Does it have to be an individual?

There are the corporate ones like Bulthaup and Pedini.

There are a few at [this blog[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103).

And the Designers' Portfolio at HGTV has some names.

Or you could just choose our own Giacomo (I'm pretty sure this is the right URL).

Where do you live?

Look up:

Christine Lane, Boston
Nicole Hollis, SF
Erin Martin, Napa
Matthew Leverone, SF
Kara Mann, Chicago
Mick DiGiulio, Chicago
Howard Backen, Napa

Thank you for the suggestions! I have to have one picked and an inspiration kitchen or the chosen one's designs for class tonight.

I live about 1 1/2 hours east of Chicago in northern Indiana.

I could probably use a firm but I think the teacher wants an individual.

Funny thing is I'd much rather design the project without having to emulate someone else's design but that's not the assignment.

Thank you for your help!

Too late for class but Mick DiGuilio is a single person who now heads his own firm. fabulous. He started in Wilmette and now also has a place at or near the Mart.

So, whom did you pick?

It's actually a very useful exercise to copy someone's style, especially considering it's kitchens which you're very current on and are sure to have a lot of your ideas of your own. One reason is the same as why art students copy the masters: You learn more by trying to actually make the brush strokes than you do looking at them. The other is that if you're going to work in the field, a lot of times a client will show you an inspiration picture of a kitchen that couldn't possible work in her house and ask you to do that. If you've learned how to copy a style you'll be able to pull elements of the look that will please the client, while giving her the design that her house demands. Kitchens are probably the hardest to do on that level.

Well, we got told we have to choose one off the AD100 list so I chose Emily Summers. I honestly didn't have time to go through every one of the AD100. Emily Summers work seemed to combine modern/contemporary with some older pieces--her kitchens seem fairly modern to me but the other rooms were more eclectic. The project is doing a main floor in a townhouse--kitchen-dining-living room.

Thank you for the reasoning on copying. I can definitely see how a future client would hand me the a picture and say something along the lines of "I'd like this."

I did have to laugh..the kitchen is supposed to be designed primarly for looks. We have to have appliances in the right places to create the proper work flow, but we don't have to worry about where people would actually store what...mostly designing the kitchen for looks only. There's another class that is optional that focuses soley on kitchen & bath design that gets into the insides of cabinets.

I think I have a kitchen crush on Johnny Grey.
Not him just his kitchens...
Here is my suggestions. I know, I know you already
chose, I am just having fun. Let me share my kitchen
crush. And one day when you have graduted and I am
a billionaire you can design a kitchen like Johnny's
for me.
~boxer

Boxerpups...oh love the Johnny Grey. I like the old looking aga with the space age island/chairs. I was thinking about using AGA in my design anyway, so it's nice to see that it should work with a more contemporary look.

I can't change designers now---had to hand in our choice last night. I'm just in the get it done mode now. Presentation day is May 4. It's tough working full time, dealing with kids and doing my own kitchen remodel while doing classes. I think I was a little over ambitious this semester. I wish I had time to really enjoy the design classes more instead of focusing on just getting them done so I can move on to the next thing.

Love the inspiration pics...I'm saving them in my "inspiration folder" for future projects. Can't wait to get to the kitchen & bath class. I know how to be super detailed about kitchen stuff!

Aha! But Eks, that's also a real world lesson for you, your schedule is. When you are working as a designer, you'll still have the kids and homelife, plus continuing ed, client meetings and bids that don't bring in any money (i.e., you don't get hired), documentation, taxes and other paperwork, and overlapping jobs that you can't turn down that force you to work double time.

Learning to just get the job done and done well under this kind of pressure is invaluable! A lot of people have a really hard time going from the leisure of student life to the realities of practice. You'll have a leg up.

Emily Summers was a good choice - really unique

The company makes it possible to invest in a contemporary Kitchen space.
Modern kitchens might not be out of your price range I just love looking at contemporary kitchens and fantasising about how they'd look in my own home.
Unfortunately I don't reckon I have the money to afford the kitchen of my dreams, although the range from Leicht certainly comes close.
The German design and manufacturing firm has just launched 2011 collection, aimed at giving consumers a modern space at a fraction of the usual cost.
It works by building a modular kitchen that can then be placed in any home.
You can choose between a number of neutral colours that should suit the rest of the decor in your new space, as well as deciding which units to place with the basic plan.
I've heard grey is set to be a key interior design trend, so you might think about teaming a natural-coloured kitchen with grey walls or accessories to achieve this fashionable look. www.leichtusa.com

Here is a link that might be useful: www.Studio4Kitchens.com