Y Design Loop : When to hire an interior designer to design your new kitchen vs. hiring a kitchen cabinet company

Over the years, I have come across many instances when a client wonders if they should hire an interior designer or kitchen cabinet company to design their new kitchen. 

image courtesy  Patricia Gray Interior Design

Without further ado, there are several differences [hopefully unbiased] I'd like to share with you :  

Value	Interior Designer	Kitchen Cabinet Company
Approach	Holistic, taking all adjacent areas, architectural features and your wish list into consideration	Usually limited to consideration of existing walls to determine where the kitchen cabinets and counters will go
Scope	Turnkey design includes everything e.g. floor plan [which may include new wall and doorway locations to correct inefficient space planning], lighting, flooring, tile locations, sizes and layout, paint colors, decor, appliance, fixture and furniture selections, and furniture layout, etc. Designers make it a point to keep up-to-date with all new products available.	Design includes kitchen cabinet layout and cabinet wall elevations. The door style, material, and finishes options are chosen by you. Some companies may also offer tiles and plumbing fixtures. Cabinet companies generally do not keep up-to-date with current market offerings, except for items related to cabinets [e.g. pantry pull-out shelving]
Service	Hands-on; work on and off-site.	Work mostly off-site. Project communications with the client are usually done through a sales rep.
Needs analysis	In-depth, on-going dialogue with you	Basic understanding what your wants and needs are
Experience	5-10 years experience is recommended for a complex room such as a kitchen	Often, a junior designer [0-5 yrs experience] will be assigned to do the design
Style	Unlimited style options, depending on your budget, architectural features and the style of the adjacent areas/rooms	Cabinet style is limited to whatever door options and box sizes are available
Budget	Design fees are extra – around 10-15% of the net cost, for turn-key full service. A medium budget kitchen is between $50,000-75,000	Design fees are built into the price of the cabinets. A ballpark price for 'semi-custom'* cabinets in a medium size kitchen is between $20,000-25,000
How does it work?	Approved design drawings are given to the general contractor in order for them to get quotes on everything, including pricing from a kitchen cabinet company. The quotes are then reviewed by the designer for accuracy and presented to you for approval	The kitchen cabinet company uses their own design drawings in order to give you a quote on the cabinets and counter
End Result	A stunning, cohesive, unique kitchen which is tailored to suit your lifestyle, budget and the style [or future style!] of the rest of the house	A nice basic kitchen which may have visual flow with adjacent rooms
This option may be right for you if :	- you enjoy collaborating one-on-one with a trained professional - you have specific space planning needs which may require walls, ceiling and doorways to be changed - you appreciate that the time and effort put into a project will result in an exceptional kitchen you are delighted to be in.	- you are planning on moving soon and do not want to invest in a specialized product - you have an existing kitchen layout that doesn't require any new construction - you are comfortable choosing lighting, materials, colors and styles that suit the rest of your home - you are on a tight budget

* by semi-custom, I mean that most kitchen cabinet company's products are limited to the door styles, materials and finishes options currently in their product offering. Unusual sizes, details such as inlay, and materials such as metal are done by a full-custom cabinet workshop and up-charged accordingly.

Blogatchalater.

Y

Y Design Loop : Powell Avenue Loft Renovation

Closets Doubled and Serenity Returned to Powell Avenue Loft 

After enjoying their 2-bed, 2-bath, converted-school-condo for 10 years, the clients decided to tackle all the things that bugged them at once.  Their overall wish was to make better use of their central Ottawa 1,000 sq. ft. condominium for their den, bedroom and closets.  

 

Finding space for a lifetime of artwork, books, camera equipment and designer wardrobes is always a challenge....and what a great opportunity for improvement !  The space is open and inviting with a large wall of windows facing south. Most of the interior partitions go up 8' to the 10' high ceilings, giving the semi-industrial space a lot of interesting interior architecture to work with.

 

View from new bedroom looking into living room

 

The end result doubled the closet space by adding a Dressing Area in the "North Wing" and a new closet in the "Entry", which was a passage-way into the "South Wing" bathroom. See floor plans and photos [numbered] below showing the wish list and solutions to each area :

 

SOUTH WING 

Wish List : Organize clutter, provide adequate storage, and brighten space including new bathroom.

1  BEDROOM

Solutions : 
- switch office and bedroom
- change drywall wall to glass wall with wood Venetian blinds to better control light

- build walls up to the ceiling to create more sound privacy

AFTER - BEDROOM

BEFORE - OFFICE

2  BEDROOM

Solutions :
- install wall sconces to maximize space for other furniture
- add ceiling fixture for ambient lighting

BEFORE                                                                          AFTER

3  BEDROOM

- enclose space above closet to hide storage
- change closet doors from triple doors to double doors for better access
 

BEFORE                                                                              AFTER

4  SOUTH BATH      Inspiration : designer  Andree Putman 
Solutions :
- use light colors and classic materials such as marble mosaic flooring to provide calming environment, off of new bedroom

5  SOUTH BATH
Solutions :
- rotate tub and close off 1 doorway, in order to create coat closet in Entry
 

BEFORE                                                            AFTER

ENTRY 

Wish List : Provide better access to laundry room, create more closets for coats and shoes, upgrade and add lighting.

6  ENTRY

Solutions :
- add new coat closet on right by rotating the tub 90 degrees and building a wall

- re-purpose old bedroom closet into entry coat closet by expanding doorway in entry wall; enlarged coat closet and laundry room are on left

BEFORE                                                                                AFTER

7 ENTRY

Solutions :

- change 2 sets of swing doors to triple-panel sliding doors 13' wide
- add pot lights

NORTH WING

Wish List : Create illusion of a larger, contemporary bathroom with a higher ceiling, add dressing area, create den comprised of tv viewing and office area.

8  NORTH BATH    Inspiration : designer Paul Smith

Solutions :
- install long narrow tiles vertically, to create illusion of height

- create seamless bathroom floor to visually enlarge the space

9  NORTH BATH

Solutions :
- replace acoustic ceiling tiles with punched MDF panels and paint to match walls
- create interesting, intriguing ceiling while still providing access to mechanical systems

10 NORTH BATH

Solutions :
- change swing door to a pocket door so it doesn't block linen shelving
- design floating vanity

BEFORE                                                                       AFTER

11 NORTH BATH

Solutions :
- remove linen closet door to make storage more accessible and provide opportunity to display beautiful items

BEFORE                                                                             AFTER

12  DRESSING AREA

Solutions :
 - add 35 sq ft. of closet space for clothing and camera equipment; walk-in closet on left, shoe closet and shelving on right [not shown in photo]

13  DEN  
Solutions :

- add floating shelves for tv, books and display
- material : white-washed quarter-sawn oak

BEFORE                                                                        AFTER [Dressing area in mid-ground]

14 DEN

Solutions :
- close off unnecessary interior window to provide wall for art
- add more floating shelves for artwork

BEFORE                                                                         AFTER

15 DEN
Solutions :

- create 8' wide custom desk with slot for large format photographs
- material : white-washed quarter-sawn oak

16 DEN 
Solutions :
- source new modern sofa and pair with concrete sculpture/ coffee table 
- sits across from floating shelves and tv, making a cozy entertainment area

After months of planning and design, almost every area was redesigned, [except for the kitchen and dining], including new walls, doors, lighting and electrical, built-in cabinets & shelving and furniture.  Open spaces that flow into each other are maintained, keeping the condominium peaceful and serene. 

 

Thank you to Handwerk, Cadieux Interiors, Astro, Marchand Electric, Randalls, Komandor Doors, Ceragres, and JRB Construction for their part in making this project a reality!  The fabulous photography is by David Taylor Photo Studio.

 

See more photos at yvonnepotter.com

 

Blogatchalater! 

Top 5 Interior Design Faux Pas : Part 1

1. Too much brown. And in this case, too much matchy-matchy naugahyde :

2. Too much furniture....looks like the sofa could actually catch on fire !

3. Sofa at the end of a bed - are you really going to sit here ? Having your back to the bed is just bad Feng shui

4.  Furniture lined up along wall. It looks a little like a flea market don't you think?

5. Too much wood.

ok, this one has many other problems such as clutter, mismatching styles, collectables stuffed up to the ceiling...stay tuned for Part 2 in July !!

Blogatchalater,
YP

5 Big Blunders of 'Do-It-Yourself' Interior Designers

We can all appreciate the notion that do-it-yourself projects save money...that is the intention anyways. But do you really save money in the long run ? What is your time worth ? Do you have the expertise and time and patience to solve the myriad problems that will arise ?  If not, hire an interior design professional !  Here is a list of our top 5 Big Blunders of 'Do-It-Yourself' Interior Designers :


1] Not realizing you lack the time and knowledge to design for yourself.
The reason why designers charge, is because an awful lot of time, knowledge and experience goes into every project. Paradoxically, the simplest, most elegant designs probably took the most time to resolve all the issues and to select just the right materials and products.  Under-estimating the time it will take is eroded by the fact that you will have to do a lot of research for your project, knowledge that a designer would know from the get-go.

2] Half-hearted analysis of the design problem to be solved.
Designers tend to look at the bigger picture.  Is replacing the pedestal sink with a vanity really going to solve the problem of bathroom storage ?
For example, would you have thought of this bathroom storage solution? :

3]  Focusing too much on the money you will save now [e.g. on materials, design and labor] and not enough on other, longer term costs. Things such as correcting mistakes, replacing low durability materials, replacing inferior quality products or trendy products more frequently, and realizing a reduced return on investment can cost substantially more [i.e. money wisely invested into your property can provide you with a much greater ROI when you go to sell].

4] Making mistakes by not paying attention to planning and the [design drawing] details....
especially with things like flooring, trims, baseboards, counter tops and door swings which amateurs tend to overlook.

Without a plan [ideally a scaled floor plan, and an elevation if you are installing something on a wall], how do you know if what you have in your head translates into reality? How do you know everything will fit and exist harmoniously?

5] Focusing on style and comfort, instead of scale.
Most furniture stores are large, with high ceilings. But once you get that Eames lounge chair home, you realize it is way too tight in the corner by the doorway to your dining room.  Over-crowding, or widely separated pieces [bottom image] is one of the most common mistakes, overlooked by amateurs.

 Blogatchalater

October's Top 3 Tips : How to Retrofit your Pre-Loved Condominium

So someone has already selected your flooring, cabinets, tiles, etc. What can you do to make your new condo yours without expensive renovations?

1] Window coverings : 

We list window coverings as the number one item to attend to because they can take from 4  to 12 weeks...that can be a long time living with bed sheets on the windows! 

Take stock of your views and the amount of sun coming in during the day. For large condo windows a popular look is modern, sunscreen, roll down blinds which provide some sunlight control and do not take away from the window architecture or views. If you require sun filtering for south-facing units, then add lined drapes.

For a more contemporary look, Roman blinds are an elegant way to add warmth and privacy to any room.

Condo boards often impose restrictions on what you can hang on your windows, in order to maintain a uniform look for the building. You can get around this by using double sided coverings with the condo-approved material facing out.

2] Paint :

Paint can be an inexpensive way of freshening up and adding drama at the same time to a pre-loved condo.

You will want to look at the amount of natural light in each room and determine the direction it is coming from...eg Northern is cooler southern is warmer.

This will affect your choice of colour.

Then determine how the space will be used and your furniture lay out before painting an accent wall (usually the wall you see first as you enter a room.)  Get inspiration from a carpet or accent pillow.  You will also want to take into consideration the amount of contrast the colour on the wall will have against the sofa or pictures being placed on it and make sure the wall colour works with your flooring.

Have fun with childrens' rooms and laundry rooms by using blackboard paint. By the way, it comes in colours other than black.

Buy test pots to determine how the colour will look in your room...paint on a board no smaller than 12" x 18" or purchase large sample sheets and place them around the room.
Remember, painting a dark room a light colour will not make the room light.

If you want a specific look, don't be afraid to call a designer for a colour consultation...this can save you a lot of time and money.

3] Review and edit your furniture : 

You say you already own a sofa and dining table, but do they really fit the new space? We all know you can't fit a round peg in a square hole ...here is a real life application.  Additionally, the sofa and dining table are usually the 2 largest pieces of furniture and need to be carefully considered. They are also the anchor or benchmark for all your other furnishings. 

Make sure you have ample room to move around them including space behind the dining chairs to comfortably get up from. The rule of thumb is 48" if the space behind the chairs is also a passageway. Generally, passageways should be a minimum of 30".

You may not like the idea of selling your existing furniture and buying new, but when you are moving it may be necessary in order to create your soothing, harmonious, not-too-crowded [or conversely not-too-empty] sanctuary.

Blogatchalater mates !