A kitchen design consultation is an extremely efficient and satisfying way to approach the design of your kitchen

Here's how a brief consultation can take you from confusion to a complete and professional kitchen design.

• Benefit from Susan's vast experience and laser-focused career in the area of kitchen design (see About)

• A balanced approach - a conscious method of guiding without pushing, agreement without "yessing"

• Short term or long term consulting; personalized to your needs

• The benefit of having access to Susan's knowledge of product, material, and other resources

• The ability to become aware of multiple design solutions and on-the-spot problem solving

• The value of an expert second opinion, even if you are part way in your design process with or without a design professional

• Susan's basic understanding of construction and mechanical systems as a licensed contractor for over 25 years

• Don't leave decisions that will last for decades to tradespeople, friends or others unfamiliar with the art and science of kitchen design

• Peace of mind

How To Consult

Gather your images, your plans, your product list, any and all information that you have to share with me. You don't have to have all of your details at this point. Write a list of the issues you would like to discuss in order of importance and we will follow your agenda. This works best for hourly consultations. Consulting services are $250 for the first hour and $200 thereafter. Paypal to: susan@susanserraassociates.com. You'll be surprised at how many issues can be resolved in one hour. Just need 30 minutes? A 30 minute session is available for $150.

E-Design And Full Service Design Beyond Consulting

A full service design process is available for e-design, from preliminary drawings to fully documented drawings to design and purchase of cabinetry. Susan is experienced at designing, ordering and installing kitchens in the U.S. and beyond. Based on Long Island, we work either virtually or, for projects which include cabinetry purchased through us, in person as needed. 

Via our virtual project management system, drawings, images, product lists, events, timelines and more are uploaded to a secure site. During the design process, we can have video meetings where the camera shows the design on another computer monitor (one of 3 monitors for flexible use) while changes are made in real time and we are talking it through. We have continuing text conversations on this site, all of which is easily searchable. The entire project is documented in your personal project website and available to you 24/7. This method is the ultimate in efficiency, quality and is the best way to utilize several communication methods.

Our detailed kitchen design process is eminently more transparent than traditional local design services as, together, we navigate every possible issue in one online space. It is of significant peace of mind that all past and current information on your project, every detail, is immediately available to you.

Services are dependent on scope, beginning at $1500 for preliminary designs which we discuss via phone or video chat. Projects in our local metro New York area will also utilize our project website. Schedule a free 30 minute introductory call now or contact us via email!

Some lovely recent comments:

"Susan Serra is very kind and really interested in putting her vast experience to work. I wish I'd called Susan sooner. I waited until I was too stymied and pressured to really ask some of the questions I'd been asking for months – in part because I'd gotten so used to hearing them, my brain froze them out.

Susan's best advice is both simple and non-technical: treat the kitchen like a room. Make it a room you want to be in, not an appliance or cabinet showroom. Decorate it – or don't – but DO think about how it makes you feel to be in there. Expect company, and make room for them too. Doesn't every party – even a party of two – spend some time in the kitchen? "Unstuff" your kitchen and make room for good things to happen. 

Susan doesn't encourage you to "spend your way to happiness," nor try to spend your money for you. She focuses on the problems as she sees them, and invites dialog.  This is a huge positive. Anyone remodeling a house is facing inconvenience and cost, and The Unknown. Having a considerate guide … that's priceless."  __________Mark W.

"The phone consultation was exactly what I had hoped it would be.  Susan Serra used her knowledge and experience to help me think through some layout and style issues.  She was able to clarify issues I could feel, but just couldn’t quite pinpoint the trouble.  Ms. Serra could see the problems quickly and proposed several different possible remedies.

We, my husband and myself, are redoing the kitchen unexpectedly after the drywall in our kitchen was destroyed by an accident.  Ms Serra was respectful of both our budget limitations and the sudden stress we are under.

The most troubling style issue for us - how to make both of us happy with the style.  We appreciate very different styles – he likes rustic  and I like English Georgian with some whimsy thrown in.  In the past, we both tried to make the other happy – of course that resulted in neither of us being happy.   Ms. Serra was able to quickly sketch out in words achievable ways to combine our tastes.  What had been difficult for us became so simple! 

I can’t say enough about the opportunity to have a wonderful designer consult on our kitchen."  _______Jill M.  

"We recently relocated to another state.  In our new to us, but 17 year old kitchen, we had several design issues.  These included how to modify the original, too small opening for our refrigerator, as well as questions on appliances, countertops, and backsplash. I emailed Susan my pictures, and wrote out a list of questions to be discussed.  In the course of the hour, Susan presented us with options regarding these issues.  She also pointed out details that I had not "noticed" before that could be corrected with little money and effort.  She was easy to talk to, and sensitive to the fact that although nice, my kitchen is not like the high end kitchens pictured on her website.   I believe that consulting with Susan, before taking the next step in our kitchen facelift,  prevented the chance of an expensive design mistake, and so was a wise investment for our home.   I am now more confident in my choices, and ready to proceed." _________Judy W.  

"I feel that I definitely benefitted greatly from my consultation time with Susan. There were so many details that would have escaped me had I not been guided in the right direction. I wanted my banquette to be really comfortable and also functional--and, above all, pleasing to the eye. We covered every topic and I feel far more confident in speaking with the contractor handling my job! Thank you, Susan, look forward to our next consultation. And, all of this while in my Bedhead Pajamas!"  __________Mary L.H.

"The consultation with Susan really helped me to consolidate my thoughts about my kitchen design. The process of collecting ideas, questions, and pictures in a compact form for Susan to review forced me to really edit the myriad thoughts and ideas that were in my head. I sent her a long list of possible topics to cover and thought that we might get through half of it. During the phone call, I never felt hurried, but we covered most of my topics! She really took the time to think through my layout, asking lots of questions about our family and their habits, pointing out the deficiencies that she saw. I was really focused mostly on function, but Susan graciously took extra time at the end to discuss the decorative aspect of the layout and suggest cabinet changes to improve the visual impact. She has given me a lot to think about, and I feel much more confident moving forward. If you are feeling paralyzed in your kitchen design, Susan is a great resource!" _________Nancy Y.

"Plans for a small renovation of an old kitchen soon ballooned out of control.   In our phone consultation, Susan was able to provide much needed focus and guidance, salvaging not only the project, but my sanity as well." _________Jenny P.