Is Their A Kitchen Designer Out There?

[James1963]

I'm looking for a good kitchen designer - must be English speaking. Can anyone help, point me in the right direction?

[rgs2001uk]

dont know where you live so cant specify an area.

suggest you try any large branch of, homepro, they have a design service.

also dont know what you want, do you want to buy a kitchen at a store and have them fit it for you, or do you want someone to design a kitchen for you so you can then employ others to fit it for you?

[PattayaParent]

The kitchen shops and the people at HomePro, HomeWorks etc. will come round and measure up your kitchen and give you a design although they may not listen to what you want and give you something completely different. I had 6 companies round at my place and not one of them came up with what I'd asked for so I designed it myself.

For example the units are made from standard modular sizes and they will use them only and put in filler pieces to make up the gaps. If your kitchen is a non-standard size (like mine) this may look awful (and is what I already have) and you may want fitted units to eliminate the filler pieces and maximise the space (which is what I wanted).

Good luck.

[teej]

Hi James,

It really depends on what you want (doesn't everything?). Like another member posted, you can try HomePro, etc. but from what I've seen, the quality of installation has come out sub-par. That said, I've only seen a few installations in a few of my friends flats.

In 2004 I bought my first flat in BKK. It was a bare shell. I contracted some guys from the art department of a prominent production house (commercials, movies) to moonlight the job for me and help design. I knew these guys were talented and creative and I happen to know them personally, which is why I went this route. I had spoken to interior designers and they just seemed to want to rip me off once they saw the flat.

As far as my kitchen, I looked through a lot of magazines and took some inspiration from my kitchen in my flat in Chicago. Quality appliances are pretty hard (read: impossible or prohibitively expensive) to find (SubZero, Viking) so I had some initial frustrations there. I like big kitchens, but the Thai designers I spoke to didn't really get the concept of a HUGE kitchen. So I went it alone. The whole thing took quite awhile (the flat, that is) and it turned out quite nicely considering there was nobody really "professional" involved (except for the contractors actually doing the work). My kitchen ended up a bit smaller than I wanted because I chose to have a huge dining table. In hindsight, I would have doubled the kitchen size...

If you can't go it alone or don't have the time, and want something a little more upmarket than HomePro, etc., I'd take a drive down Thonglor and it's sub-sois. There are quite a few nice designers there (probably overly expensive, though), but maybe you can get some ideas (bring your spy camera )

Also, maybe you can ask member quicksilva, I think he works in real estate and probably has contacts.

Some last bit of advice: make sure you know EXACTLY what you want and make sure the contractor knows this. Don't leave any decisions up to them, or else you may be sorely disappointed (seems trite, but you really need to be aware of what's going on when they are doing the work).

Good luck on your search, and I would recommend a browse through some magazines as a good first step.

The kitchen. Like I said, looking back i would have doubled the size (more counter space, more island space, double sinks, bar, etc.), to make it more of the "hang out" spot of my flat. It looked better than the picture.

Here is what I started with:

And what I ended with:

I was quite happy with my first go at renovating a condo, but it was nightmarish at times (and I do speak Thai). In the end, I found the flat a little "cold" (probably lacked a "feminine touch") and was a bit too big for a single guy. But I still miss my kitchen (but I hated the cheap sink), as now I live in a flat about half the size of that one! Don't skimp on kitchens and bathrooms, they make or break a property... (doesn't really apply to most Thais, however)

[MrPaddy]

Do not go to Homepro whatever you do, they would be the most incompetent group I have ever come accross. I think they simply stay in business because of size alone.

Also with HomePro you are required to pay the full amount upfront, after that they just do not give a toss what or how they do things.

The up market kitchens in Thonglor are very expensive also. 400k to 600k for a nice sized one and more.

My next kitchen is designed by me and I will have a go at getting my builder to build it with cabinet makers and purchasing all the required slider, rollers, hinges and knobs etc myself beforehand.

Kitchen I am doing at the moment is 15sqm and the pantry is 6sqm and that size seems just at the minimum size I would like, I would like to see the next one half as big again.

The black granite top is 3m long alone and the stone company fcuked up its installation in several areas. While it still looks awesome, perfection is lost.

[teej]

I just came back from a friend's "new" flat and she had ordered the kitchen from HomePro. Apparently they come measure the stuff out and like the other poster mentioned made her pay up front. The finish was horrible. I used the term "sub-par" in my previous post but good lord this just looked like it was slapped together by some schoolchildren. Needless to say, she was very disappointed.

So I'd have to advise again not to use HomePro -- unless you don't care much for your home.

Thonglor shops are expensive as said above, but the installations are far and away of better quality. You get what you pay for.

However, if your kitchen isn't too large and you have some creative ideas, you can go it on your own like I have done and the other poster has done -- in the end you may be much happier and save yourself quite a few baht in the process.

[James1963]

I just came back from a friend's "new" flat and she had ordered the kitchen from HomePro. Apparently they come measure the stuff out and like the other poster mentioned made her pay up front. The finish was horrible. I used the term "sub-par" in my previous post but good lord this just looked like it was slapped together by some schoolchildren. Needless to say, she was very disappointed.

So I'd have to advise again not to use HomePro -- unless you don't care much for your home.

Thonglor shops are expensive as said above, but the installations are far and away of better quality. You get what you pay for.

However, if your kitchen isn't too large and you have some creative ideas, you can go it on your own like I have done and the other poster has done -- in the end you may be much happier and save yourself quite a few baht in the process.

[James1963]

Hi James,

It really depends on what you want (doesn't everything?). Like another member posted, you can try HomePro, etc. but from what I've seen, the quality of installation has come out sub-par. That said, I've only seen a few installations in a few of my friends flats.

In 2004 I bought my first flat in BKK. It was a bare shell. I contracted some guys from the art department of a prominent production house (commercials, movies) to moonlight the job for me and help design. I knew these guys were talented and creative and I happen to know them personally, which is why I went this route. I had spoken to interior designers and they just seemed to want to rip me off once they saw the flat.

As far as my kitchen, I looked through a lot of magazines and took some inspiration from my kitchen in my flat in Chicago. Quality appliances are pretty hard (read: impossible or prohibitively expensive) to find (SubZero, Viking) so I had some initial frustrations there. I like big kitchens, but the Thai designers I spoke to didn't really get the concept of a HUGE kitchen. So I went it alone. The whole thing took quite awhile (the flat, that is) and it turned out quite nicely considering there was nobody really "professional" involved (except for the contractors actually doing the work). My kitchen ended up a bit smaller than I wanted because I chose to have a huge dining table. In hindsight, I would have doubled the kitchen size...

If you can't go it alone or don't have the time, and want something a little more upmarket than HomePro, etc., I'd take a drive down Thonglor and it's sub-sois. There are quite a few nice designers there (probably overly expensive, though), but maybe you can get some ideas (bring your spy camera )

Also, maybe you can ask member quicksilva, I think he works in real estate and probably has contacts.

Some last bit of advice: make sure you know EXACTLY what you want and make sure the contractor knows this. Don't leave any decisions up to them, or else you may be sorely disappointed (seems trite, but you really need to be aware of what's going on when they are doing the work).

Good luck on your search, and I would recommend a browse through some magazines as a good first step.

The kitchen. Like I said, looking back i would have doubled the size (more counter space, more island space, double sinks, bar, etc.), to make it more of the "hang out" spot of my flat. It looked better than the picture.

Here is what I started with:

And what I ended with:

I was quite happy with my first go at renovating a condo, but it was nightmarish at times (and I do speak Thai). In the end, I found the flat a little "cold" (probably lacked a "feminine touch") and was a bit too big for a single guy. But I still miss my kitchen (but I hated the cheap sink), as now I live in a flat about half the size of that one! Don't skimp on kitchens and bathrooms, they make or break a property... (doesn't really apply to most Thais, however)

[MMR]

If you have the cake, there is a SMEG dealer and kitchen outfitter just before the Prakanong BTS station on the north side of Sukhumvit.

High quality product and extremely competent staff and installers.