Artisan Kitchens LLC I feel as though I need to defend my profession here; you are painting kitchen designers with a pretty broad brush. I could do the same by saying that remodeling companies typically know nothing about kitchen design (and that statement would be accurate a high percentage of the time). It's one thing to know where to run the pipes, another altogether to take all contributing factors into account to produce a final result that is beautiful AND functional for the client, which is not a general contractor's forte.

If you were given plans by a certified kitchen designer that lacked mechanical detail it is quite likely that it was an early and/or preliminary plan not intended for construction purposes that the client is using to walk around and get prices. Having said that, if you got a plan from a big box store, the lack of detail would not surprise me.

One of the major reasons to use a certified designer is because CKDs are trained and tested on every component of kitchen design, to include knowledge of codes, structural elements, etc. In addition, extensive knowledge of products, appliances and current trends are required in order to maintain certification. ALL of the drawings will be to scale, fully dimensioned, and include pertinent construction notes, as well as electrical and plumbing plans as needed. For installation purposes there will be specific detail sheets provided on all appliances, plumbing fixtures, trim details and moldings so that nothing is overlooked or improperly installed.

You're right; a cabinet layout is not a kitchen plan. But going to a dedicated kitchen specialist is going to give you a far better shot at a desirable end result than going to someone with general knowledge but no specific education in the field.

Alan Mascord Design Associates Inc Sorry Pangaea, I don't have that info. Good luck though..! :)

Pangaea Interior Design, Portland, OR Thanks for the reply, Mr. Mascord. No worries. It never hurts to ask. I ended up calling Shane Kenney at Portland Stair Company. Turns out that he'll be able to help me. Your beautiful photo helped convince my clients that a cable rail looks great in a nice home without feeling industrial. Always an admirer of your work.

blanterman where can i find the throw

Pangaea Interior Design, Portland, OR I order these through my wholesale resources. $59 each.

Pangaea Interior Design, Portland, OR This is a monorail lighting system. Any LIGHTING store (not a big box home improvement store) should have monorail lighting available. You will need the lighting store to help you with the layout and total wattage requirements. There are many pieces to the system that are all sold separately.

JC Gregg Thanks, actually I did find it at a big box improvement store for hundreds less than my local lighting store. The system, plus the recessed lighting I installed are what the rooms needed.

Pangaea Interior Design, Portland, OR These are an original design of my own that I had made by a local craftsman. You would order them through me and the price would be determined by wood species selected, finish and fabric.

Pangaea Interior Design, Portland, OR It is concrete.

Pangaea Interior Design, Portland, OR stonecanyonduvall -- Navy also looks great with the turquoise and the coral pink. That first room at Dorya seems very Coco Chanel to me.

Cassie Kos -- You're right. There is nothing as effective as "voting with your dollars". Manufacturers will only make what they can sell, so if consumers make the conscious choice to search for, and purchase faux items over the actual animal products, that's what the manufacturers will make.

Tamara -- Wild horses couldn't have dragged me away after only 2 days. Way too much to see. Thanks for sharing your pics.

wise595 -- I don't have that information. You could always call up Vanguard and would probably eventually track down the people who designed their showroom space. Be prepared to spend some time on the phone. ;0)

dduffy1212 -- Sorry, I don't have details on the individual pieces beyond the fact that they were in the Bernhardt showroom. Your best bet would be to call Bernhardt directly or any retailer in your area handling Bernhardt and show them the picture. If you have no success that way, let me know.

corinhadesign Fabulous! Thank you for sharing!
-Karen from Corinha Design

Eva Kiran When is the right time to go to High Point N. Carolina to get some good deals on furniture.