Tips for Making the Most of Your Kitchen Design Consultation
Your kitchen design consultation gives you a chance to get a feel for how your design consultant operates and understand what they have to offer for your project. Being thoroughly prepared for your design consultation means that you won’t forget any of the important questions you wanted to ask, or kitchen design plans you wanted to discuss. Before scheduling your kitchen remodel design consultation in NY, NH, or VT, read through these tips for making the most out of it.
Finalize Your Kitchen Remodel Budget
It may seem obvious, but your kitchen remodel budget is one of the key driving factors in all elements of your kitchen remodel plans. Before you sit down with a kitchen designer for a design consultation in Vermont, create a finalized kitchen remodel budget. A final budget means that it’s as high as you’re willing to go for the entirety of your kitchen remodel costs—there’s no wiggle room. This will help you determine how much you’re willing to spend on each individual element of your kitchen remodel when you make your final wish list for your kitchen design consultant.
Create a List of Key Questions
You might get so caught up in discussing your kitchen remodel dreams with your design consultant that you forget you had a bunch of questions you wanted to ask. Write out your key questions ahead of time, so you can refer to them during your design consultation. Asking your kitchen design expert these questions before you get started will greatly reduce the risk of discovering later that you aren’t on the same page or don’t work well together. Some helpful questions to ask your design consultant are:
- What are your qualifications, certifications, licenses, and affiliations?
- What insurance do you carry?
- What guarantee or warranty do you offer for your services and products?
- How many years of experience do you have, and where were you trained?
- Do you have client reviews or references?
- Do you have relationships with local suppliers or contractors?
- Do you help customers get the proper permits?
- How often and through what methods will we communicate about my kitchen remodel project?
- Will you work with my contractor through construction?
- Who does the installation and how is it overseen?
- What is your fee, and how is it structured?
- Will there be a formal, signed contract?
- Will I be able to see 3D renderings of the final project before you begin?
Research Their Certifications and Qualifications
Before even meeting with your kitchen design consultant, you can do some research on your own. The kitchen design expert’s website should outline their education, training, experience, and any licenses or certifications they hold. You can also find out what licenses or certifications are required in your state. Next, try Googling something like “contractor license Vermont” to find out how you can confirm that your design consultant holds the proper license and/or certification. You should also research customer reviews and testimonials, which may also be located on their website. Finally, do a Google search for the business and the design consultant to see if there have been any complaints filed against them by dissatisfied customers.
Look Through Their Portfolio
Most kitchen design consultants have a portfolio of completed projects on their website. Look through their portfolio and see if anything stands out to you. Additionally, look for signs that their overall kitchen design style doesn’t mesh with your vision for your dream kitchen. Ultimately, you want to choose a kitchen designer who can work with a wide variety of different types, sizes, and styles of kitchens so that you know they have versatile experience and can work with many aesthetic preferences.
Visit Their Showroom
Another helpful thing to do before you sit down for your kitchen design consultation is to visit the kitchen designers’ showroom in person. This will give you a feel for what manufacturers and brands they work with, the quality of their materials and products, and the overall scope of their business. If they don’t have a showroom, it might be a sign that they are a smaller business, are just starting out, or maybe don’t have as much experience in kitchen design as they claim. Visiting their showroom can also give you some great design inspiration for your kitchen remodel and give you a sense of what materials, designs, and products you’ll have access to.
Collect Examples of Your Design Inspiration
Once you’ve visited the showroom, start collecting examples of your kitchen design influences and inspiration for your design consultant. You can do this by cutting pictures out of design magazines, bookmarking pages on kitchen remodel websites, or creating a kitchen remodel board on a site like Pinterest. An expert in kitchen design in NY, NH, or VT can look through these at your design consultation to get a feel for the aesthetic and ambience you want to create with your dream kitchen remodel.
Create a “Yes, No, Maybe” List for Your Dream Kitchen Remodel
The final thing you can do before sitting down for your kitchen design consultation is to create a “yes, no, maybe” list for your dream kitchen remodel. A “yes, no, maybe” list is a list of kitchen design elements and kitchen remodel projects that you do, don’t, and might want included in your overall design. This will be a huge help when allocating your kitchen remodel budget to different areas of your project. For instance, you may know for sure that a new gas range, spacious kitchen island, and extra kitchen storage are a firm yes, while kitchen seating and luxury flooring are a maybe and will be included if the budget allows. And you may know already that you absolutely don’t want colorful cabinetry or a tile backsplash.
Are You Ready to Schedule a Kitchen Design Consultation in NY, NH, or VT?
If you’re ready to schedule a kitchen design consultation in NY, VY, or NH, contact us at Abatiello Design Center. We’re a one-stop-shop for kitchen remodels throughout Vermont, as well as New Hampshire and Upstate New York. We have been providing quality design and installation services to our community since 2007, and our kitchen design consultants have years of experience in creating dream kitchens for our customers. We work closely with our customers each step of the way, from the initial design consultation, through planning, executing, and finalizing the kitchen remodel. We want our customers to know exactly what to expect throughout the process. To schedule an in-home design consultation or to learn more about our design and installation services, call us today at (802) 773-6300 or contact us online.
