As I mentioned earlier, I had a visit yesterday from yet another chap to measure up and design my kitchen. This is after the company (who, for various reasons, I would like to use) had earlier quoted with some odd decisions on unit sizes. It was explained to me that this was a ball-park price, and they would send a designer.
So this chap arrived. I spent the first 10 minutes of the visit stressing to him that the existing base units are all standard sizes, that I like the existing layout, and don’t want to change it without a good reason. Due to my earlier experiences, I spelt this out to him, going round the kitchen units one by one – “this is an 800 corner unit, that’s a 1000mm two door unit…”. I was worried I was teaching grandma to suck eggs; turned out it was her idiot twin, instead.
So I took the afternoon off today to go into town and look at some units and this kitchen designer’s CAD.
Despite my instructions, he decided to replace my requested 1000mm corner unit with swing out shelves (just like my existing one, apart from the swing out bit) with a smaller unit that has the doors opening across the corner.
This is clever, it is true, but it means that everything else has to change too. So he has moved my cooker, and my sink with the draining board is reversed, so I will be putting stuff away in a totally different cupboard, and wrong-handed.
It also means that whereas my existing kitchen has mostly 500mm doors, with one 400mm and one 300mm, where needed; with his design only two doors are the same size – even the doors under the sink are 500mm and 450mm (made up of two units).
To say I am peeved is an understatement. I have just written a stiff letter to the builders (the kitchen designer is not employed by them, but by the company that makes the units).
Just to repeat – my existing kitchen is made of standard units. What could be easier?
Because they are DESIGNERS and obviously know what you want better than you do.