What Does a Certified Master Kitchen & Bath Designer Do?

What is the NKBA, and why do its credentials matter?

The NKBA is a North American trade association for the kitchen and bath industry. Its certifications are built on its own Kitchen and Bath Planning Guidelines, which set recommended clearances, landing areas, lighting and accessibility practices that a designer is tested on.

That matters because Michigan does not license kitchen and bath designers. Without a state license, an independent certification is the clearest outside evidence that a designer has been examined on planning standards and has real project experience behind the title.

How do the AKBD, CKBD and CMKBD differ?

NKBA certification has changed over the years, and older designations still appear after many designers’ names. Here is how the main levels compare, based on the NKBA’s certification pages:

NKBA also lists the older CKD and CBD (kitchen-only and bath-only certifications) as legacy designations. CKD holders seeking the master level must also pass a bath exam and portfolio review. Certified designers keep their status by completing 20 hours of approved continuing education each cycle.

What does a certified master kitchen and bath designer do on a remodel?

The title describes experience, not a different job. A master-level designer does the same work as any good kitchen and bath designer, with years of practice behind each decision:

• Listens to how a household cooks, bathes, stores and moves, and turns that into a functional layout.
• Applies NKBA planning guidelines for clearances, landing space and access without needing to look them up.
• Designs cabinetry in detail, including fillers, scribes and custom pieces for difficult walls.
• Produces drawings complete enough for trades to build from: plans, elevations, installation and lighting drawings.
• Guides selections of counters, tile, fixtures, lighting and hardware so they work together.
• Coordinates with contractors and stays engaged through installation.

At Kitchen NV, all of that sits inside our kitchen design service, and it applies equally to bathrooms, laundry rooms, basements and built-ins. A design consultation is the first step for any of them.

What do the NKBA certification exams actually test?

Every NKBA design credential rests on two exams, and knowing what they measure helps you judge what the letters are worth. Both are described on the association’s certification page.

1. 1

   Fundamentals Exam

   Scenario-based questions on applying the Kitchen & Bath Planning Guidelines: aisle widths, landing areas beside each appliance, clearances at seating, ventilation, receptacle and lighting basics. It tests judgment on real layouts, not memorized definitions.

2. 2

   Portfolio Exam

   A panel of NKBA-certified jurors reviews one real kitchen and one real bath the candidate designed as designer of record. Each submission needs a full drawing set, written specifications, a design statement and at least two before and two after photographs.

3. 3

   Graphic standards

   Portfolio drawings must follow NKBA’s Graphic & Presentation Standards, which NKBA itself notes are more detailed than the floor plans most interior designers produce.

The guidelines behind the exams are not static. NKBA has published them since 1992, and the current fifth edition was revised to line up with the 2024 International Residential Code. They now reach beyond kitchens and baths to closets, laundry areas, home offices and other support spaces, which is why a certified designer is often the right call for a mudroom or a basement bar as well as the kitchen. Certified designers then owe 2.0 continuing education units, equal to 20 hours, every cycle to stay current.

What a certification cannot tell you about a designer

A credential proves knowledge and a track record. It does not prove fit, and it is honest to say so. Before you hire anyone, certified or not, judge these things for yourself:

• ✓Whether the designer’s past kitchens look like rooms you would want to live in, not just rooms that pass the guidelines.
• ✓Whether they listen more than they talk in the first meeting.
• ✓How many projects they carry at once, and who you will actually deal with week to week.
• ✓Whether construction is coordinated by someone with a Michigan builder license, since NKBA certification does not authorize anyone to contract the build.
• ✓Whether the fee structure and deliverables are written down before you pay.

Plenty of capable designers never pursue certification, and a credential is no substitute for references. What it does give you is a floor: proof that someone outside the company has examined the designer’s planning knowledge and reviewed real, built work. Our checklist for hiring a kitchen designer covers the rest of the interview.

CAPS and CLIPP: Nick’s credentials for designing for every age

Beyond the CMKBD, Nick holds two credentials focused on homes that work for people as they age or as their abilities change:

• CAPS (Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist). Awarded by the NAHB, the home builders’ national association, after three courses covering aging-in-place design principles, product selection, installation and budgeting for home modifications.
• CLIPP (Certified Living in Place Professional). Issued by the Living in Place Institute, this one centers on home accessibility, health and safety for people of all ages.

Those credentials show up in details like drawer storage instead of deep base shelves, varied counter heights, and curbless showers. Our accessible kitchen design page goes further into what that looks like.

How can you verify a designer’s credentials and license?

You should never have to take a designer’s word for it. Both of Nick’s key qualifications can be checked in a few minutes:

1. 1

   NKBA certification

   Open the designer directory on nkba.org and use its verification option to confirm a designer holds an NKBA credential.

2. 2

   Michigan builder license

   Search the state licensing agency’s online lookup (LARA, Michigan’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs). Nick’s individual residential builder license is number 2101209269, issued in 2015 and valid through May 31, 2029.

3. 3

   Other credentials

   Ask which organization issued each title, then check that organization’s directory or contact it directly.

The builder license is Nick’s personally, and it matters because Michigan’s Occupational Code requires licensing for residential construction work of $600 or more. Homeowners from Pinckney to Ann Arbor are welcome to check both before their first meeting.