? Do you want to keep the garden view? Write that down too.
3) Go appliance shopping. Research appliances online and go shopping just to get an idea of what kind of things are out there and what kind of budget range there is in your appliance selection. This will help you establish a general category you want to be in. Your kitchen designer will help you refine your final choices based on his/her experience and knowledge of those appliances. Your kitchen designer can give you a good comparable that might be a better choice, or fill you in on customer feedback by telling you what previous clients liked or didn’t like about features of the appliances they selected. Because there is such a broad range in price, we like to send our Kitchen Designs clients out there to get an idea first. There are $900 refrigerators or $7,000 refrigerators. You need to determine how much money you want to allocate and what features are important to you.
4) Measure your existing kitchen or bring in blueprints if you have them. Measure your existing kitchen to the best of your ability. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Take pictures of the room, digital or on your phone, to help us visualize what you have measured. Bring these with you to the meeting. Read about our design process here.
5) Think about the budget you’re considering for the whole renovation. Then, call to make an appointment for your free consultation. Allow for a 1 to 1-1/2 hours discussion during your free consultation.
If you come to your free kitchen design consultation with all this information, we (and most professional designers) will be able to give you a wealth of additional information, ideas, style ideas, and redesign possibilities. We will talk about functions and features that may help your particular situation and have a general discussion about kitchen budgets relative to your wish list. You will most certainly leave the meeting with good value. Professional design advice will help save you costly mistakes later.
Be sure to read this article we posted. It’s an eye opener: “A Real Kitchen Remodeling Budget- Trust Your Kitchen Designer”
