"Just Another Christmas Carol!" wrote
in message
...
We're redoing our kitchen (entirely even!) and it's exciting but
overwhelming at the same time, so I thought it might be nice to work
with a designer; however, by our third meeting it was fairly clear
that we didn't quite speak the same language.

Undaunted, I contacted another designer recommended to me. Our first
meeting went well but by the end of our second sit down, I really
didn't feel as if she grasped the concept of what we were looking for.

My husband and I sat down and asked ourselves some tough questions.
Were we as clear as we could be? Perhaps we had competing visions?
Were we ready for this? But I can't quite put my finger on what's been
going on.

I don't want a designer to come into my home and push their vision of
what my home should be. I want a designer that's going to sit down
with us, get to know us, and help us transform our kitchen to our
tastes, not theirs. It seems as if both of these women pretended to
listen to us (taste, preferences, budget), nodded their heads in
agreement, and offered us a design we couldn't relate to.

Has anyone else had an experience like this or is it just us?

Carol B.


Forget designers. Find someone who does the hands-on work and communicates
well. Ask everyone you know for recommendations. If your friends have no
answers, ask your plumber, your electrician, your heating contractor, or
anyone else you trust who might know someone good.

My one experience with a designer was pathetic. She asked us if we had any
absolute requirements for the new kitchen. I said I had to retain the
exhaust fan over the stove, which vented directly outside without ductwork.
I said I was OK with putting in a newer one, but it had to be the same
general type. The idiot says "Well, you may not be aware of this, but those
fans don't really work, so it's a silly thing to insist on." WHAT?? I told
her I'd been watching the fan pull steam out the vent for the past 10 years,
and asked if I'd been hallucinating all that time. The discussion ended
right then and there. Luckily, we only wasted five minutes with her.