Kitchen Design Services Derby
Free Consultation
01332-529933
Redesigning a kitchen is as much about sequencing as style - where the sink, gas and power points can actually go, what a wall will and won't let you move, and which layout survives daily use once the new-kitchen shine wears off. Design visits start with a look at the room itself, not a screen: the team works out of its Stenson Road workshop in Sunny Hill, but the measuring is always done in your home, because an out-of-square wall, a soil pipe in the wrong place, or a door that will clash with an island only show up once someone actually stands in the room. From there the same team that draws the design also fits it, so the plan on screen is the plan a fitting team can actually build, worktops included via our stone and solid-surface worktop service.
What a Kitchen Design Appointment Actually Covers
- A free home design visit with on-site measuring, not just a showroom appointment
- More than one CAD layout option, so you're choosing between real alternatives rather than one fixed plan
- Standard 3D visualisation of the layout you settle on
- Guidance through cabinetry style, from hand-finished Shaker to a sleek handleless run, and worktop material - granite, marble, quartz, Dekton, Corian or Minerva
- Positioning of sink, gas and power points agreed with the plumbing, electrical and gas trades at the design stage, before anything is ordered
- A written, itemised quote covering design, supply and fit, so there's a fixed figure before you commit to anything
Not Included / Costed Separately
- Structural work such as removing a load-bearing wall - that goes to a structural engineer and building control for sign-off, and the design is finalised around the approved opening
- Extra design time beyond the free visit - multiple full layout revisions, VR walkthroughs, extended material sampling or a full lighting scheme are charged separately, though usually offset against the kitchen order if you go ahead
- A firm price without a home visit - room dimensions, pipework and wall construction differ enough between properties that anything quoted from a floor plan alone is an estimate, not a fixed cost
How the Design Moves From First Visit to Finished Kitchen
- Enquiry and booking -- Get in touch with a rough idea of what you want and your budget range, and book a free home design visit for a time that suits.
- Home design visit and measure -- A designer measures the room on-site, checks wall alignment, pipework and socket positions, and talks through how the kitchen actually gets used day to day.
- CAD design and material selection -- Layout options are drawn up in CAD, cabinetry style and worktop material are worked through with you, and the chosen scheme is turned into a 3D visual.
- Written itemised quote -- The design is translated into a written, itemised quote covering design, supply and fit, with no hidden extras, before you decide whether to go ahead.
- Project-managed fit -- Once you commit, joiners, plumbers, Part P electricians and Gas Safe engineers are scheduled and supervised against the agreed design, in the sequence the job actually needs.
- Sign-off walkthrough -- The finished kitchen is checked against the original design at a formal walkthrough, with the 5-year labour and installation guarantee and 2-year product guarantee handed over in writing.
What a Design Consultation Costs
The initial consultation, home measuring visit, basic design concepts and standard 3D visualisation cost nothing and carry no obligation to book the kitchen itself. Where a project needs more design time — multiple layout revisions, VR walkthroughs, extended material sampling or a full lighting scheme — that work is charged, though the cost is typically offset against the kitchen order if you go ahead. Because every home's plumbing runs, wall construction and electrical layout are different, a firm price for the design and fit only follows the free home visit; anything quoted without seeing the room is an estimate at best.
Design-Led Fitters vs a Supply-Only Showroom
| Derby Kitchen Fitter | Supply-only showroom design | |
|---|---|---|
| Who draws the design | The same company that measures, supplies and fits it | A showroom designer handed off to a separate fitting contractor |
| Trades on site | In-house City & Guilds joiners, NVQ-qualified plumbers, Part P electricians and Gas Safe engineers | Subcontractors sourced separately, often not known until fitting day |
| Quote | Written, itemised, before work starts, no hidden extras | Design quote and fitting quote usually arrive separately |
| Guarantee | 5-year labour and installation, 2-year on products | Varies by contractor; product and labour guarantees often split |
| Brand flexibility | Independent fitting specialist for Howdens, Wren, Magnet and premium German handleless systems, plus our own bespoke joinery | Usually tied to the showroom's own range |
One Team Draws the Design and Builds It
Most kitchen design services stop at the drawing — the render gets handed to a fitting contractor who then decides what's actually achievable once the old units are out. Here, the person drawing your layout works for the same company that will build it, so a design detail like a curved corner unit or an integrated pantry gets specified against what the joiners can actually build on-site, not adjusted afterwards. The team's own line on this is blunt: "We only fit kitchens to the standard we'd want in our own homes — and we put that in writing before we start," and that written quote covers the design as drawn, not a rough figure that gets revised once work is underway. Because the practice works as an independent fitting specialist rather than a single-brand showroom, a design isn't limited to one manufacturer's catalogue — it can be built around supply-only kitchens from Howdens, Wren Kitchens, Magnet or premium German handleless systems, or as fully bespoke cabinetry running from hand-finished Shaker through to a seamless handleless run, with worktops laser-templated in granite, quartz, Dekton or Corian by the stonemasons who go on to cut and fit them. Every design carries the same 5-year labour and installation guarantee and 2-year product guarantee, so what's promised in the CAD render is what's actually covered once it's fitted.
Design Visits From Sunny Hill Across Derby and Derbyshire
Design visits are based in Derby, working out from the team's Sunny Hill workshop, and cover the surrounding towns a Derby-based design team can reach and measure properly on a normal working day: Chesterfield, Long Eaton, Belper, Ilkeston, Heanor, Alfreton, Swadlincote, Ripley, Dronfield, Duffield and into Nottingham. Further out toward the Peak District edge — Matlock, Wirksworth, Bakewell and Buxton — the design visit works the same way, but older stone-built cottages in these towns often bring thicker walls, lower ceilings and less regular room dimensions than a typical Derby semi, which is exactly the kind of thing a floor plan alone won't tell you and a designer needs to see in person before drawing a layout.
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