Kitchen Design Process: From First Meeting to Installation, and Whether Design Is Free
The kitchen design process runs in a set order: a first meeting, a site measure, layout options, a 3D rendering, finish selection and a detailed quote, then shop drawings, the order, delivery, installation and countertops. Design fees depend on who’s doing the drawing. At Final Draft Cabinetry, the project design and design rendering come with the free, no-obligation estimate, while independent designers typically charge by the hour, a fixed fee or a share of the budget.
If you’ve drawn your kitchen in a free app, bring it. It shows us what you like, and it gets redrawn from real measurements anyway. Stage-by-stage timing has its own post: how long custom cabinets take, from design to install.
The kitchen design process at a glance
| Stage | What happens | Who’s involved |
|---|---|---|
| 1. First conversation | Scope, budget range, photos, timing | You and the designer |
| 2. Site measure | Walls, ceiling, windows, plumbing, electrical, bulkheads | Designer |
| 3. Layout options | Plans checked against clearances and appliance specs | Designer |
| 4. 3D rendering | The layout drawn with doors, colours and counters | Designer |
| 5. Finish selection | Line, door, colour, hardware, countertop | You and the designer |
| 6. Detailed quote | A line-by-line price | Designer |
| 7. Deposit and shop drawings | Exact sizes, checked and signed | You, the designer and the manufacturer |
| 8. Order and build | About 6 to 8 weeks made to order; 1 to 3 weeks for Access | Manufacturer |
| 9. Delivery and installation | About 3 to 4 days for a typical kitchen | Installers |
| 10. Countertops | Template once base cabinets are in; stone takes 2 to 3 weeks | Fabricator |
| 11. Deficiencies | Adjustments and a final walkthrough | Designer and installers |
Do kitchen designers charge for design?
It depends on what else they’re selling. An independent designer sells design time, and you take the drawings to any supplier. A Canadian cost guide from RenoQuotes (updated May 2026) puts interior designers at around $60 an hour to start, $100 to $150 an hour once established, or 8% to 15% of the project budget. Some charge for the first consultation and some don’t.
A cabinet dealer designs around the cabinets it supplies, so design and quote arrive together. Our project design, including a rendering, is part of the free estimate, as is the on-site consultation and measure, and there’s no obligation to order. IKEA Canada sits in between, with free online and in-store planning appointments of up to two hours, in-home planning at $129 and a $49 measuring service.
| Option | What you get | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Free design app | A layout you draw yourself, with no site measure | Free |
| IKEA Canada planning | 3D design, parts list and quote for IKEA cabinets | Free online or in store; $129 in home; $49 to measure |
| Independent interior designer | Drawings you can take to any supplier | Hourly, a fixed fee, or 8% to 15% of the budget |
| Cabinet dealer design studio (FDC) | Site measure, design rendering and detailed quote | Included with the free estimate |
Free apps are good for testing ideas. Our roundup of the best free kitchen design apps and our post on the pitfalls of free kitchen design apps cover where they help and where they stop.
What to bring to your first appointment
- Photos from each corner, including the ceiling, bulkheads and window wall.
- Rough wall lengths and ceiling height. A sketch is fine.
- Model numbers or spec sheets for the appliances you’re keeping or buying.
- Inspiration photos, or a Pinterest or Houzz board.
- A budget range, even a wide one.
- Your app layout, if you made one.
Our online estimate form takes JPG or PNG photos up to 8 MB each. iPhone HEIC files won’t upload, so paste a board link instead or send photos when we follow up.
What happens at the first design meeting?
The first meeting is about how the kitchen gets used: who cooks, what’s stored where, what bothers you now and what can’t move, such as a window or a plumbing wall. It’s also where your budget meets the cabinet lines. We supply four, from Access, an imported ready-to-assemble line, to FDC Signature, our fully custom line built in the Lower Mainland, and our guide to custom vs semi-custom cabinets explains the differences.
Our design studio at 4533 Hastings Street in Burnaby works by appointment, Monday 10 am to 4 pm and Tuesday to Saturday 9 am to 5 pm. You can also start by phone, by email or with an on-site visit.
Site measure and layout options
A site measure records wall lengths, ceiling height, window and door positions, plumbing and electrical locations, bulkheads and floor levels. Fillers, scribes and appliance openings are sized to those numbers, which is why a plan from a sketch or an app changes once the room is measured. Bring appliance model numbers early, because the spec sheets set the openings.
Layout options come next. A good plan respects the National Kitchen & Bath Association’s Kitchen Planning Guidelines, including these:
- Work aisle: at least 1067 mm (42 in) for one cook, 1219 mm (48 in) for more than one.
- Walkway: at least 914 mm (36 in).
- Sink: at least 610 mm (24 in) of counter on one side and 457 mm (18 in) on the other.
- Cooktop: at least 305 mm (12 in) on one side and 381 mm (15 in) on the other.
What’s the difference between a 3D rendering and shop drawings?
The rendering shows how the kitchen will look, and it’s what you react to during design. Shop drawings come after approval and tell the manufacturer exactly what to build.
| Feature | 3D rendering | Shop drawings |
|---|---|---|
| When | Design stage, before the quote | After approval, before the order |
| What’s on it | Layout, door style, colours, counters | Box and door sizes, sections, fillers, panels, hardware locations |
| Your job | React and ask for changes | Check every dimension and sign off |
Choosing finishes in the design studio
Finishes are easier to judge in person, under real light, than on a screen. Work through them in this order:
- Cabinet line and box, for example 19 mm (3/4 in) white melamine in Access or 16 mm (5/8 in) birch plywood in Merit.
- Door style and construction.
- Colour or stain. Merit Kitchens can match a specific colour.
- Hardware, hinges and interior fittings.
- Crown moulding, panels and fillers.
- Countertop material, through our partner fabricators (Caesarstone, Silestone, Cambria and others).
Settle these before the quote. Our FAQ lists box material, door style and finish, drawers versus doors, hardware, interior fittings and crown moulding as what sets a cabinet price, so a quote built on placeholders will move. Our kitchen cabinet cost guide breaks those costs down.
From approved design to installation
Once you approve the quote and pay the deposit, the design becomes shop drawings for your sign-off, and the order is placed. Made-to-order lines take about 6 to 8 weeks and Access 1 to 3 weeks. Our guide to reading a custom kitchen cabinet quote explains what each line should say.
Appliances should be on site when the cabinets arrive, stored outside the kitchen where installers can reach them to cross-check measurements. Sinks and faucets need to be on hand for the countertop template. We can install before or after flooring, though we prefer cabinets on the finished floor, protected with Ramboard.
A typical 3.7 m x 3.7 m (12 ft x 12 ft) kitchen has about 20 cabinets and takes 3 to 4 days to install. Base cabinets go in first so the fabricator can template early; laminate tops follow in up to 10 days and stone in 2 to 3 weeks. Your plumber and electrician then connect the sink, faucet and appliances, and a deficiency walkthrough closes the job.
Designer, contractor or both?
For a cabinet-only project, the designer runs most of it. Our full-service package covers the on-site measure, design, delivery, cabinet installation and project management, and partner fabricators template, deliver and install the countertops.
We can’t provide electrical, plumbing, ventilation or appliance installation because we aren’t licensed for them, and tear-out is usually done by the contractor or homeowner. If walls, plumbing or flooring are changing, a general contractor should run the renovation while the designer handles the cabinetry. We work with several preferred contractors and can refer one.
Frequently asked questions
Is kitchen design free?
It depends on who’s designing. At FDC, the project design and rendering are included with the free, no-obligation estimate. Independent designers typically bill hourly, by fixed fee or as a share of the project, and IKEA Canada’s online and in-store planning is free.
How long does the kitchen design process take?
Our timeline guide puts a custom kitchen at about 12 to 20 weeks from first consultation to final deficiencies. Made-to-order cabinets take about 6 to 8 weeks of that, and the speed of decisions on appliances and finishes moves the rest.
Can I bring a design I made in a free app?
Yes. It tells the designer what you like, and it’ll be redrawn from the site measure so fillers, panels and appliance openings match the real walls.
Can I change the design after I approve it?
Changes are normal before approval. Once cabinets are machined or finished, changes get expensive and can mean new materials, so check the shop drawings carefully before you sign.
Do I need a contractor as well as a kitchen designer?
For cabinets and countertops alone, you may only need a licensed plumber and electrician for the hookups. If walls, plumbing locations or flooring are changing, a general contractor should run the job, and we can refer one.
Do I have to visit the design studio?
No. You can start by phone, by email or through the online form, and the on-site consultation and measure is free. The Burnaby studio is open by appointment when you want to see finishes in person.
Sources
- Final Draft Cabinetry: Frequently Asked Questions and Free Estimate, accessed November 2026
- National Kitchen & Bath Association: Kitchen Planning Guidelines with Access Standards, accessed November 2026
- RenoQuotes: How Much Does It Cost to Hire an Interior Designer?, updated May 7, 2026
- IKEA Canada: Kitchen planning and Kitchen measuring, accessed November 2026
Last reviewed November 2026.
Start with a free design estimate
See how our custom kitchen design service works, or our Calgary design service, then request a free estimate and we’ll book your first meeting.
Final Draft Cabinetry is a kitchen and bath design studio in Burnaby, BC, serving Greater Vancouver and Calgary. We design, order, deliver and install cabinetry from Merit Kitchens, Lectus, Access and our own FDC Signature line, which is built in the Lower Mainland.
