Kitchen design stores, cabinet shops, contractors and carpenters can also be good people to talk to during the design phase of your project. But be sure to get only the information they're best able to provide. A carpenter is an excellent person to ask about construction possibilities such as removing bearing walls, but may not be the person to ask about the actual kitchen layout. A contractor can organize the job and quote a price, but for designing the room you are better off with an architect. These constraints inspire the architect, contractor and client to focus on the essentials and disregard the superfluous.
Good design is also the best way to control renovation costs up front.
I've seen basic, cost-effective materials turned into wonderful kitchens through elegant, inspired design. See Steve's Tips for Designing Your Kitchen for a helpful how-to list of kitchen considerations. This Old House and the This Old House window and This Old House Online are trademarks of WGBH Educational Foundation. Neither WGBH Educational Foundation nor PBS endorses any product or service mentioned within This Old House Online or any web sites linked to or from This Old House Online.