It’s been a while since you’ve met another member of our team, and with remodeling season upon us, we thought you should meet our “Reive” designer, Erica! You might be wondering what “Revive” means, and it’s our term for giving your spaces a “revival” without doing a full-on remodel. You can learn more about our revival projects here. Now, back to meeting our Revive designer, Erica! Erica has almost been with us from the start and has served various roles within our small business, mostly designing beautiful spaces and also serving an important role in our social media team with a focus on marketing. She’s also been named to the National Kitchen & Bath Association’s (NKBA) Thirty Under 30, Class of 2018! Erica is a much-valued member of our team and we’re excited for you all to meet our wonderful designer, Erica. Check out our interview with her below!

How would you describe your design style?

It’s changed a lot, I used to be more contemporary but now I lean more transitional to traditional. If I could buy everything in Restoration Hardware, I would!

What is your favorite part of working with clients?

Finding materials that fit their style and home in a creative updated way.

If someone wanted to DIY their kitchen remodel, what advice would you give them?

Make sure they know what they’re doing or they’ve done it before. A lot of things come up mid-project that they might not expect.

What is an average day for you like?

Going to a client’s job site, picking out materials for another client, working on bids/ proposal, entering invoices, visiting other showrooms (tile, fabric, wallpaper, etc.) Today I put materials together for our Instagram account.

What are 3 words that describe you?

Honest, positive, and loyal.

Where do you look to for inspiration?

Houzz, Pinterest, design blogs, and showrooms.

If you could go back to your first year as a designer, what is one thing you wish you knew then what you know now?

I think I would try to step out of the box more and not design on “the safe side” for fear of my clients not liking something. I tend to take more design risks now because I don’t want all my kitchens to look the same. If a client doesn’t like something we can always scale back.

If you could have a celebrity as a client, who would it be and why?

That’s hard to name just one. I would say anyone isn’t scared of a dramatic space. I love using darker colors with high contrast accents.

What is your favorite phase of a project (the pre-design work, the beginning/demo, middle, or end/completion)?

Definitely the completion! I love to see everything come together in a home. It’s also nice to see how much the client likes their new space.

When you’re not busy designing at work, what do you spend your time doing?

I just finished my 200 hour Yoga Teacher Certification which took up most of my free time! I’m now looking forward to spending more time with my dog and friends. I hope to lead company yoga sessions on a weekly basis in the new year!

What does ‘Kitchen Design Concepts’ mean to you?

I’ve been with Kitchen Design Concepts for almost 9 years! I feel so fortunate to get to come to work at a company I love and do what I love every day! The company almost feels like a family and the owners, Jennifer and Mary Kathryn, are very supportive of us and any interest we might have.

Tell us one fun fact about you that no one really knows.

I like to create flower arrangements!

Thank you, Erica, for letting us get to “meet our designer”. While you’re here, check out another one of our Revival projects here!