Custom Kitchen Design: Process, Timeline & Cost Explained

A “custom kitchen” goes beyond nicer cabinets or more finish choices. Custom work starts with your room measurements, your appliance specs, and your daily routine, then turns all of that into one coordinated system. The goal stays practical: cleaner lines, smarter storage, tighter appliance integration, and an installation that follows drawings instead of improvisation.

This guide walks through Corner’s process from first proposal to installation support, shows realistic timelines once you approve drawings, explains the cost drivers that matter most, and clarifies how to handle changes without derailing the schedule.

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What Custom Means in Practice

Custom design means cabinetry adapts to the room rather than forcing the room to adapt to standard sizes. Widths, heights, and depths follow your dimensions. Appliance openings, panels, and clearances get engineered into the plan early. Storage organization gets designed intentionally rather than added at the end.

Custom works best when the project treats the kitchen as a system: measurements, layout, cabinet internals, hardware, lighting, appliance integration, and installation details all align.

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The Corner Process From Start to Finish

Initial 3D Proposal and Estimate

The first stage keeps commitment low and clarity high. After an initial call, you share plans or a measured sketch, ceiling height, and a short brief about how you cook and what you want the space to feel like. Inspiration images help, but the process can still move forward without them.

A dedicated designer rebuilds the layout in 3D, tests layout directions, fine-tunes cabinet organization, and checks feasibility around appliances, clearances, and mechanisms. You receive a first 3D concept and a detailed estimate, then review it together on a call. After that, you decide whether to proceed into the deeper design phase.

Design Phase With Iterations and Samples

Once you choose to proceed, the project moves into deeper design work: proportions, cabinet internals, finish direction, lighting planning, and the details that make the kitchen feel calm in daily use. Most projects reach approval after two to three focused iterations within the agreed scope.

Render variants can show finish comparisons such as walnut versus light oak, or grayish versus ivory. Physical samples let you judge tone in your real lighting.

The design deposit secures design time, technical work, and physical samples. It credits toward the final cabinet invoice when you proceed. If you stop, it refunds minus sample shipping.

Technical Drawings

After layout and finishes settle, the technical team converts the design into production-ready drawings: cabinet construction, hardware specs, lighting notes, panels and fillers, and site constraints such as soffits, plumbing, disposals, filters, and appliance service clearances.

This phase prevents last-minute installer guesswork. When a ceiling slopes or a gap needs a clean solution, the drawing set captures it and the package includes the needed parts.

Production and Quality Control

Production typically runs about four weeks. The factory builds the kitchen, then performs a pre-assembly quality control step, documents the full set with photos or video, disassembles, and packages for shipping. That pre-assembly step catches mistakes before cabinets leave the factory.

Shipping and Delivery Planning

The estimate includes a delivery line that covers packing, freight, import duties, and customs brokerage, so you see total landed cost upfront. Sea freight typically costs less and takes longer. Air freight moves faster and costs more. Corner can quote both options.

Installation Support

Corner does not install directly. We supply the cabinets, a full technical drawing set, and support for your installer. In Chicago, we can often introduce installers familiar with our system. In other locations, we coordinate remotely with your contractor and stay available during installation.

Installation time depends on scope and site conditions. Many standard-sized kitchens install in about a week, and a two-week buffer keeps schedules safer in complex buildings or tight timelines.

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Timeline at a Glance

After design and technical drawings receive full approval, a practical planning baseline looks like this: about four weeks for production and quality control, plus shipping time. A common planning band lands around eight weeks from sign-off to delivery, depending on freight method and destination.

Stage	What happens	Typical timing
Initial proposal	First 3D concept and detailed estimate	Often about 1 week
Design phase	Iterations, samples, final approval	Varies by scope and decisions
Technical drawings	Construction details, final checks	Runs after design approval
Production and quality control	Build, test-fit, document, pack	About 4 weeks
Shipping to site	Freight and delivery to your address	Often a few weeks
Total from sign-off	Approved drawings to delivered cabinets	About 8 weeks as a common planning band

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Cost Explained in a Clean Way

Budget follows complexity more than labels. Integrated appliances, ceiling-height runs, special mechanisms, mixed finishes, and lighting details increase engineering and labor. Odd site conditions can also add work, especially when the plan needs custom panels or filler strategies for out-of-square walls.

Corner’s estimate covers cabinets, hardware, and any extras listed in the scope. Appliances, stone fabrication, installation labor, plumbing, electrical, flooring, permits, and similar renovation trades typically stay with local vendors and trades. Corner coordinates specs and drawings so everything fits and installs cleanly.

Cost Drivers and How to Control Them

Cost driver	What increases cost	How to control it without cheapening the result
Layout complexity	Many corners, offsets, unusual angles	Simplify runs, keep corners intentional
Tall cabinetry	Full-height walls, appliance towers	Use tall runs where they matter most
Appliance integration	Panels, special housings, ventilation	Finalize appliance specs early
Finish type	Veneer matching, premium matte surfaces	Choose one primary finish, limit mixing
Storage hardware	Pull-outs, inner drawers, corner systems	Spend where daily use happens most
Installation conditions	Out-of-square walls, uneven floors	Plan scribing and filler strategy in drawings

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Choosing Stock, Semi-Custom, or Custom

Stock moves fastest and costs less, but forces compromises. Semi-custom reduces some compromises but still follows preset size logic. Custom works best when you care about exact fit, a built-in look, or integrated appliances, or when the room has constraints that standard sizing cannot handle cleanly.

Option	Best for	Tradeoffs
Stock	Simple layouts, speed-first projects	More fillers, less integration, limited sizes
Semi-custom	Some flexibility without full engineering	Still constrained by a system of sizes
Custom	Built-in look, tall runs, integration, non-standard rooms	More planning time, higher cost

For a more detailed comparison, see our article on this topic.

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Handling Changes Without Derailing the Schedule

Design changes work best early. The process supports iterations during the design phase. After technical sign-off, production releases and dimensions lock. Structural changes no longer fit at that point. Small accessory adjustments may remain possible before final packing, depending on the item.

When appliance choices remain open, Corner can propose a best-fit default in the first concept, then refine as decisions solidify. Earlier appliance confirmation speeds technical work and reduces revisions.

Conclusion

Custom kitchen work succeeds when the project follows a controlled sequence: a first concept to validate direction, a design phase to refine layout and finishes, technical drawings to remove ambiguity, production with pre-assembly quality control, then shipping and installation support. That sequence turns complexity into predictability.

A clean starting point requires a measured sketch or floor plan, ceiling height, and a few references. From there, Corner can prepare a first 3D proposal and a detailed estimate so decisions happen with real information rather than assumptions.

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FAQ: Custom Kitchen Design

What does a “custom kitchen” mean in practice?

A custom kitchen follows your exact measurements and appliance specs. Cabinet widths, heights, and depths get built for your room, with storage, panels, and clearances engineered into one coordinated system.

How does Corner’s process work from start to finish?

Corner works in six stages: initial 3D proposal and estimate, design phase with a dedicated designer and samples, technical drawings, production and quality control, shipping, and installation support. Communication runs through email and Zoom, with progress tracked in shared project updates.

Do I need to pay a deposit before seeing any design?

No. Corner provides the first 3D concept and a detailed estimate at no cost. The design deposit comes after you decide to move into the full design phase.

How does the $500 design deposit work?

The deposit secures design time, technical work, and physical samples. It credits toward your final cabinet invoice if you proceed. If you decide not to move forward, it refunds minus sample shipping.

How many revisions do we get during design?

Design typically takes two to three main iterations for most projects. Additional revisions happen as needed to finalize layout, materials, and key features within the agreed scope.

Can you show multiple finish options before we decide?

Yes. Corner can generate quick render variants such as walnut versus light oak or grayish versus ivory, and can send physical samples so you can compare tones in your home lighting.

What happens once we approve the design?

After design approval, Corner produces the technical drawing set covering construction details, hardware, lighting, fillers, and site constraints. After technical approval, the project releases to production.

How long does production take?

Production runs about four weeks. That window includes manufacturing plus a factory pre-assembly and quality control step, followed by disassembly and packaging for shipping.

How long from sign-off to delivery?

A typical planning band runs about eight weeks from blueprint sign-off to delivery. Timing depends on freight method and destination.

Are shipping, duties, and customs included?

Yes. The estimate includes a delivery line that covers packing, freight, import duties, and customs brokerage, so you see total landed cost upfront.

What happens if something arrives damaged or out of spec?

Every project goes through factory pre-assembly and documentation before shipping. If any element arrives damaged or out of spec, Corner remakes or replaces the affected part under warranty and ships the corrected piece.

Does Corner handle installation?

Corner does not install directly. Corner supplies cabinets, a full technical drawing set, and installation support for your installer. In cities like Chicago, Corner can often introduce installers familiar with the system. Elsewhere, Corner supports your chosen contractor remotely.

How long does installation usually take?

Installation time depends on scope and site conditions. Many kitchens install in roughly a week. A two-week buffer helps protect the schedule in complex buildings or tight timelines.

Does your estimate include appliances and stone countertops?

Corner’s estimate covers cabinets, hardware, and any listed extras. Appliances, stone fabrication, installation labor, plumbing, electrical, flooring, permits, and other renovation trades typically come from local vendors and trades. Corner coordinates specs and drawings so everything fits cleanly.