Free Kitchen CAD Design: What You Get and How to Request Yours

You do not need to arrive with a finished kitchen plan before asking for design help. A rough sketch, some measurements, photographs and a clear idea of what needs to improve can be enough to begin turning the room into a workable layout.

Painted Kitchens offers a free, no-pressure kitchen CAD design service. The purpose is practical: to show how the proposed cabinetry could fit together, make the layout easier to understand and create a clearer basis for the cabinets, accessories and costs involved.

This guide explains what to send, what happens next, what the drawings may include and what still needs to be checked before a kitchen is ordered.

What is a kitchen CAD design?

CAD stands for computer-aided design. In kitchen planning, it is used to turn room measurements, cabinet choices, appliances and design requirements into a visual layout.

Depending on the project and stage, a CAD design may include a plan viewed from above, front elevations of cabinet runs, three-dimensional perspective views or a combination of these. Each view has a different job:

• A floor plan helps show the position of cabinets, appliances, doors, windows and walkways.
• Elevations make cabinet widths, heights, alignments and finishing details easier to understand.
• Three-dimensional views help you judge the proportions and overall feel of the proposed kitchen.

CAD is more useful than a decorative image alone because the visual design can be connected to an actual list of cabinetry and accessories. It helps turn “we would like a larder and an island” into a layout that can be discussed, adjusted and priced.

Is the Painted Kitchens CAD design service really free?

Yes. Painted Kitchens describes the service as completely free, without pressure to proceed. The design and quote stage gives you an opportunity to see what may work and understand the likely cabinet specification before deciding whether to place an order.

You can read the current offer on the free kitchen CAD drawings service page.

Free does not mean that every decision has already been made or that the first plan must be accepted. An early layout is a starting point. It can reveal missing information, choices that need discussing and parts of the room that require a different approach.

Who is the free design service for?

The service can help whether you are starting from a blank sheet or already have quite a detailed idea.

It is particularly useful if:

• You know what you dislike about the current kitchen but not how to reorganise it.
• You have room measurements but are unsure which cabinet sizes will fit.
• You want to compare cupboards, drawers, larders, islands or appliance positions.
• You need a clearer idea of how standard and bespoke cabinetry could work together.
• You have inspiration images but need to translate them into your own room.
• You already have a plan or quote from another supplier and want to compare the layout and cabinet choices.
• You are buying a supply-only or DIY kitchen and need the cabinet arrangement made clearer before ordering.

You do not need to know the Painted Kitchens product codes. Start with the room, how you use it and what the new kitchen needs to achieve.

What should you send for a free kitchen CAD design?

The better the starting information, the more useful the first design can be. You do not need a professional survey before making an initial enquiry, but you should send enough detail to show the room and the main constraints.

1. A room sketch and basic measurements

A simple hand-drawn plan is useful. Mark the overall wall lengths and the approximate positions of doors, windows and fixed features. Include ceiling height and window-sill height where they may affect tall or wall cabinetry.

If the room is being extended or altered, send the latest architectural or builder's plan and explain which dimensions are proposed rather than final.

2. Photographs of the room

Photographs help explain details that are difficult to show on a sketch. Take clear images from several corners and include doorways, windows, alcoves, chimney breasts, boilers, radiators, meters, boxed-in services and anything else that may affect the cabinetry.

Photographs are also useful when some existing features will remain.

3. Appliance and sink information

Explain which appliances you want and whether any current appliances will be reused. Useful details include:

• Range cooker or built-in ovens
• Integrated or freestanding fridge and freezer
• Dishwasher size and type
• Hob and extraction preference
• Washing machine or tumble dryer if they belong in the kitchen
• Belfast, undermount or other sink style
• Any small appliances that need a permanent home

Exact model numbers are valuable once the design becomes more detailed because appliances of the same nominal width can have different housing, ventilation and opening requirements.

4. Your storage and layout priorities

Describe the practical result you want, not only the appearance. For example:

• More accessible pan storage near the hob
• A larder for most dry food
• A breakfast cupboard for small appliances
• An island with seating for three
• More uninterrupted preparation space
• A place for bins close to the preparation area
• Fewer wall cabinets or a lighter feel around a window

This information helps the designer choose cabinets around real tasks rather than simply filling every available wall.

5. Style and finish ideas

Send any useful reference images and describe the elements you actually like. It may be the door style, colour, proportion of a dresser, panelled island end or balance between open and closed storage.

You do not need to make every colour, handle and worktop decision before the first plan. A broad direction is enough to begin.

6. Any existing plan or quote

If another supplier has already prepared a layout, send it. Painted Kitchens can review the cabinet arrangement and use it as a starting point for a design based on its own standard and bespoke cabinetry.

This can be particularly useful when you like the overall result but want to understand whether the storage, finish or cost could be approached differently. The kitchen design and planning page explains how to submit an existing plan or quote for review.

What happens after you send the information?

The exact conversation varies by project, but the process usually follows a practical sequence.

The room and brief are reviewed

The designer first needs to understand the room, the main fixed features and what the kitchen is expected to do. If an important measurement or requirement is missing, it may need clarifying before the layout can be developed properly.

A cabinet layout is developed

The room information is translated into a proposed arrangement using relevant cabinets, appliance housings, panels and accessories. Standard cabinet sizes can be used where they suit the room, with bespoke elements considered where they solve a genuine sizing or design problem.

The proposal is turned into CAD views

The plan can then be represented visually so you can understand the cabinet runs, appliance positions, storage and overall proportions. The views supplied will depend on what is useful and appropriate at that stage.

The cabinetry can be listed and priced

Once the proposed layout is clear, it becomes much easier to identify the cabinets and accessories needed. That creates a more useful basis for a quote than trying to price a kitchen from a room size or inspiration photograph alone.

If you want to see the available categories while planning, browse the kitchen cabinet collections and options.

You review and request changes

The first version may lead to questions or revisions. You might decide that an island is too large, prefer drawers in a different position, want more worktop space or need to change an appliance.

Give feedback in practical terms. “We need space for two people to prepare food” is more useful than “it does not feel right”. The designer then has a clear problem to solve.

What can a CAD design help you decide?

A useful plan can help answer several connected buying questions before you commit to the kitchen.

• Layout: Do the sink, cooking, refrigeration and preparation areas work together?
• Storage: Is there the right balance of cupboards, drawers, larders and specialist storage?
• Clearance: Can people move comfortably and can doors, drawers and appliances open?
• Proportion: Do tall cabinets, wall units, islands and open areas feel balanced?
• Cabinet choice: Where do standard sizes work and where might a bespoke piece earn its place?
• Finish: Which visible ends need panels, fillers, skirting, cornice or other finishing details?
• Cost: Which cabinets and accessories are creating the quote, and where could the design be simplified?

The drawing is not only there to make the kitchen look attractive. It should make the proposed order easier to understand.

How CAD helps produce a clearer kitchen quote

A broad request such as “painted Shaker kitchen with an island” cannot produce a reliable cabinet list by itself. The price depends on the actual arrangement.

A CAD-led quote can reflect choices such as:

• The number and size of base, wall and tall cabinets
• Cupboards compared with drawer units
• Standard sizes compared with bespoke cabinets
• Appliance and sink housings
• End panels, fillers, posts, cornice and skirting
• Internal storage and other accessories
• Island components and finished visible sides

The CAD drawing and quote should describe the same kitchen. Once you receive them, work around the plan and confirm that every visible and functional component is accounted for. Our guide to checking a kitchen CAD drawing before approval provides a detailed checklist for that stage.

What does a free kitchen CAD design not replace?

CAD is a design, communication and quoting tool. It does not remove the need for accurate final information or checks by the people responsible for the room and installation.

A preliminary or presentation drawing does not automatically replace:

• Confirmed final room measurements
• A site assessment of uneven walls, floors or ceilings
• Structural advice
• Final plumbing, electrical, gas or extraction planning
• Current appliance installation instructions
• Worktop templating where required
• The kitchen fitter's installation checks

Ask what each drawing has been prepared to show. Do not assume that a three-dimensional visual is also a complete technical installation drawing.

Common mistakes when requesting a free kitchen design

• Sending one overall room measurement without doors, windows or fixed features
• Providing photographs but no sketch showing how the room connects together
• Choosing cabinets before explaining what needs to be stored
• Forgetting appliances that will affect the cabinetry
• Describing only the desired style and not how the kitchen must work
• Treating approximate early measurements as confirmed final dimensions
• Reviewing the attractive three-dimensional view without checking the cabinet list and quote
• Failing to mark which parts of an existing plan are liked and which need changing

How to request your free kitchen CAD design

Gather the best information you currently have. This may include a room sketch, basic measurements, photographs, appliance preferences, storage priorities, inspiration images and any existing plan or quote.

Then visit the Painted Kitchens free CAD design service or send the team your project details. You do not need to solve the cabinet layout yourself before making contact.

If you are still working out what information matters, the guide to preparing for a kitchen design consultation provides a useful starting checklist.

What happens if you want to proceed?

If the proposed layout, cabinet specification and quote are heading in the right direction, they can be refined before an order is finalised. Revisions should appear consistently in the latest plan and quote.

Before committing, confirm the final measurements, appliances, finishes, included services and every item in the order. The Painted Kitchens ordering process explains the later stages from quote adjustment and product review through to final sign-off and delivery.

Final thought

A free kitchen CAD design gives you something much more useful than a rough price from a room size. It turns your measurements, priorities and ideas into a visible cabinet layout that can be questioned, revised and connected to a clearer quote.

You do not need a perfect brief to begin. Send what you have, explain what the new kitchen needs to improve and be honest about any measurements or decisions that are still provisional. The purpose of the design stage is to make those choices clearer before the kitchen is ordered.

Free Kitchen CAD Design FAQs

Is the Painted Kitchens CAD design service free?

Yes. Painted Kitchens offers a free, no-pressure CAD design service to help develop a proposed kitchen layout and the related cabinet specification before you decide whether to order.

Do I need exact measurements to request a kitchen design?

Basic measurements can be enough to begin an initial design conversation, provided you identify them as approximate. Accurate final measurements must be confirmed before the kitchen layout, quote and order are approved.

What should I send for a free kitchen CAD design?

Send a room sketch, basic measurements, photographs, appliance and sink preferences, storage priorities, style ideas and any existing plan or quote. Include doors, windows and fixed features that may affect the cabinetry.

Will the CAD design include a kitchen quote?

The proposed layout can be used to create a list of the cabinetry and accessories needed, which provides a clearer basis for costs and a kitchen quote. Check that the latest drawing and quote describe the same design.

Is a kitchen CAD plan an installation drawing?

Not necessarily. CAD may be used to show the proposed layout, cabinet arrangement and appearance rather than every technical installation detail. Confirm what the drawings include and ensure your fitter and relevant trades complete their required checks.