My Two Cents

Oct 16 2009 9:29AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (1) |
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By Susan Bady

Home builders, remodelers, architects and homeowners now have a lower-cost option for quality kitchen designs -- Kitchen Design Online, or KDOL for short. Created by award-winning designer Jennifer Gilmer, CKD, KDOL is a Web-based resource for pros and consumers who are either doing a kitchen remodel or building a new custom home.

The concept is straightforward. Users log onto the site and select one of three levels of service, from one-dimensional floor plans and elevations to detailed plans and elevations, 3-D perspective drawings, color boards and countertop, cabinet and tile details. A professional designer from the KDOL stable reviews room dimensions and photos, then collaborates with the customer on the design. Turnaround ranges from 14 to 28 days, and the process is conducted mostly by email. 

For ideas and inspiration, the KDOL Web site includes a portfolio of different styles including traditional, period/vintage, cottage, contemporary and Asian. (The featured projects are so beautiful I was struck with the desire to remodel my own kitchen.)

The cost ranges from $750 for the basic service to $1,750 for the luxury service. According to KDOL, a black-and-white custom design from a local kitchen showroom would cost anywhere from $3,000 to $6,000. Even big-box retailers charge more for such services, KDOL argues. Another advantage is that customers can purchase cabinetry and other products anywhere they like, shopping around for the best prices.

My reaction to this new service is twofold. Will it offer unwanted competition for  kitchen designers, home-improvement retailers, design/build firms and showrooms whose business has taken a beating by the recession? And who will be the primary users -- professionals or consumers? On the plus side, it could get homeowners off the fence about potential kitchen projects, creating more work for remodelers. There could also be partnership opportunities here for pros.