I have no problem paying for an independent design.
I have had experience of going through in-house design with kitchen suppliers (with other homes previously) but always found they pushed what they had in stock etc. and I paid the nominal fees at the time.
After I have my design (which I hope will be a mix of both fitted & non-fitted) I'll wory about getting it made then.
As an aside the main focus at the moment is to get a stable door sorted .... finalising design, glass and handle choice etc.
The biggest hurdle is getting the locking system to work with the design but we're almost there.
Anyways .... all suggestions re. availability of independent kitchen designers appreciated.