You should stop by the big box home improvement stores. Home Depot and Lowes offer design services for a relatively nominal fee. It's a good place to start and see what the corporate folks can design, recommend, etc. If you don't like what they go with, you've already eliminated a possible redo when you search for an independent contractor.

Yeah? My concern is the house is way old, and things aren't exactly up to code as of now. I feel like their standard go-to options won't work for one reason or another. Like, their design plans include recessed lights but we find out the house isn't wired to support that (that's a bad example, but you know what I mean). But maybe I'm just not giving them enough credit for what they do.

Monica is somebody I know from the community. Look at her Instagram and see if you like her work.

https://www.instagram.com/monicaplotkainteriors/?hl=en

All of what the kitchen designers do is custom. There's obviously standard patterns they're using in their mockups because they're popular and easy, but everyone does that, and obviously if you say you don't want xyz, they'll draw up something without it.

Sydelle of Sydelle Interiors is great. She does a lot of work on super (like 1800s) old houses.

I like Joe from Better Plastics in Jersey City. Despite the name the cabinets are not made of plastic, I don’t know where they got that name. Joe comes out to your kitchen to take measurements and take your opinions if you have any. Then he’ll propose a couple layouts as to where to put each component such as sink stove dishwasher fridge, etc. You pick between styles and colors of cabinets. They also do countertops but I’ve used countertop specialists for that.

Joe Caggiano Better Plastics Elegant Kitchens & Bath 1 Mallory Ave Jersey City, NJ 201-332-6777

Thank you! My house is indeed super old. 1891.

Awesome. Thanks!