Kitchen design your thoughts

Kitchen Design is it an art or a science? I would be interested in people’s thoughts and comments. There are not many professional kitchen designers but do there need to be? What is the basis of a good kitchen design; is it the distribution of working areas in the ‘working triangle’ as often put forward as a basis of good kitchen design, Or in reality is it just the best use of the space for every ones kitchen based on personal choice and input from a designer who has knowledge and a good amount of common sense. Kitchen units are mathematical units, and kitchens are a fixed size, we cannot imagine more space than there is, we can advocate the removal of walls to create more space but we must be mindful of our clients brief. There are many ways in which to increase the usage of the available space by the use of clever storage solutions in base and wall units. The choice of worktops can greatly increase the usability of a kitchen with different sinks being used with different worktops. All appliances irrespective of the manufacturer come in sizes suitable for fitted kitchens so again they can only be fitted in certain positions. Islands are a great idea for a kitchen, an additional working space and seating areas as well, however not every clients kitchen is big enough to take an island. So the designer must listen to the client and ask questions that require the client to think before answering so that the he or she will be able to prepare a specification that matches the client’s requirements. I will be really interested in hearing your thoughts on what you expect from a kitchen designer.