Kitchen Designers

Kitchen Designers near you

A kitchen designer turns a room and a budget into a plan: where the sink, hob and oven sit, how the runs and the working triangle behave, what the units are made of and how the services are routed to reach them. Some work inside a retailer and design only what that retailer sells; others are independent and specify from anywhere. Both produce a plan, an elevation set and a costed schedule, and the two products are much harder to compare than the showroom visit suggests.

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The rule that shapes almost every British kitchen design is electrical. Approved Document P, 2013 edition, took effect on 6 April 2013 for use in England and sets out the work that must be notified to a building control body: regulation 12(6A) makes notifiable the installation of a new circuit, the replacement of a consumer unit, and any addition or alteration to existing circuits in a special location. A new kitchen almost always needs at least one new circuit for the hob or the oven, which puts it squarely inside that list.

The document is specific about where the line falls. Installing a built-in cooker is not notifiable work unless a new cooker circuit is needed, and other electrical work such as replacing a socket outlet or a light switch is not notifiable. So the design decision — whether the hob goes where the existing circuit is, or on the island — is what decides whether your kitchen carries a building control notification.

The new circuit is what makes a kitchen notifiable

Regulation 12(6A), reproduced in Approved Document P, requires a building notice or deposited full plans where the work consists of the installation of a new circuit, the replacement of a consumer unit, or any addition or alteration to existing circuits in a special location. All other electrical installation work is not notifiable — namely additions and alterations to existing installations outside special locations, and replacements, repairs and maintenance anywhere.

Approved Document P gives two worked examples that map directly onto kitchen work. Installing a built-in cooker is not notifiable unless a new cooker circuit is needed. Connecting equipment to an existing isolator is not notifiable, but running a new circuit from the consumer unit to that isolator is. Fixed electrical equipment is within the scope of Part P even where the final connection is by a standard 13A plug and socket, but it is notifiable only if it involves work on that list.

For notifiable work the document sets out three routes to certify compliance: self-certification by a registered competent person, third-party certification by a registered third-party certifier, or certification by a building control body. That is the paperwork you should be handed at the end of a kitchen installation, and it is the paperwork a buyer's solicitor will ask about. The 2013 edition is for use in England; Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own building control systems and you should check the position where the house is.

From first measure to template and fit

A site measure of the real room, including out-of-square walls, floor level variation, window reveals, radiator positions and where the existing services enter.
A layout study: appliance positions first, because they anchor the services, then the runs, then the storage.
Plans and elevations with unit codes, appliance models, worktop material and the services schedule showing which circuits and pipes need to move.
Coordination of the strip-out, any plastering, flooring and electrical first fix, in the right order — this is where most kitchen programmes slip.
Worktop templating, which happens after the units are fitted and level, and which adds a fixed wait for stone and solid surface materials.
Second fix, appliance connection, electrical certification and a snagging visit with the door and drawer alignment checked cold.

When the kitchen becomes building work rather than a fit-out

Replacing units in an existing kitchen is generally a fit-out with an electrical notification attached. The moment the design takes out a wall to open the kitchen into a dining room, forms a new opening, alters a floor structure to take an island, or moves the kitchen into a room that was not previously one, it becomes building work with its own approval route through a building control body.

In England and Wales you may use either your local authority's building control service or a private registered building control approver, and GOV.UK is blunt about why it matters: without approval you will not have the certificates of compliance you may need when you want to sell your home. Structural openings also need calculations from an engineer; a kitchen elevation showing a wide opening is a design intention, not a structural design.

Where the house is listed, internal alterations that affect its special character need listed building consent before any unit is removed, and where the property is a flat the alteration may also engage building-wide obligations rather than being a private decision. Both are worth checking at layout stage, when changing the plan is free.

Showroom design and supply against an independent designer

A retailer's designer specifies from one range, so the design and the goods come as one price and the comparison between suppliers is unavoidably apples to oranges.
An independent designer charges a design fee and can specify carcasses, doors, worktops and appliances from different sources, which usually gives better value on unusual layouts.
Retailer packages often include installation through an approved fitter; independents may leave you to appoint the fitter, which gives control but also gives you the coordination job.
Ask both for the same deliverables — plan, elevations, appliance schedule and services schedule — because a quotation without elevations hides a lot.
Check who is responsible if the worktop template does not fit: the designer, the fabricator or the fitter, and whether that is written down anywhere.
Whoever designs it, the electrical certification and any building control approval attach to the work, not to the supplier, so make sure somebody is named as responsible for producing them.

Where kitchen projects come apart

The hob moves to an island in the design, which means a new circuit and a route under the floor that nobody surveyed before the plan was signed.
Existing walls are out of square by more than the fillers allow, and the run has to be redesigned on fitting day.
Appliance lead times and worktop templating are not sequenced, leaving the household without a kitchen for far longer than the quoted fitting week.
The electrical certificate is never issued, and the omission surfaces years later during a sale.
Ventilation and extract routing is left to the fitter, so the cooker hood ends up recirculating because no external wall was reachable from the final hob position.
The floor is laid after the units go in, so the appliances cannot be removed for service without lifting the worktop.

What drives a kitchen design quote, and how LokalMatch fits in

Design fees are usually small next to the kitchen itself, so the number that matters is what the design commits you to. The variables are the size and squareness of the room, how many services have to move, whether an island is involved, carcass and door construction, worktop material and the templating it requires, appliance specification, and whether the price includes strip-out, making good, flooring and electrical certification. A design that keeps the sink and hob where the services already are will always be cheaper to build than an identical-looking design that moves them, and that difference is decided on the plan rather than on site.

LokalMatch exists to make the introduction. You describe the kitchen once, add the postcode, and designers and fitters covering your area get in touch. Homeowners are never charged; the professionals pay for the requests they receive. LokalMatch does not design or install kitchens, does not set prices and does not vet, rank or recommend anyone, so ask each respondent for the same drawing set before you compare their numbers.

Kitchen Designers: frequently asked questions

Does a new kitchen need building regulations approval?

The fit-out generally does not, but the electrical work usually does. Approved Document P, 2013 edition, makes the installation of a new circuit and the replacement of a consumer unit notifiable, and most new kitchens need at least one new circuit. If the project also removes a wall, forms an opening or moves the kitchen into a different room, that is building work with its own approval route.

Is installing a built-in oven notifiable work?

Approved Document P says installing a built-in cooker is not notifiable work unless a new cooker circuit is needed. In practice, whether you need a new circuit depends on what is already there and on where the design puts the appliance — which is why the layout decision and the notification question are the same question.

What certificate should I get at the end of a kitchen installation?

For notifiable electrical work, Approved Document P allows three routes: self-certification by a registered competent person, third-party certification by a registered third-party certifier, or certification by a building control body. Ask which route is being used before work starts, and keep the certificate with your house paperwork.

Can I take a wall out to open up the kitchen?

Often, but not as part of the kitchen fit. It is building work, needs structural calculations and needs approval from a building control body, which in England and Wales can be your local authority or a private registered building control approver. Get the structural design done before the kitchen layout is fixed, because the beam and its supports change what the room can hold.

Do I have to buy the kitchen from the person who designs it?

Only if you have agreed to. A retailer's designer specifies from their own range and the design usually comes with the goods; an independent designer charges a fee and can specify from anywhere. Ask up front whether the drawings are yours to take elsewhere, because that is often the real difference between the two offers.

Why does the worktop take so long?

Stone and solid-surface worktops are templated after the units are installed and levelled, then fabricated off site. That sequence is fixed by the material rather than by the fitter, so it needs to be in the programme from the start rather than discovered in fitting week.

Sources

Written by the LokalMatch editorial team. Last reviewed 21 September 2026. How we write and check our guides

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What affects the cost of kitchen design

Prices depend on the details of your project. We only publish price ranges when they’re backed by real LokalMatch quote data or reliable sources. Until then, here’s what usually changes the price:

Type of professional and service needed
Size and complexity of the project
Level of detail in drawings or reports
Number of site visits and meetings
Number of design revisions
Help with permits or contractor selection

How to compare kitchen designers before you hire

Match the professional to the job: an architect or engineer where the work requires one, a designer for layout and finishes, or an inspector for a condition report.
Ask whether they are licensed or certified for this type of work in your area, where that applies.
Review a portfolio or sample report that's similar to your project.
Get a written agreement that spells out the services, deliverables, number of revisions and how fees are charged.
Ask whether their drawings will be suitable for a permit application, and whether they'll help with it.

Questions to ask kitchen designers before you hire

Are you licensed or certified for this type of work in my area?
What exactly will you deliver: drawings, specifications, a report or site visits?
How are your fees charged: a fixed fee, hourly or based on the project cost?
How many rounds of revisions are included?
Will your drawings be ready for a permit application, and will you submit it?
Can I see a sample of a similar project or report?
Do you carry professional liability insurance?

When to call a pro for kitchen design

Before removing or moving a wall that may be load-bearing
Before buying a home, to understand its condition
When a permit application needs drawings

Kitchen design permits and local rules

Some kitchen design work needs a permit or has to meet local bylaws. Rules vary by municipality, so ask your pro whether a permit is needed and who will apply for it — and check with your city or town if you’re unsure.

Permits and licensing

Guides about kitchen design

Services related to kitchen design

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