Different Options for Designers

 

 

As a consumer, you have a number of options in searching for the best firm for your kitchen project.  Although there are exceptions to each, you can generally expect the following to hold true.

 

 

Home Improvement Centers – like any large retail operation, these “big boxes” cannot always find the most qualified or well trained design experts for their kitchen or bath operations.  Although the price may appear to be the best in town, the value rarely is.  It is not uncommon to find design oversights, less than required customer services, and substandard installations.  In the end, you often live for years with the regret of not having done a better job shopping.

 

 

Consumer Buying Clubs – Despite convincing marketing, according to a design professional with 18 years of experience and a former short-term employee of Direct Buy (Laura Devlin, Boston, MA), “…the notion that the member would save half on the purchase of cabinetry was pure ‘BS’. Savings on plumbing fixtures, appliances, etc. were not that significant [either].”

 

 

As the consumer, you provide all the measurements, including door clearances.  Without experience, your measurements are a “mistake waiting to happen.”  Ms. Devlin said, “Having to rely on the members giving you the correct measurements and information is a stab in the dark.  It is very difficult to design and follow through on a project with their [Direct Buy] type of selling. I wouldn’t recommend joining to anyone.”

 

 

Startups – These organizations lack the experience required to provide the quality you expect.  Without sufficient projects “under their belts,” they will likely not have the systems and quality personnel in place to give your project the attention to detail it requires to be successful.  In addition, knowing that startups often fail within a couple of years, this firm may not be in business when your project needs critical service a year or two later.

 

 

Truck Contractors – There is no doubt you can get the lowest price from contractors without the overhead of a showroom or studio, but at what cost?  You will likely receive an unimaginative design, inferior products and questionable integrity.

 

 

Often consumers have difficulty getting home improvement contractors to finish jobs on time… or at all.  If you choose to do business with such a source, be sure to check the Better Business Bureau and Department of Consumer Protection for any complaints against the individual.

 

 

SEN Design Group Firms – These 200+ firms nationwide are members of the Kitchen & Bath Industry’s first buying group.  But more important is the SEN commitment to developing and nurturing kitchen and bath professionals so they embody each of these 7 criteria.  In fact, their continued membership is predicated on their ability to do so.

When you choose a SEN Design Group Firm, you work with:

• a reliable source of information and sound advice
• one of the industry’s best businesspeople with high marks in customer service and integrity
• a company that can get you the best value on your cabinets, fixtures, hardware, appliances and almost every element that makes up a kitchen or bath
• personnel dedicated to continuing education and improving customer service
• designers who often find themselves on the pages of Signature Kitchens & Baths (the most popular remodeling magazine at Barnes & Noble), and other national publications
• a firm that often has multiple design awards or accolades