We have been so thrilled to be working with Erin Cossey (@e_c_interriors) on the remodel of our kitchen. She has worked with several people we know and has helped us with everything from the overall design of the space, recommending contractors, thinking through steps in the process and getting us great discounts on fixtures and finishes.
A good designer will do 6 things:
- Listen to how you live and understand what your must haves are. For us, our must haves were a double oven with stove top, appliance garages with space for several appliances and a tv, a larger window over the sink to bring in natural light, and but not least, our said daughter a nugget ice maker was a must! I also wanted to minimize upper cabinets and have fabulous fixtures as focal points to anchor the space.
- Look around your whole house and ask for inspiration photos to help understand your style. Our style is “transitional” with touches of traditional elements as well as modern ones.
- Take detailed measurements of your space and recommend optimal configurations based on your needs and space optimization. For example, Erin worked to fix the pantry and access to our bedroom issue by reconfiguring the entire back wall of the space.
- Send you renderings both in 2D and 3D as well as elevations to help you visualize the overall look (what I need) and see all the measurements and details (what Drew needs).
- Walk you through renderings to get your feedback on likes and dislikes and make changes accordingly.
- Work with you to provide recommendations for contractors/vendors and also work with them to get you what you want. They also should have a good idea of what market rates are for certain services and tell you if an estimate is in line with what you should expect. A good one will also act as an intermediary if and when issues arise.
Here are the renderings of our remodel based on a few iterations in the process.
Stay tuned for more updates on our Kitchen Remodel Journey!
