Remodeling Your Kitchen,
Part Four.

What to expect from your designer.

The kitchen is a complex room, a room that demands the services of a specialist. The designer you choose must understand not only the technical side, but must also understand the complexity of cooking and baking. The specific knowledge an experienced kitchen designer brings to your project is essential.

National Kitchen and Bath Association (N.K.B.A.) plays a major role in the education of the kitchen designer. They also provide a certification program. To attain the C.M.K.B.D. (Certified Master Kitchen & Bath Designer) designation, the designer must fulfill the following requirements:

• A minimum of seven years experience and education in the kitchen industry including experience in design, planning and installation supervision of residential kitchens.
• Approved drawings and documents from actual designed, planned and installed residential kitchens.
• Consumer references pertaining to projects the designer has completed for the customer.
• Professional affidavits submitted by allied professionals regarding the competency and work ethics
• Successfully completing two day long comprehensive examinations on the specialized discipline of residential design, planning and installation supervision
• An on-going educational requirement

The professional designer will invite you to visit the showroom so you can experience good space planning. After completing a requirement survey, the designer must measure the actual job site.

Don't expect the professional to have all the answers at the first meeting. Gathering information is a very important part of the process. State your needs and wants clearly to save time. Know the rough limits of your budget. Your designer should be responsible for ordering material, scheduling and construction supervision.

Ivan has been in the kitchen and bath field for over 35 years. He has won numerous national awards and has been published in national consumer and trade publications. He has been a Certified Kitchen Designer since 1986 and was the first designer in Wisconsin to earn the Certified Master Kitchen & Bath Designer designation.

 Part V: What cabinets are best for my project?