Raj - What you say is true that a lot of interior design's margin is in furniture. I will not sugar coat it. And many designers may seem to be more interested in that when you bring them in. But I have had several clients call me over the years saying they are building a new home and would like to consult primarily on layout. When you speak to someone is tell them you are not ready to order furnishings or window treatments, but that you would like a contract that focuses on layout, planning, and interior detailing (i.e. doors, trims, floors) - i.e. the bones of the house. What I would suggest is when you call for a designer, you be prepared to pay a good consultation fee. A good rule of thumb is that you can expect to pay between $3-$10 per square foot of your home depending on the area of your country and the expertise/experience of the designer. If you are not averse to paying this type of fee, and communicate to the designer that your interest is in getting the best solutions, not in purchasing furniture at this time, I'm sure you will be able to get the level of service you desire. If someone you talk to doesn't seem thrilled to provide this kind of service, move on to the next person. Don't rely on "fame" or how well known someone is. They may be well known for doing show houses or just because they've been in the field the longest in your area. Not because they're the right fit for you. You could also check the Houzz directory for good designers in your area. The difficulty is that there are often decorators whose expertise and focus is really just on furnishings not so much on construction - and they serve a purpose for their clients. But there are other designers who provide more of a wholistic approach and have more familiarity with building a new home. These are the people you should seek out. Houzz is a fantastic community - and as I said you may get good advice here but there's really no replacement for someone to work with you in person. Sorry for the super long post but I feel passionately about this and I think this advice will best suit your needs.

Well this is a new one for me.....and I've been in this design field for 30+ years. Looking at your elevation it appears you're using overlay doors. Meaning the door is outside of the the frame front......I'm guessing your cabinet maker is seeking an elevation without the doors so he can see the frame fronts and get a better look at the configuration and the size of the cabinet units. While I know of many cabinet craftsmen who could take your sketch and run with it.......one thing I always tell young designers is to draw with a thought in your mind as to how is the craftsman or contractor going to build this either in the shop or in the field. I would suggest that you download Google Sketchup (it's free) and easy to learn how to use it. Then I would suggest that you actually build your cabinets piece by piece just as you would if you were building them in the shop Start with the base, add the frame front the sides, back and supports. Then you can add the drawer fronts and cabinet doors...........if you get really into it you could build the actually drawer units individually....... I do this for every custom design home for clients. Cabinet makers love it, because I'm basically giving them a shop drawing, complete with dimensions and I'm confident that design fits in the intended space down to the width of spacers I need. I also give this package to the framing contractor so he know just how exact I expect his framing for the space to be.

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I think a comfortable distance between the island and the counter is around 42". It seems that you have only 30" between your cook top and the counter. I might be a little too tight. The wall between the entrance and the kitchen could be 4' long instead of 6', you would then be able to move the island a foot which would give you more room between the cook top and the island. Could you switch the location of the toilet and vanity in your dad's bathroom so your enter facing a vanity instead of a toilet which is a lot nicer.