The biggest cost in most kitchen renovations is cabinetry. Custom cabinets, added storage, and inserts can significantly change the budget. After cabinets, your larger investments are usually countertops, appliances, plumbing fixtures, and any layout changes that require electrical or plumbing work.

Because cabinetry is such a big line item, it’s worth understanding your options. In my Kitchens 101 Masterclass, I walk through cabinetry materials, door profiles, drawer box options, durability and longevity considerations, cabinetry insert ideas, and designer tips on layouts and long-term thinking. It’s the same masterclass I share with my full-service clients so they feel fully educated on their choices while we work through their kitchen design package.

It usually comes down to the scope of your project and how many decisions you want support with. If you’re changing the layout, moving walls or plumbing, or opening anything structural, it’s likely that you’ll need a building permit—and this is where full-service design and proper construction drawings become important. Certified interior designers (not interior decorators) are trained to create these permit-ready drawing packages and coordinate with engineers and contractors so everything aligns with code and construction requirements.

Even if you don’t need a permit package, there’s still a lot of value in working with an experienced designer. Having a designer is so much more than having someone to help you pick finishes. We look at how you use your kitchen day to day, where storage is (and isn’t) working, how traffic flows through the space, and what’s going to matter to you five or ten years from now—not just on reveal day.

Where experience really makes a difference is in the small (but important) details and material choices. For example, we might suggest using a piece of your quartz countertop off-cut as the window sill instead of wood because we noticed you already set your dish soap on the ledge and the existing sill is starting to warp. That tiny change makes day-to-day life easier and reduces future maintenance. The same applies to bigger decisions: knowing which materials perform well, which upgrades are worth it, and where you can save. After designing hundreds of kitchens, we can often suggest alternatives that still achieve your look and function while sometimes saving you thousands.

Our full-service kitchen design packages start at $4,500 + GST, and are typically the best fit for projects involving layout changes or more complex renovations (you can listen to our free podcast for more info). If you’re not looking for full-service support but still value professional design experience, we have two more affordable places to start: the Kitchens 101 Masterclass (perfect for DIY enthusiasts who want to feel informed before making decisions) and our Kitchen Design Guides (ideal for busy homeowners who want everything they need ready at the click of a button).