Aneka Kitchens - Mitchell, Canberra, ACT

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last modified: 11 October, 2006

Certified Kitchen Designers

(CKD)

A qualified kitchen designer, apart from developing detailed specifications from innovative ideas, can pull all the tasks of your kitchen project together. The designer will keep you from getting bogged down in details that can throw your planning off track.

"clarify up front who will be responsible"
You'll be free to dream, while the designer thinks through all the measurements, material coordination, and construction logistics that will make your dream a reality.

In other words, a good designer will help you do it right the first time, see possibilities where you could not, and make the entire experience go smoothly.

What process should you expect a designer to follow?

When you work with a kitchen designer, you don't have to give up control of your plans or turn all the remodeling work over to other craftsmen. Think of yourself as the project director and of the kitchen designer as the project manager. You can be intimately involved in every detail of the project and even do some of the hands-on work. But when you do need someone to handle logistics, whether it's ordering products or coordinating contractors' schedules, the designer or her/his colleagues can step in.

The designer will:
Visit your home to take measurements.
Create a the design perspectives, elevations and floor plan.
Develop a detailed quotation.
Discuss the design reasons with you and apply modifications.
Assist with colour and materials options.
Review modifications to meet changing requirements/budgets.
Formalises agreed plans and specifications into a contract.
Schedule your job into the production.
Assist in coordinating of plumbing, electrical, etc. contractors.
Oversee the construction and installation of all design elements.

Be sure to clarify up front who will be responsible for the sub-contractors. Some design firms will coordinate the contractors' work only after you have selected and come to separate agreement with each sub-contractor.
Aneka Kitchens however, prefers to contract the Plumber, Electrician and other sub-contractors that they have quoted for, to ensure all the work is carried out on schedule and that the work is carried out as per contract

Why you need a certified kitchen designer.

Complexity.
As explained and shown in this website - kitchen design is a complex undertaking, it needs a good understanding of kitchen ergonomic, interior design, colour matching, manufacturing, cabinet making and project management. Unless you are reasonably skilled in all of these skills such tasks should be left to a professional.

Design Costs.
Your Kitchen is the most important part of your house, and also the most expensive to fit out. As detailed in the 'Costing pages' , the average costs of the average kitchen totals about $16,000 for the kitchen cabinets plus appliances, accessories, decorations and installation. The cost of a designer can be between $70 to $400 per design. That is but a small proportion of your total cost, easily recovered from a better, more efficient layout that is easier to manufacture and which saves in cost in the long run.

Whether you are renovating or building a new home, your kitchen and bathrooms are likely to be a focus of attention. With the right help, these rooms can be designed and built to suit your precise requirements and personal preferences.

National Kitchen & Bathroom Association members are your professional partners, with the expertise and knowledge to help you with your project. NKBA members that are CKD qualified are up-to-date with the latest materials and trends, and experienced in solving design problems.

What you should look for in a qualified designer.

Experience & Commitment
Experience is important - there is a lot to be said for the expertise gained through time. Check out the different styles the Designer is able to achieve or does all their work look the same?
.
Commitment is a great barometer. Look for commitment not only to your project but also to the profession. You will be budgeting the most on your kitchen that you want to spend, so you want to know that your project will be taken seriously and given the consideration that you deserve.

Trust & Liking
It is vital that you trust your Designer and to have trust you have to like them. Without these two commodities communication is extremely difficult and replaces what should be an exciting time with a stressful exercise.
Flair & Ability
Look at photographs of Kitchens that have been designed by the Designer as testimony of their work. Ask questions. It is only by asking questions that you will begin to understand the expertise and ability of the person you are dealing with.

Ground Rules
Establish the ground rules and parameters by which your Designer works. Check out charges, format or stages of progress and what your Designer is expecting of you. It is extremely important to establish these as early as possible to avoid any misunderstandings and of course, reinforcing that bond of trust.

C hoosing the right Designer for you.

Which Designer will best suit your needs?

As you can imagine not all Designers are the same.

Most of the very large and/or franchised Kitchen Companies employ staff who usually design kitchens around an easily to sell price, or around a set range of products (usually the ones they manufacture or prefer to sell). These designers focus on a more 'mass produced' style so they can attend to more clients per week to do more designs and therefore hopefully sell more kitchens. They usually either design on the spot (sometimes taking about 10- 20 minutes to do the layout of your kitchen) or they focus on a certain style of Design and this is typically as simple as possible.

"Need to be able to touch [materials]... " Often these Designers do not charge for their 'Designs' because they get paid by commission on the kitchens they sell, not how well they design; their designs are part of the quoting process. They are more like sales people than kitchen designers and are really not the ones that you should be entrusting to design the most important room of your home!

At the other end of the spectrum you have the one man operators, 'backyard' kitchen builders (people that work out of their home garage) and the very small companies that are just starting out (perhaps having only a hand full of years in business). These designers are typically inexperienced, not highly qualified and the design process is their part-time job, they are usually the owners themselves who have to fit in the designing of your kitchen around all the other things they have to do each day to keep afloat. Very few actually charge for their design because they are not confident that their design skills are worthy of payment.

"Ask for a written [design] quote... "
Freelance Designers are typically Designers that have faith in their ability, they are experienced and are focused upon kitchen design, which is great. A disadvantage that these designers have is that they do not have a showroom. A well equipped showroom is vital to your kitchen design choices because you need to not only see the materials (for example in a photo or magazine) but you need to touch them as well, to truly know what you are getting. How many times have you seen a spectacular bench top and have subconsciously had the 'need' to touch it. I'll bet almost every time. The other thing that Freelance Designers often lack is the manufacturing side of kitchen construction. All to often Freelance Designers design kitchen cabinetry that either can not be built directly from the plan specifications correctly, or when they do design a certain type of cabinetry they themselves are unsure as to how it will be constructed. Sometimes they over-design the kitchen when in their Client's brief they were required to design to or within a budget, all this because they have little knowledge of actual kitchen manufacturing costs and they do not have any structured training or experience in the costing field.

The other problem that the Kitchen Manufacturer typically encounters from Freelance Designers' plans is that they try to incorporate too many 'set sized' items into the actual space available and they then make no allowance for things like applied panels or planable fillers to allow for the walls being out of square or plumb. All kitchens need these types of fill-ins to achieve the best possible fit and every good Designer knows this and incorporates this in their designs.

In saying this though there are some very good Freelance Designers out there, but unfortunately they usually come with a high designing price tag, which is non-refundable. If you are looking at engaging a Freelance Designer ask them to provide you with a written quote outlining all their design costs and also what you will be getting for your money. Questions like:

will the design process be computer-aided so I can see the kitchen from any angle;

can I get colour perspective views;

what about a simulated walk-through of my kitchen before it's built;

how many design changes or alterations can I make for that price and what are the charges for any other changes that I may make

Ask also where their designing responsibility ends, what I mean by this is that some designs will not realistically 'fit' in the space available when the Kitchen Manufacturer goes out and measures the walls. The Kitchen Manufacture needs to then consult with the Designer to work out the best solution, some are happy to do this and others are not. Another good question to ask is:

will you see the entire job through, from design to completion?

At the time of writing this I do not know of any Freelance Designers in the ACT that offer this in their Design Service Fee. What usually happens is that once the Freelance Designer has done the design, then their job is considered to be finished and then it is up to the Kitchen Manufacturer to sort out any design problems with you, the Customer. This is something that does not happen when you deal with a dedicated Kitchen Design and Manufacturing Company such as ours and other Certified Kitchen Designers (CKD) of the NKBA, as the Designer is always on call to sort out any design issues, no matter how small, should they arise.

"considerations that will help make the final choice easier "
However, before you make a final choice on a kitchen designer, we suggest that you book a time with them and talk to them to satisfy yourself that they are up to the challenge of designing your kitchen and are willing to work with you and your ideas.

With the enormous array of design options and materials available today it is even more important to engage an experienced Designer who will be both creative and flexible enough to design what you want (without any added cost).

You have now narrowed down the Design Companies, but which one should you choose? Here are some considerations that will help make the final choice easier for you:

Can I meet with the Designer face to face before I make my decision.

Do I get along with the Designer, does she/he make me feel comfortable.

Is the Designer experienced in Kitchen Designs.>

Will my design either be produced by or overseen by a Certified Kitchen Designer (CKD Aust.)

Will the Designer listen to my ideas and thoughts.

Does the Designer possesses the creative flair that I'm looking for.

Will the Designer sit with me and step me through both the design and quotation, explaining any questions that I may have.

Will I get a computer assisted design with colour perspectives, elevations and a floor plan.

Can I also obtain at the same time a detailed and accurate cost estimate, with any options I choose.

Will I be able to discuss and make design modifications to meet my changing requirements or budget.

Will the same Company that is doing the design also the one that will be drawing up detailed contracts and specifications, should I accept their quotation.

Can I put their design out to tender to anyone I choose

Can I freely make changes to the design should I see fit and have these carried out to my satisfaction.

Does the Designer assist with materials and colour options when the need arises.

How much do they charge and do I feel that I will get value for money

Will the Designer oversee from the concept design to competition, should I accept their quotation.

A large Melbourne based appliances supplier expressed the choices conundrum quite well in his Kitchen Advisory Report which is worth consulting..
As you can see the choice of a Kitchen Designer can be a difficult one as there are lots of things to consider. That's why we at Aneka Kitchens have made the choice simple, we will tailor our Professional Design Service around the needs of our Clients. We have listened to what our Clients have been telling us what they want and we have adjusted our service to better meet the needs of our Customers.

Aneka Kitchens is a middle size kitchen company, small enough to still provide outstanding individual Customer service, yet large enough to handle any job. We manufacture our kitchens locally and have been in business for over 12 years and we built up, train and support a truly dedicated design service that focuses upon custom design and customer service.

We want your business and our commitment to you is our Professional Design Service at an everyday affordable price. We are very proud of our team of designers, technical staff and showroom hostess and I'm sure that you will be equally impressed by our service .

Contact Information

Telephone - 02 6241 7778 (Answering machine switched on at 4.00pm week days)

Fax - 02 6241 8068

Postal & Showroom Address - Aneka Kitchens, Unit 2 / 5 Tooth Street, Mitchell ACT 2911 Canberra, Australia

Send us an e-mail to book an appointment, or to ask for more details or even to express your comments about this website - we are open to suggestions -

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Aneka Kitchens : Designers

created by Henk Thijssens, Custom Design and Administration (CDAS)
Aneka Kitchens
last modified: 26 January, 2007

	A qualified kitchen designer, apart from developing detailed specifications from innovative ideas, can pull all the tasks of your kitchen project together. The designer will keep you from getting bogged down in details that can throw your planning off track.
"clarify up front who will be responsible"	You'll be free to dream, while the designer thinks through all the measurements, material coordination, and construction logistics that will make your dream a reality.
	In other words, a good designer will help you do it right the first time, see possibilities where you could not, and make the entire experience go smoothly. What process should you expect a designer to follow? When you work with a kitchen designer, you don't have to give up control of your plans or turn all the remodeling work over to other craftsmen. Think of yourself as the project director and of the kitchen designer as the project manager. You can be intimately involved in every detail of the project and even do some of the hands-on work. But when you do need someone to handle logistics, whether it's ordering products or coordinating contractors' schedules, the designer or her/his colleagues can step in. The designer will: Visit your home to take measurements. Create a the design perspectives, elevations and floor plan. Develop a detailed quotation. Discuss the design reasons with you and apply modifications. Assist with colour and materials options. Review modifications to meet changing requirements/budgets. Formalises agreed plans and specifications into a contract. Schedule your job into the production. Assist in coordinating of plumbing, electrical, etc. contractors. Oversee the construction and installation of all design elements. Be sure to clarify up front who will be responsible for the sub-contractors. Some design firms will coordinate the contractors' work only after you have selected and come to separate agreement with each sub-contractor. Aneka Kitchens however, prefers to contract the Plumber, Electrician and other sub-contractors that they have quoted for, to ensure all the work is carried out on schedule and that the work is carried out as per contract

	Which Designer will best suit your needs? As you can imagine not all Designers are the same. Most of the very large and/or franchised Kitchen Companies employ staff who usually design kitchens around an easily to sell price, or around a set range of products (usually the ones they manufacture or prefer to sell). These designers focus on a more 'mass produced' style so they can attend to more clients per week to do more designs and therefore hopefully sell more kitchens. They usually either design on the spot (sometimes taking about 10- 20 minutes to do the layout of your kitchen) or they focus on a certain style of Design and this is typically as simple as possible.
"Need to be able to touch [materials]... "	Often these Designers do not charge for their 'Designs' because they get paid by commission on the kitchens they sell, not how well they design; their designs are part of the quoting process. They are more like sales people than kitchen designers and are really not the ones that you should be entrusting to design the most important room of your home!
	At the other end of the spectrum you have the one man operators, 'backyard' kitchen builders (people that work out of their home garage) and the very small companies that are just starting out (perhaps having only a hand full of years in business). These designers are typically inexperienced, not highly qualified and the design process is their part-time job, they are usually the owners themselves who have to fit in the designing of your kitchen around all the other things they have to do each day to keep afloat. Very few actually charge for their design because they are not confident that their design skills are worthy of payment.
"Ask for a written [design] quote... "	Freelance Designers are typically Designers that have faith in their ability, they are experienced and are focused upon kitchen design, which is great. A disadvantage that these designers have is that they do not have a showroom. A well equipped showroom is vital to your kitchen design choices because you need to not only see the materials (for example in a photo or magazine) but you need to touch them as well, to truly know what you are getting. How many times have you seen a spectacular bench top and have subconsciously had the 'need' to touch it. I'll bet almost every time. The other thing that Freelance Designers often lack is the manufacturing side of kitchen construction. All to often Freelance Designers design kitchen cabinetry that either can not be built directly from the plan specifications correctly, or when they do design a certain type of cabinetry they themselves are unsure as to how it will be constructed. Sometimes they over-design the kitchen when in their Client's brief they were required to design to or within a budget, all this because they have little knowledge of actual kitchen manufacturing costs and they do not have any structured training or experience in the costing field.
	The other problem that the Kitchen Manufacturer typically encounters from Freelance Designers' plans is that they try to incorporate too many 'set sized' items into the actual space available and they then make no allowance for things like applied panels or planable fillers to allow for the walls being out of square or plumb. All kitchens need these types of fill-ins to achieve the best possible fit and every good Designer knows this and incorporates this in their designs. In saying this though there are some very good Freelance Designers out there, but unfortunately they usually come with a high designing price tag, which is non-refundable. If you are looking at engaging a Freelance Designer ask them to provide you with a written quote outlining all their design costs and also what you will be getting for your money. Questions like: will the design process be computer-aided so I can see the kitchen from any angle; can I get colour perspective views; what about a simulated walk-through of my kitchen before it's built; how many design changes or alterations can I make for that price and what are the charges for any other changes that I may make Ask also where their designing responsibility ends, what I mean by this is that some designs will not realistically 'fit' in the space available when the Kitchen Manufacturer goes out and measures the walls. The Kitchen Manufacture needs to then consult with the Designer to work out the best solution, some are happy to do this and others are not. Another good question to ask is: will you see the entire job through, from design to completion? At the time of writing this I do not know of any Freelance Designers in the ACT that offer this in their Design Service Fee. What usually happens is that once the Freelance Designer has done the design, then their job is considered to be finished and then it is up to the Kitchen Manufacturer to sort out any design problems with you, the Customer. This is something that does not happen when you deal with a dedicated Kitchen Design and Manufacturing Company such as ours and other Certified Kitchen Designers (CKD) of the NKBA, as the Designer is always on call to sort out any design issues, no matter how small, should they arise.
"considerations that will help make the final choice easier "	However, before you make a final choice on a kitchen designer, we suggest that you book a time with them and talk to them to satisfy yourself that they are up to the challenge of designing your kitchen and are willing to work with you and your ideas. With the enormous array of design options and materials available today it is even more important to engage an experienced Designer who will be both creative and flexible enough to design what you want (without any added cost).

Why you need a certified kitchen designer.

Telephone - 02 6241 7778 (Answering machine switched on at 4.00pm week days)

Fax - 02 6241 8068

Postal & Showroom Address - Aneka Kitchens, Unit 2 / 5 Tooth Street, Mitchell ACT 2911 Canberra, Australia Send us an e-mail to book an appointment, or to ask for more details or even to express your comments about this website - we are open to suggestions -

Postal & Showroom Address - Aneka Kitchens, Unit 2 / 5 Tooth Street, Mitchell ACT 2911 Canberra, Australia

Send us an e-mail to book an appointment, or to ask for more details or even to express your comments about this website - we are open to suggestions -