My mom and dad just did a huge kitchen/family room remodel. It is one big combined room and they added the laundry and dining rooms in too. They started with the kitchen area since that is the most important room! Our family loves to cook. My sister and I live very close and we all usually over there at least 3-4 times a week for dinner.
Anyway back to the remodel... They started with the kitchen. She had bought tons of kitchen and bath type magazines and we even tried laying the whole thing out a couple of times. While trying to decide what she wanted to do she came across "The Oven"... It was a double oven with all the bells and whistles. She fell in love with and had to have it. The entire kitchen ended up being designed around it. My dad wanted everything to match the same line (which my mom was willing to go with the cheaper everything else if she could get "The Oven"). So then they had all the appliances picked out and had to try to fit them into some kind of plan. Well after getting nowhere for over a month someone recommended a particular design guy at Lowes. He had been designing kitchens for years and was now at Lowes. Lowes offers their design services for free if you buy the cabinets from them I believe. If you don't then there was a fee. They decided to give it a shot and if they didn't like it they didn't have to do it... Well he was absolutely great! They took in a couple ideas they had come up with and the features that they knew they wanted and he put together the most beautiful layout! He helped get the cabinets ordered and it was time for my parents to start ripping out the old stuff.
My parents did all the work themselves. My husband learned a lot helping out with the plumbing, electrical, etc. Once the old was out, they were ready to start laying the flooring. About that time my mom took her drawing from the guy at Lowes to the Basset Furniture (where they also have free design services if you buy from them). The girl at Bassett put together a "design board" like they do on the design shows on HGTV! My mom was so excited! The girl picked out all the colors for the paint, fabrics, furniture and accessories. My mom discussed her likes and dislikes with her and once the floor and cabinets where in and the walls painted the girl from Bassett came out with a huge truck, couple of guys and lots of stuff. They started carrying things in and setting it up! Just like on HGTV, it was sooo cool! As they brought things in if we (I took off work to be there for a second opinion and all the fun) didn't like it they took it out and brought in something different. By the end of the day it was finished!
The final product is beautiful and they didn't pay for any design advice. Now I am sure this is not the case all the time, as sometimes you get what you pay for... So ask around for references or if you are in the St. Louis area I can give you the names of great people!
I will look and see if I have any pictures of their remodel. Or I will go over and take some.
HTH
