Qualifications for a Kitchen Designer
Certified kitchen designers, or CFDs, design everything in the kitchen---for example, the layout, the appliance placement and the decor. Kitchen designers have to have a keen eye for style and a solid knowledge of how kitchens work. You can become a specialist in kitchens or use the CFD in part of a larger interior design program.
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Function
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Kitchen designers make sure that everything in the kitchen design is functional and pleasing to the eye. They have to do a lot of research to make sure that everything in the design plan will work in the client's kitchen. Often, the kitchen designer will work as part of a team of designers and contractors, and can even supervise the installation of the new kitchen.
Skills
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Kitchen designers have to have excellent interpersonal and communication skills because they work with individual clients. The designer has to communicate with his clients to find out what the clients want and need, and then turn that into a functional design. The designer also has to be business-minded so that she can stay on the client's budget.
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Training
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To start, someone who wants to become a kitchen designer can work in a kitchen showroom to get familiar with the appliances and design trends. After that, it may be a good idea to take carpentry courses at a local community college or even complete a carpentry program.
An aspiring kitchen designer needs to have experience before getting certified. To gain this experience, he will probably want to apprentice or intern with an established kitchen designer.
Time Frame
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The time it can take to become a certified kitchen designer depends on how many classes you take and whether you go to design school. Before you take the certification exam, however, you will need to have at least seven years of on-the-job experience.
Benefits
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There are many benefits to becoming a certified designer. The biggest one is that clients are more likely to hire you if you're certified. Potential clients are usually more comfortable with someone who has had years of experience and has passed a test, showing mastery of the profession.
The National Kitchen and Bath Association also requires all potential CFDs to commit to a code of ethical business conduct. Therefore, clients will know that by hiring a CFD, they're hiring someone who will treat them fairly.
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