Do you have a passion for style, design, and home decorating? At The Home Depot Canada, our kitchen designers help homeowners discover their vision and transform their Pinterest dreams into reality. Starting out in a new industry such as kitchen design can be intimidating. You know you have the fire, but you also have a lot of questions. What’s it like to design a project from start-to-finish? What skills are needed to succeed?

“To be a successful designer, you need to be creative, organized and detail-oriented with good communication skills, especially when it comes to listening,” says Janet Doyle, a kitchen designer with 15-years experience at the Leaside store in Toronto.

Teshome Feyissa, a kitchen designer with The Home Depot Canada for nearly a decade, agrees with Janet and adds that designers need to also have “a good understanding of space and how to visualize it in three-dimensional form.”

Building Relationships

The first and most important step of a design consultation is establishing a rapport with your customer. They might not know what their style is, and it falls on you as the designer to help them discover it. So whether they are traditional, modern or an eclectic mix of both, helping a customer dream big is the name of the game.

 “When a customer comes to me to re-design their kitchen, gaining their trust and confidence is critical,” explains Teshome. “Taking on a large renovation is an emotional purchase that involves many tough decisions.”

Selecting and Designing

As one of the biggest parts of the job, you will use your expertise to help your customer make important decisions by explaining their options in cabinetry, countertops, fixtures, and appliances, all while helping keep their project on budget.

“My favorite part of the job is doing the actual design,” says Janet. “I enjoy discussing a customer’s wishes and needs for their new space then applying this new information to the 2020 Design software we use in-store. This helps create a comprehensive visual so they know what their new kitchen will look like.”

Finalizing and Installing

Designing and coordinating a kitchen renovation is a complex process of problem-solving. In the final stage of the design process, you’ll talk layout, payment options, ordering the kitchen, and finally booking install and delivery dates. In the end, seeing a customer’s vision come to life is the ultimate reward.

If you think you have what it takes to be a kitchen designer, consider starting or growing your career at The Home Depot Canada.