Architects are typically more concerned with the structural and aesthetic issues in a kitchen and less concerned with the functional aspects. Some can do it all well, but I certainly wouldn't count on it. That isn't to say that you necessarily need a kitchen designer. If the architect's design is good, you might want to post it here for suggestions for tweaking it for function.

It may also depend on where you're getting your cabinetry. Some places require you to use their kitchen design services. That was the case with the place where I started. I went through two KDs in a failed attempt to get a design I could both live with an afford. I ended up taking the same drawing I had done myself to a local custom cabinet maker and he took it from there. I got a fabulous kitchen for substantially less than it would have been through one of those KDs.

I live in Northern VA also.

I used Kathy Schmick at Smoot Lumber in Alexandria. She is a CKD, Certified Kitchen Designer. Smoot carries about 5 lines of cabinetry--I used Decora, Bertch and Legacy. She was great to work with and very talented. She has a lot of patience and really worked with my vision--I feel I was an equal partner in my design. Her number is 703-823-7154.

We used a fee-only CKD in Southern California. Her reputation is such that she has a 6-month waitlist. Once you get to the top of the list, she is all over it. She charges $120 an hour. The advantage over other KDs is that she has no intention of selling you anything. The advantage over an architect is self-evident once you compare the level of detail in the plans. Our complex 350 sf project (combining butler's pantry with kitchen, all new layout, integrated appliances, moving walls and windows) took her about 40 hours to consult with us and design. Usual design is around 25-30 hours. Worth it!! Everyone who looks at the plans starts salivating over her richly detailed, beautiful and functional design. Her knowledge of kitchen-related gadgets is encyclopedic. I'm thinking she will save us 10x what we paid her. We start demolition in a week, wish us luck. And good luck to you!

I guess the question to ask is, does your architect cook? My husband has worked in residential construction for most of his life and became enamoured of a vintage style and a local KD's taste. The style was perfect for our home which is an old New England style farmhouse. We needed custom cabinets because our ceilings our taller than average plus he wanted the quality she sells (Signature out of PA). Although they are both measuring fiends and pre-install gloated about how others don't measure enough, there were two small things I would have changed if one of us had been paying better attention. I loved having two sample doors to live with while we decided. She talked me out of a spice drawer and I got a spice cabinet instead (plexiglass shelf on the back of a cabinet door/interior shelves recessed). We vetoed her suggested microwave/stove hood and had the microwave placed to the left of the stove in an upper cabinet which required stealing some space from the wall cavity. Since my husband was also the GC and cabinet installer and the kitchen was gutted to the studs he and the KD had to do some other teamwork with regards to where electric and utilities ran/hood ductwork goes thru a soffit, etc. She took care of details I hadn't considered. Our flatware drawer is nice and wide. The dish cabinet is an end cabinet that goes all the way to the counter with a drawer underneath. I froze when it came to choosing a countertop. The color I thought I wanted was in a line her installer had had problems with in the past. When I narrowed it to two color in the line she preferred, she explained why her choice was better than mine. She also knew from my cooking habits that I would ruin a Corian sink. Lots of little questions that someone unfamiliar with cooking would even think to ask.
I suggest you visit some KD's. Ours has a showroom where we immediately fell in love with one particular display and style. Discuss what is offered. In our case we had a serious layout problem until she suggested we annex some space that was part of the farmers porch. We now have a terrific dining alcove and a layout that makes sense. Before a good percentage of the kitchen was the traffic path between the garage and diningroom/rest of house. One friend described our kitchen as comfortable and inviting which is exactly what we wanted. It's also the area of the house that was going to get most of our renovating dollars. A typical floorplan, if there is such a thing, just didn't work for us without her help. Our layout was further complicated by a full size antique cookstove my husband adores (we heat as much as we can with wood).

You could post your kitchen design on thread/forum and let us look at it for you. Many before you have chosen to do so with great results. All kinds of good advice regarding lay out design to wall color.

I had a great KD experience but after reading here for years it sounds like many people don't. My KD situation was similar to yesdear's. I paid a professional services fee for design and for me it was well worth it. If you have time and inclination to post your plans here instead of hiring a KD to review them, you will probably get lots of good advice.

I agree that you would probably get something better from a highly skilled KD than you would from a highly skilled architect. It's kind of like if you need specialized orthopedic hand surgery - are you going to go to a general surgeon to have it done?

Our architect included a kitchen design in his plans but my wife decided to consult a KD to see what she could offer. We ultimately had her design not only the kitchen, but also our library and our master closet (she asked us for a listing of every garment we owned!). She did a masterful job on all three and effectively married the often conflicting objectives of aesthetics and functionality. She was also an effective listener and incorporated a significant number of unique requests that we made, based on our having lived in many prior homes and visiting many more.

Don't indict the notion of automobiles just because you might have bought a lemon in the past. As with any other purchase, it's all about caveat emptor. Do your homework. Ask questions. Get references. My wife maintains that hiring her KD was the smartest decision she made, of the thousands involved in building this house.

Bob

We used an architect and a KD. Found them both invaluable but very different. The architect was key in the design and structural stuff; the KD knew about everything else. They worked really well together. For us, the KD is the glue that keeps the project on track (we're about 3 wks from finish) but that is probably in large part due to her terrific personality and ability to mediate so artfully. A.

We've used both architects and KDs. Although I loved the architect for the MBR/BA addition, she did not have the cabinet or appliance know how to help in our kitchen. She just wasn't trained for that.

We loved out KD. She came through were several others had failed. She saw our problems and proposed ideas no one else thought of. We're in Northern VA too. Her name is Julie Hendrickson and she works for Kleppinger Design Group. BTW, they do have architects on staff if you need them. 703/208-2208.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kleppinger Designs

Some places like HD will give you a free basic kitchen design - you could start with one of those and then decide how to proceed.

I had bad experiences with KD's (most were worst at bath design, but not great at the kitchen either) and finally gave up and designed my own (baths and kitchens). But, when I finally did order cabinets, I did use a fabulous KD who went over my plan with a fine tooth comb. Her knowledge of "what's hot" and what's available far outweighed even months on GW :) She was able to add a couple of my wishes into my design, and tweeked a couple of things for me to cut out most filler pieces. She typically charges for her design work, but didn't charge me because I came with a mostly finished plan, and ordered some high quality (expensive...so she made bucks LOL) cabinets from her.

If you like your design, keep it ;) You paid the architect good money for it, but if that architect isn't a Kitchen Certified architecht (most aren't) I'd have a KD look it over for tweeking at the very least. Or go the free route and have us look at it and comment...then take that to a KD :)

Two recommendations.

Inset kitchens without the overhead! (540) 338-9730
Round hill Design studio ask for Wally

Kitchen connection, Brian in Manassas. I was able to get kitchen plans for 350.00. They quote 60% off retail!

I live in NY and have been to see some KD's that work for showrooms. The problem I have with those folks is that you never know how much they are marking up the cabinets. I would love to find a professional to pay hourly. Any recs on a person like this is NY or CT?

thanks in advance.

Eric,

It might be a little late but my wife is a local kitchen designer. We're down in Fredericksburg but all of our work is in No.Va. Name of her company is Cherry Hill Cabinetry & Millwork (meredith@cherryhillcabinetry.com) She handles the designs and I do all the remodeling and installs.... I am a home builder by trade. Most of the work we do is custom, we carry Plato Woodwork and Bertch.
Call or e-mail if we can do anything for you.
Craig
703-615-1669
craig@cherryhillcabinetry.com