The Kitchen Consultant
We’ve all struggled with decision making when it comes to our homes. Whether it’s choosing a paint color or deciding whether to knock down a wall for a major renovation, the process can be overwhelming. Everyone from your neighbor to your long-lost uncle have an opinion on what you should do, but they don’t have to live with the consequences. It seems almost impossible to sift through all of the information to find out if you’re making the right decisions for you and your family. If only there was someone who you could consult with. Someone with experience. Someone who has been involved in over a thousand renovation and new construction projects and has gained valuable insight from each and every single one.
The Kitchen Consultant has grown out of the passion I have for the design industry and making spaces realize their full potential. Finding perfect harmony between a client’s vision and my own is how I nurture my relentless thirst to create my next great space. I pair this drive with my other: A lifelong journey for knowledge and understanding about everything the design and construction industry has to offer. These driving factors, working in tandem, allow me to create spaces that are functional, intentional, and specifically curated for my clients.
Early Beginnings
Understanding the basics of the industry has helped me thrive as a designer. I began my “career” at the ripe age of 14 working in a cabinetry warehouse learning how products need to be stored and cared for before they ever make it to your home. Once I got my driver’s license, I began delivering cabinets and learned how these products need to be shipped, handled, and stored once they reach your home. At the time, I thought this would be the end of my journey in this world as I would later leave to study Business and Japanese at Hope College in picturesque Holland, MI. With high hopes for my future, I graduated during the unfortunate period we remember as The Great Recession. As I interviewed for business operations and marketing positions, I was left with little options to pay my bills. This led me to taking a minimum wage position working at 3:00 am in an office furniture manufacturing facility building cabinets. Not where I thought my life was going to take me.
Hands On Experience
During this time, my mom was leaving the showroom she managed to realize her dream of having her own kitchen and bath design firm. I moved back to her area just outside of Ann Arbor, MI to work on a construction crew that installed her projects where I received what I attribute as the best experience I could have before taking on a role as a designer. I learned how materials are installed, maintained, serviced, and their pitfalls. I would later become a licensed builder, open a cabinet delivery warehouse, and even a short-lived Ready-To-Assemble cabinet showroom that we unloaded before the tariffs came in. Eventually, I couldn’t avoid making the leap to full blown designer and eventually becoming the youngest Certified Master Kitchen and Bath Designer in the country. Everything I learned along the way to achieving that title impacts how I go about drawing a space. I’m always looking for the best way to optimize the entire process and make a space last a lifetime (or until you decide you want something new)!
The Journey So Far
From organizing a cabinet warehouse to co-owning and growing one of the largest single location kitchen and bath design firms in Michigan with my brother and mother, an unbridled passion grew in me for everything kitchen and bath. Those experiences have given me an invaluable tenure and a wholistic view of the industry most designers never see. I eventually journeyed off on my own to tackle the next chapter of my career where I took home some awards, found my way into some great publications, was named the best kitchen designer in Michigan, and joined Design Galleria to take my journey nationwide. From Michigan, to Nashville, to states across the country (and soon continents across the globe!) – I now travel the country designing for clients who are seeking my expertise. My dream is to share what I learn along the way and take the guess work out of the design and construction process. I’m excited to hear your questions on this journey, share my knowledge, and learn a thing or two along the way here at The Kitchen Consultant. My cabinets are always open for you.
Together, let’s save the world from mediocre kitchens!
Accreditations
Certified Master Kitchen and Bath Designer
Certified Living in Place Professional
Certified Aging in Place Specialist
Licensed Builder #2101209269 MI