Top kitchen designer skills needed to get the job.

What are the top 3 traits or skills every kitchen designer must have to excel?

Can you suggest any tips or insights to develop your kitchen designer expertise?

1. Design and creativity and the ability to create perspective for presentation of the design ideas to clients.
2. Technical knowledge of architectural drafting and construction.
3. Product knowledge of kitchen appliances and cabinetry.

Education is the number 1 requirement. Not only from University, but also experience in the field. Conceptual design can be very pretty, however, we're talking about kitchens... the MOST functional space in a home. If you have no idea how plumbing, electrical, HVAC, etc. systems work, you have no business attempting to design a kitchen.

You have to honestly enjoy helping people I think is the most important qualification. Then you need the talent and experience to follow through. People will know instinctively your willingness to listen, have patience and please be humble. Strangers are inviting you into their home for you to help them.

Lisa Green, CKD in Chicago, Illinois said: Education is the number 1 requirement. Not only from University, but also experience in the field. Conceptual design can be very pretty, however, we're talking about kitchens... the MOST functional space in a home. If you have no idea how plumbing, electrical, HVAC, etc. systems work, you have no business attempting to design a kitchen.

OH SO RIGHT ! THANKS ....

Lisa Green, CKD in Chicago, Illinois said: Education is the number 1 requirement. Not only from University, but also experience in the field. Conceptual design can be very pretty, however, we're talking about kitchens... the MOST functional space in a home. If you have no idea how plumbing, electrical, HVAC, etc. systems work, you have no business attempting to design a kitchen.

Field experience is not gonna hurt, knowing how do the cabinets get installed, what issues arise during installation and how to resolve them. Plenty of designers consider them selves pretty good, but do not have a clue what is happening in the field.

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Culinablu in Chicago, Illinois said: Field experience is not gonna hurt, knowing how do the cabinets get installed, what issues arise during installation and how to resolve them. Plenty of designers consider them selves pretty good, but do not have a clue what is happening in the field.

indeed and the same goes for architect

"ventilation principality"???....LOL

typo can be funny sometimes , howver I always enjoy peoples that point out small in grown hair when they have an entire beard ....

In the states it's called HVAC (heating ventilation and air conditioning). I realize now that the original poster is from Saudi Arabia so there is a language difference/translation. I certainly meant no offense. I just found the term "ventilation principality" amusing is all.

Most New York City remodels (where I'm from)about 90% have no special ventilation requirements. In Manhattan you simply cannot penetrate an exterior building to remove odor/grease ladened air.

Co-op owners will not let you vent closer than 10' vertically or horizontally from a neighboring window and the grease build up over the years will deface the building. Some buildings are located in a "landmark Zone" And no adjustments to the exterior of the building are allowed as well.

I used to design commercial kitchens for restaurants and hotels. Google "water wash hoods" for some insight into what the requirements are for really heavy duty HVAC design. Vents automatically close and the entire hood is washed and rinsed with hot water. It's all on a timer. Really neat stuff. Also a 2hour fire rating is required for all duct work leading to the discharge vent.

In NYC all "venting" above a range in a residential kitchen is done either by recirculating combo microwave/hoods or just plain recirculating hoods.

And I don't have a beard.

Liking people with an honest desire to help them with their kitchen or bath remodel is the most important criteria. The technical stuff is an important 2nd.

Hi Hafiz,
A few of the manufacturers of water wash hoods are below. You can Google the brand and go to the individual site. They all have specifications and cut sheets for you to print out.

Aquamatic, Captive Air, Southern Equipment, Gaylord, Muckler, Avtec.

I did design one commercial style kitchen once for a private residence. This fellow brought a NYC hotel. I designed the kitchen for him so he asked if I would design one for his home in upstate NY. I used a water wash hood.

I've been designing residential kitchen for about 15 years. Before that I designed a lot of commercial kitchens for some major facilities in NYC. The Pierre Hotel, The Plaza, Wintergarden Restaurant, West Point Officers Club, The Bronx Zoo, name just a few.

The market took a turn back in the early 90's so I switched gears and took up residential design. My background is architecture and interior design.

Designing a kitchen for a commercial establishment is quite different (as you would expect) but they still have certain common denominators: Dry storage, refrigerated storage, prep, range line, dish washing etc. Designing a kitchen that would serve 2000 people is a bit different from a kitchen in a home with a family of 4.

Google "commercial kitchen design". A host of sites will pop up. A kitchen layout for an Italian restaurant will be different from a Mexican restaurant and different again from a French restaurant although they all have things in common.

It's been a pleasure "talking" with you Hafiz. And I would be more than happy to help you any way I can. If you have questions feel free to ask away.

www.cateringequipment.ie/images/cateensmall.gif

20/20?
It is not originally from Canada, but from Holland.
It is ok for North American firewood cabinets and Homo Depo, but not for European Kitchen Lines.
For European lines try Carat or Planit.

Hafiz in Lîne, Saudi Arabia said: Dear Vore,
Thank you very much for your comment's and your helpful information. Actually I start kitchen design based on very poor knowledge, I don't have any academic knowledge on it, accept my technical education. But up to now I did more then 500 design including almost 200 shop drawing. If you can give me any source of books to learn the difference between various countries (Mexican, Italian, French, Japanese etc.) and types (Palaces, Hospitals, Hotels, Restaurants etc.) of kitchen design. Still i am doing and it's gets appreciation from the clients but in order to be more professional I need it.
Thanks & Regards
Hafiz

Hafiz,
Unless Vore is working with one of the modern kitchen lines you probably way ahead in design since your country buys more contemporary kitchens than we do in States.

I don't know much about designing a restaurant kitchen, but designing a multi unit project such as hospital or hotel is more about cost than design.

Hey Hafiz,
You have a resource I never had when I first started in industrial kitchen design. The internet. It's full of information and literature about the field.

A small restaurant will most likely buy their baked goods (bread, rolls, pastry) and just resell them, while a large hotel will most likely have a separate bakery with there own refrigeration and proofer's, mixers and sheeter's for dough prep.

A hotel or hospital both have one thing in common they have very large kitchens. So do commissary's. The main difference is the traffic flow. How food is prepped then served. All thing being equal, the chefs counter is the most important item in a kitchen. It's the last place food is checked before it goes to a customer.

Commercial kitchen design is so specialized with each area and the equipment needed for that function are under separate headings with different design criteria.

I would recommend to you that if you want to pursue a career in commercial kitchen design you work for a company in that field. When I was younger I wanted to learn everything while standing on one foot. LOL...it just doesn't work that way.

I started with a company in San Fransisco not knowing anything about the field. then SS fabricators. I even tried my hand at welding. I was terrible at it.

culinablu in Chicago, Illinois said: I don't know much about designing a restaurant kitchen, but designing a multi unit project such as hospital or hotel is more about cost than design.

It's a combination of both really. If you have a restaurant and want to include a bakery the design must handle traffic flow from deliveries to product display. The cost of the equipment is dependent on the extent of the baked products you wish to provide.

When you get down to it, the design is in the traffic flow. Form follows function, with function comes the cost.

culinablu in Chicago, Illinois said: Hafiz,
Unless Vore is working with one of the modern kitchen lines you probably way ahead in design since your country buys more contemporary kitchens than we do in States.

I don't think I agree with that culinablu.

When you think about it, a cabinet is simply a wood box with a door over it. If the door has a style to it or not is really insignificant.

culinablu in Chicago, Illinois said: 20/20?
It is not originally from Canada, but from Holland.
It is ok for North American firewood cabinets and Homo Depo, but not for European Kitchen Lines.
For European lines try Carat or Planit.

I've been using 20/20 since it first came out and I never had a problem using that program for any line. When you get down to it you never want to rely on a program for the final drawings to a customer or cabinet shop. Hand drawings and hand written cabinet sizes are best supplied to the people that need them.

And...I don't know what you mean by "homo" depot or firewood cabinets. That's kinda rude don't ya think?

Vore in Bronx, New York said: I've been using 20/20 since it first came out and I never had a problem using that program for any line. When you get down to it you never want to rely on a program for the final drawings to a customer or cabinet shop. Hand drawings and hand written cabinet sizes are best supplied to the people that need them.

And...I don't know what you mean by "homo" depot or firewood cabinets. That's kinda rude don't ya think?

Actually neither but France,it's a good program when you know how to use it and it is a fabulous program when paired with cnc machinery, that is assuming one know what kitchen cabinets are all about,as far as the original comment Homo depo,one can say what ever they want about that company so far they are cleaning the hardware business and some of their cabinets are not bad either,Iam not a big fan of them but one has to recognize the achievement

culinablu knowledge of 20/20 equal only the insinuaion of vulgarity not really welcome around here,must have problem laying down the walls line and molding in 20/20 .......

culinablu in Chicago, Illinois said: I don't know much about designing a restaurant kitchen, but designing a multi unit project such as hospital or hotel is more about cost than design.

And there goes the biggest mistake of them all you cut the cost for in the food for a race horse and you might as well get yourself a mule aka"jackass" I have only be in the industry since 1961 in 4 countries and all the restaurant and hotel with poor designed kitchen folded the other prospered even under recession and that is a fact.

please read my other comment backed by 40 years experience in several countries water wash system have a lot of draw back.

mijoka said: please read my other comment backed by 40 years experience in several countries water wash system have a lot of draw back.

There are some areas of cities that require only water wash vent systems. It's a requirement based on environmental conditions. Water wash hoods (or any hi CFM velocity hoods) pull almost all of the grease from the air before its transferred to the outside world. It's the requirement of the condition that dictates if a water wash hood is to be used.

Plumbing and electrical hook ups are always an added cost for these systems. The draw back I assume you mean is cost. These hoods are used in submarines and navy vessels so they function perfectly there just very expensive.

If you don't need a water wash hood for a given kitchen installation don't design for one lol.

Home Depot has a bad reputation at least in NYC because of the inexperienced designers/installation teams they put together.

The salary they offer to designers is so bad anyone with any experience will not take the jobs they offer. "Home Depot Expo" is a higher caliber store but I've heard some bad reports because of the way they handle their designers and again they don't know how to install kitchens. They sub out all the work to laborers who but in the lowest bid.

As far as the cabinetry goes, their not bad at all. They have a complete line up of contractor cabinets and low to high end lines as well. It's not the cabinets...it's the Home Depot service

Home Depot has a bad reputation at least in NYC because of the inexperienced designers/installation teams they put together.

The salary they offer to designers is so bad anyone with any experience will not take the jobs they offer. "Home Depot Expo" is a higher caliber store but I've heard some bad reports because of the way they handle their designers and again they don't know how to install kitchens. They sub out all the work to laborers who put in the lowest bid.

As far as the cabinetry goes, their not bad at all. They have a complete line up of contractor cabinets and low to high end lines as well. It's not the cabinets...it's the Home Depot service

"But I have heard" that's hear say ...
let's do the math they sell and install millions of kitchen every year country wide,what is your average failure rate 1% then for you not noticeable for them you are looking at 100 000 this is an asumption only for illustration purpose just in case anyone reading this dop not understand, so the Media and or the critic say they did 100 000 jobs wrong.
If you are in the Kitchen design regardess residential or commercial you always have "problems"regardless of your experience , most of them are created by miscommunication plain and simple.I had contractor taken to court over one single otlet for a $150 000 remodeling.and yes lost .........

mijoka said: "But I have heard" that's hear say ...
let's do the math they sell and install millions of kitchen every year country wide,what is your average failure rate 1% then for you not noticeable for them you are looking at 100 000 this is an asumption only for illustration purpose just in case anyone reading this dop not understand, so the Media and or the critic say they did 100 000 jobs wrong.
If you are in the Kitchen design regardess residential or commercial you always have "problems"regardless of your experience , most of them are created by miscommunication plain and simple.I had contractor taken to court over one single otlet for a $150 000 remodeling.and yes lost .........

When I mentioned "I have heard" that's from a designer.contractor position and also with in the industry. In NYC a typical kitchen installation/remodel costs between 35K and 40K. I know for a fact that Home Depot is asking between 25 and 30K for the same installation. The reason they can do this is they hire people who don't know what their doing hence the bad rep in this city. Like I stated I don't know what their rep is in other city's.

I would try the U.K. and Europe, they familiar with higher technology than the average Hotel and Restaurant here in the US.At this time the market is rather flat without expectation of picking up fo 1 1/2 year assuming nothing happen that would affect the US economy.Best of luck and still welcome in the American boiling pot.
To put everything in perspective France has fully operational very high end restaurants equiped with induction cooking stove 24 years ago,they still have to make an appeance in the USA, vaacum pack cooking since the late 70's has yet to become polular here,That's the advance of the culinary market in the USA,here we built kitchen for 10/15 years Europe for 3 time that lentgh, this is mainly caused by the failure of restaurants depening where you are up to 75%. Yet Welcome in the boiling pot of the USA

Lisa Green, CKD in Chicago, Illinois said: Education is the number 1 requirement. Not only from University, but also experience in the field. Conceptual design can be very pretty, however, we're talking about kitchens... the MOST functional space in a home. If you have no idea how plumbing, electrical, HVAC, etc. systems work, you have no business attempting to design a kitchen.

Do you know a good kitchen designer in New York City. A friend of mine wants her small - apartment sized - kitchen redone to me more efficient and modern looking. She has some money to spend but cannot afford top notch. Thanks.

I'm a good kitchen designer living in NYC...lol.

A typical kitchen remodel (7' X 12') runs about 35K-37K in NYC just so you know. This includes all new GE appliances, good quality cabinets, granite tops, tile and installation.

All the kitchen cabinet dealers (or most of them) will design a kitchen for free but you cannot have the drawings or specifications unless you buy from them limiting you to their prices and installation services.

Tell her to get at least 3 estimates from a good dealer. Stay away from Home Depot, MyHome Inc., Knockout Renovation, Homeworks, New York Kitchens and Baths.

The Franklyn Report is a good starting place for quality contractors.

All the best to you and your friend and I'd be glad to help any way I can if you have questions or need advice.

Just don't go for the lowest price. You usually get what you pay for in this business. 1/3 deposit is standard and pay as the work progresses. Never ever pay for work that is not done.

Check references and make sure your not talking to the owners sister or brother on the phone. Go to see a kitchen they installed.

go to the NKBA webb site and hire a Qualified Designer , incidentally many Architect do not lay out kitchen properly ,paper dream are one aspect reality the rest .....

There are no free deals, if anyone ooffer you free kitchen design you might want t trake a close look at their qualifications and credential,have you ever seen diamonds and gold going on sale and I mean below price,NO! If they gave you free design they padded the bill elswhere plain and simple.

To Vore in Garden City(and really anyone else reading this)

I'd really love to get your opinon on looking for a job in the field of kitchen design. I gained my BS in interior design in 1999, worked for a residential construction company for about a year, then worked at Lowe's for almost 3 years as a kitchen designer. (I took off the last five to serve in the Navy)...

I've loved the customer service aspect of sales at Lowe's, and proved to be quite successful at it while there - but I want to expand my horizons, get CKD, and work into being a truly flexible and competent designer. What would you suggest for me to look into... and concentrate in learning? Thanks....

Mike

Hi Mike,
Where you work and who you work for is a very important factor in the business of kitchen design.

As you hand out resumes to potential employers do your homework on them. Check the Franklin Report and the BBB for complaints on the company you want to work for. Don't work for a bad contractor. Check to see if the dealer/contractor has a fair assemblage of expertise working for them. You will get a general sense of the company by looking at the current employees. Are they happy? Ask them how long they have been in business. Don't work for a company if they have less then 10 years in the field.

I can't tell you how many places I worked just to find out later they had complaints against them.

Send out at least 3 resumes with work samples if possible.

You have the experience as a designer with Lowe's...good! The real world awaits you. Field experience is critical.

All the best to you.

mijoka said: There are no free deals, if anyone ooffer you free kitchen design you might want t trake a close look at their qualifications and credential,have you ever seen diamonds and gold going on sale and I mean below price,NO! If they gave you free design they padded the bill elswhere plain and simple.

Actually a "reputable" kitchen/bath remodeling contractor already has good designers working for them and will not give away drawings to customers because they can be used to check prices elsewhere.

If the customer likes a design from a dealer but doesn't want the service a minimum design fee starts at about $1500.00 USD in NYC.

Padding the bill?

mijoka said: I would try the U.K. and Europe, they familiar with higher technology than the average Hotel and Restaurant here in the US.At this time the market is rather flat without expectation of picking up fo 1 1/2 year assuming nothing happen that would affect the US economy.Best of luck and still welcome in the American boiling pot.
To put everything in perspective France has fully operational very high end restaurants equiped with induction cooking stove 24 years ago,they still have to make an appeance in the USA, vaacum pack cooking since the late 70's has yet to become polular here,That's the advance of the culinary market in the USA,here we built kitchen for 10/15 years Europe for 3 time that lentgh, this is mainly caused by the failure of restaurants depening where you are up to 75%. Yet Welcome in the boiling pot of the USA

First off the metaphor is called "The Melting Pot" not the boiling pot.

Second, 50% of new restaurant fail because of poor management, menu planning, bad food and/or bad service and LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.

A good chef can turn out excellent food with a simple range and an oven and a scaled down menu.

Europe relies heavily on electrical appliances for cooking. With gas so prevalent in the US electrical cooking never really took off although it is regional. There are areas of this country where electrical cooking is the only way to go. We are not really second to any other country. Vacuum packed foods started in this country in the 50's. For Hospital service pre-cooked foods. It's because America has fresh food sources throughout the country.

Induction cooking? Take a gaussometer to a cook top using induction cooking as see what the results are. Induction or or any electrical cook top is second to gas ...ask any chef.

My apologies for misquoting the sentence melting pot...
As previousely said I earned 5 diamonds AAA,6 Stars Mobil, 2 Macarons Michelin and in over 35 years never had any restaurant or Hotel filing chapter 11 to the contrary,I had the highest privilege of working for the best Chef world wide,applying the highest standart.
Location mean nothing period.Quality and integrity = result.
What did you do for your profession ...Happy New Year.

$1500 for a kitchen design built to match all codes is actually a bargain architect who at large have no concept of space usage and requirement for a kitchen usually charge many fold that amount and in most case don't even meet codes , they don't tell you that until the building inspector come for the final anddunk it, .....then you pay the bill for demolition and rebuilding ....

mike
get the akd first then take it from there, just watch for who you will be working make sure if they take you for a ride you get something out of it.Because every experience count.

mijoka said: $1500 for a kitchen design built to match all codes is actually a bargain architect who at large have no concept of space usage and requirement for a kitchen usually charge many fold that amount and in most case don't even meet codes , they don't tell you that until the building inspector come for the final anddunk it, .....then you pay the bill for demolition and rebuilding ....

The designer simply is being hired for the concept of the kitchen or bath. This plan is used specifically for the "look" of the space. Any construction done by the contractor must meet local codes and that is the responsibility of the company that actually does the remodeling.

mijoka said: My apologies for misquoting the sentence melting pot...
As previousely said I earned 5 diamonds AAA,6 Stars Mobil, 2 Macarons Michelin and in over 35 years never had any restaurant or Hotel filing chapter 11 to the contrary,I had the highest privilege of working for the best Chef world wide,applying the highest standart.
Location mean nothing period.Quality and integrity = result.
What did you do for your profession ...Happy New Year.

I'm a designer.

Hotels don't file for chapter 11 simply for the restaurants failure to meet specific dining requirements. Restaurants usually file for chapter 11.

From Restaurant news:
"While it's true that new restaurants fail at higher numbers than other small businesses, Worden debunks the myth about extremely high failure rates of new restaurants. Studies show that new restaurant failure rates are from 23% to 27% in the first year. Poor management and lack of expertise account for more than half of new restaurant failures".
www.send2press.com/PRnetwire/pr04_071202-rsgmag.shtml

Vore in Syosset, New York said: The designer simply is being hired for the concept of the kitchen or bath. This plan is used specifically for the "look" of the space. Any construction done by the contractor must meet local codes and that is the responsibility of the company that actually does the remodeling.

Sorry but a qualified kitchen designer know all codes for their area as well as national codes which in most cases superseed the local, that is a kitchen designer if He/She do not know He /she is not a kitchen designer but a decorator and the qualification and requirement are different , one of the reason Decorator work with kitchen designer , 2 different profession.

Vore in Syosset, New York said: I'm a designer.

Hotels don't file for chapter 11 simply for the restaurants failure to meet specific dining requirements. Restaurants usually file for chapter 11.

From Restaurant news:
"While it's true that new restaurants fail at higher numbers than other small businesses, Worden debunks the myth about extremely high failure rates of new restaurants. Studies show that new restaurant failure rates are from 23% to 27% in the first year. Poor management and lack of expertise account for more than half of new restaurant failures".
www.send2press.com/PRnetwire/pr04_071202-rsgmag.shtml

Hotel don't file for chapter 11? trump did the other got bought out because they were allready beyond salvation by their management, failure rate in restaurant is 50 % the first year,

mijoka said: Hotel don't file for chapter 11? trump did the other got bought out because they were allready beyond salvation by their management, failure rate in restaurant is 50 % the first year,

Hotels usually have a whole string of other financial problems other then the in house restaurants they provide. You should know that. Trump had other interests involved with his hotels that caused problems very early on. He eventually resolved them with GOOD MANAGEMENT.

mijoka said: Sorry but a qualified kitchen designer know all codes for their area as well as national codes which in most cases superseed the local, that is a kitchen designer if He/She do not know He /she is not a kitchen designer but a decorator and the qualification and requirement are different , one of the reason Decorator work with kitchen designer , 2 different profession.

Your stating the obvious and we are mincing words now. Of course designers must know local codes...I mentioned that. I never mentioned anything about decorators although they have there own expertise as well.

This topic is done...stick a fork in it.

Vore in Syosset, New York said: Your stating the obvious and we are mincing words now. Of course designers must know local codes...I mentioned that. I never mentioned anything about decorators although they have there own expertise as well.

This topic is done...stick a fork in it.

Hum!!! getting tasty!I have spend my life in that industry at the highest level,among ourselves we say if there was a place one dream to eat or be I was in it making it happen with my STAFF , in 4 differents Countries in over 35 years.simple as that...don't forget the sherbet.

mijoka said: Hum!!! getting tasty!I have spend my life in that industry at the highest level,among ourselves we say if there was a place one dream to eat or be I was in it making it happen with my STAFF , in 4 differents Countries in over 35 years.simple as that...don't forget the sherbet.

I'm sure your a wonderful person....lol

BTY
This forum does have spell check you know.

Vore in Bronx, New York said: I'm sure your a wonderful person....lol

BTY
This forum does have spell check you know.

dn't unstd wt ur tlk abt .lol

Sorry to have been away, but am still monitoring the forum. Thanks for the input concerning my job search. Currently I am in the market and looking, and resume response has been well above average. All the best to each of you!
M