Kitchen Design vs. Kitchen Space Planning

There's a post over at Northjersey.com where Tim answers a question by a consumer, Sheila, looking for design help with her kitchen.

DEAR TIM: I need some help with the kitchen design for my home. I'm pretty sure I know what I want, but kitchen designs are as varied as faces in a crowd. How will I know what is the best design for this kitchen remodel job? What is the best way to approach a fresh kitchen design project? -- Sheila B., Hardeeville, S.C.

DEAR SHEILA: Kitchen design is very important, but it is sometimes confused with kitchen planning. Both planning and design are critical, and ignoring either one can lead to disaster and heartbreak. Let's make sure we are on the same page with respect to what you need...

The distinction between kitchen design and kitchen space planning deserves further explanation and discussion here:

Kitchen design is the placement and selection of cabinetry and appliances within an existing, or proposed, kitchen space. Your designer will help you choose a cabinet line, wood, door style, finish and accessories and some attendant interior decorating selection of finishes and surfaces and colors. Most kitchen designers are employed by cabinet dealers, lumberyards or big box stores, so their focus is on selling cabinetry. Many designers work from customer supplied measurements and have little or no concern about how the kitchen relates to the surrounding rooms.

Kitchen design training is rigorous in the areas of cabinetry and appliance planning. More emphasis is given to fitting the pieces together properly and minimizing mistakes, which can be costly.

Kitchen space planning is practiced by some kitchen designers with the aptitude and more education or experience than the typically trained kitchen designer.

As a designer gains experience, some designers progress from kitchen design to space planning by furthering their education. Or the designer starts out with an interior design degree and specializes in kitchens and baths. Either way gaining the requisite experience and becoming certified by the National Kitchen and Bath Association are usually the goal.

I would say more kitchen space planners are CKDs than not, although there are some pretty famous designers in the US who have never pursued the designation. It is still a pretty good way to determine who is serious about their career and experienced.

There is study of the elements and principles of design, how a building is built, codes and standards, ergonomics, accessibility and Universal Design. Then a rigorous exam and ongoing education requirements.

A kitchen space planner looks at the kitchen as it is and how it relates to the rest of the home, especially the rooms directly adjacent to the kitchen. Traffic patterns are very important in space planning.

I have moved a kitchen to an entirely different area of the home to correct space or traffic problems. Such upheaval is not usually necessary, but most kitchens can greatly benefit from a critical look and some element shuffling, or moving a door, tearing down a wall, or adding on in the form of an addition.

A good space planner will see the opportunities in a dysfunctional space and how to capitalize on them. Correcting deficiencies during a remodel can vastly improve a home for its occupants, and (happily) increase value at resale (sometimes remarkably so).

Kitchen space planners also provide complete plan sets for a remodel, just like an architect does. Kitchen design plans provided by a cabinet dealer, lumberyard, or home center, don't necessarily include electrical and mechanical details that are required for a major remodel.

Architects and building designers also do kitchen space planning, but kitchen designers who do so are the specialists. We bring together our knowledge of cabinet systems, appliances, all the surfaces that go into a modern kitchen, and the ability to transform a dysfunctional kitchen into one you would proudly display to all.

This goes for other rooms in the home too. A good space planner doesn't usually confine themselves to the kitchen or bath alone.

Peggy