The 5 Superpowers of a Kitchen Designer
There are many reasons to work with an experienced kitchen and bath designer. Kitchen and Bath designers come with many key areas of skills, accreditation and abilities. Some are registered Interior Designers, hold a kitchen and bath designation, have an architectural technologies or drafting accreditation. Some even have a cabinet installation background, or a cabinet making background or are self-taught. No matter what accreditation or experience they have the “best of the best” possess superpowers that you will want to take advantage of. Here are the 5 superpowers of a kitchen designer.
GETTING TO WHAT MATTERS
In the story of your kitchen renovation/remodel, you are the hero. Yes, you! Your Kitchen and Bath Designer is simply the trusted guide there to help you achieve a successful renovation outcome. How do they do it? By getting straight to what matters and leveraging their awesome questioning skills. We’re not talking about a full interrogation or laying down on the preverbal kitchen designer psychologist’s couch, we’re merely referring to a casual conversation about what you love and hate about your current space. Designers are awesome at getting to the root cause of a problem or creating a solution for a problem you weren’t able to articulate or even know existed. They can’t do this without you because you know your space better than anyone and this is why the customer is always the hero.
3 DIMENSIONAL THINKING
Most Kitchen and Bath Designers have the ability to visualize and formulate 3D designs in their head, as most great designers are visual oriented. This is also known as Spatial Reasoning or Spatial Visualization Ability. While they are processing your ideas and doing rudimentary sketches on paper in front view or 2D, they are 3D visualizing the space in their head. Of course they will draw your space with leveraging 3D design software to help you visualize your new space with black and white, color or high-resolution images, which really brings your plans to life.
RISK AVOIDANCE
Kitchen and Bath Designers have the unique ability to see risk before it happens. This can be as simple as cabinets colliding when opening doors and drawers, maintaining balance and symmetry, things not being able to be installed or fastened properly or the space not functioning the way you anticipate it. Designers are constantly asking themselves “What could go wrong?” Things always look great on paper and risk avoidance is of paramount importance when planning your space, as it can save you valuable time and costs of rework.
SCENARIO PLANNING
This is part of the strategic thinking of a designer. Whether it’s a quick dinner preparation, a big party or a formal dinner, your Kitchen and Bath Designer will have encountered and designed for it all. By knowing you’re most likely use cases or design scenarios for your space, your designer can plan scenarios to ensure your space is zoned properly and everything where it should be to enhance the user experience and not just for what looks good.
DELIVERING THE BAD NEWS
One of the hardest parts of being a Kitchen and Bath Designer is when you have to deliver the bad news. This can involve conversations surrounding budget, things not working as the client had visioned, or working through something not going to plan during installation. Having someone on your team with open and proactive communication is very important when building your team. So if you feel a bit of resistance from your Kitchen and Bath Designer at your next meeting, it’s probably worth unpacking it a bit more to ensure there aren’t any risks. It can feel a bit blunt at times, but know it’s for the greater good of the project. Your designer’s number one priority is to be fiscally responsibly with your budget and ensure a successful outcome. This is something the best designers take very seriously.
SUMMARY
Your Kitchen and Bath Designer wants you to love your space when it’s complete. If you value what was discussed above, take your time getting to know your designer by asking the right questions around getting to the root cause, 3 dimensional thinking, risk avoidance and delivering the news, good or bad. This investment and extra time will ensure you have the right synergies to match your personal style which will lead to a successful and happy renovation. Looking for more help? Be sure to check out our Kitchen Designer Cheat Sheet.
