We've already spent more on the renovations mentioned than we paid for the house. We want a house our way more than an investment, so that's okay.
Will try talking to cabinet makers. Most of the architects in the area seem to specialize in commercial buildings or more modern designs. We may well have to look farther.

You might also want to look at Interior Designers, the ones that do space planning and not the ones that just pick pretty tile and paint colors. You might then just need an architect or engineer to draw/stamp the plans. A good Interior Designer would have those connections already established.

I hear you, chispa, but... We've only talked to two IDs so far, and neither one was particularly promising past colors and countertops. The last thing we want is someone else's kitchen with different tile. We need a design partner. The house has some limitations. Our contractor has done a great job working them into what he's done with the rest of the house, but admits -- wisely, I think -- that this is beyond what he feels comfortable with.

@Re:modern Design + Architecture's suggestion is the best but you can also walk around areas in State College that have old houses (there are historic district walking tours in State College https://www.statecollegepa.us/464/Historic-Districts-Walking-Tours-Markers) or even old neighborhoods. You will likely see construction going on. Knock on the door and ask who they worked with. I used to live in a house in Odessa, Delaware, the whole town of which was on the historic register. People knocked on our door all the time, asking those kinds of questions.

I think you kind of went about this backwards and now I think it is a job for a good ID not decorator. This whole job should have been planned form the beginning with an architect so now most don’t want to step in and finish a job they had no hand in from the beginning. At least talk to a couple of architects before doing much else .Also here you need to post some pictures of the house too.

Patricia,

We probably did, it was a matter of living in the house for some months and realizing that what we wanted was not a simple remodel. We're willing to spend some money walking back earlier decisions and work if needed.

What pictures would be most helpful?

Before we hired our own staff architect, our company worked with a variety of architects and designers. We engaged a very talented residential designer (B.S. in architecture from Penn State, but unlicensed) named Stephen Whitford to design one of them. He honed his skills while working for a design/build company in Lancaster, PA and then set out on his own. His office is in Reading, PA. I suggest you give him a call.

I doubt he's a member of the AIA. Our architect isn't. If you confine your search to AIA architects and firms, I suspect you'll miss out on a number of architects--and an even greater number of residential designers-- who focus on residential work.