If you could relive one moment in your life, what would it be?
The last meal I had with all of my children at one table.

What are some lessons learned you can share with other professionals?
Never stop learning something new – the world will keep changing and so should you. The biggest professional leap for me came the moment I decided to stop being something I thought consumers wanted and started being confident in my own ideas and fulfilling my client’s needs.
– Ray Wiese, CMKBD, Founder/Owner, The Wiese Co.

If you could see anyone in concert – living or dead – who would it be?
There are so many great musicians and performers – living and deceased – it’s hard to select just one. If there was some way I could commission my own personalized concert, with artists from multiple genres throughout history to collaborate and perform a mash up of hits, that’s a concert I would like to see.

What are some lessons learned you can share with other professionals? 

I’ve always enjoyed the saying, “The harder you work, the luckier you get.” When you lead by example and are considered an expert on any given subject matter, typically new ideas and feedback will be considered and respected. Also, the best way you can grow your career and contribute to the industry is to balance the practicality of getting it done now with pushing toward a vision of how it can be done better in the future.
– Kate Bailey, Director of Showrooms, Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Galleries

If you could see anyone in concert – living or dead – who would it be?
I would love to be able to take my wife to see Whitney Houston.

What are some of your biggest achievements?
For me, my family is my biggest achievement. Professionally speaking, my greatest achievement would be my mark on the decorative plumbing industry. I was one of the early developers of luxury showrooms in the kitchen and bath industry and have had the privilege to work on some incredible international spaces.
– David Lyon, V.P. Retail Division, Blackman Plumbing

If you could travel anywhere for an extended period of time, where would you go?
I’d go to Ingonish, Nova Scotia. I have a spot up there that is on top of the world, buried within in the Cape Breton Highlands. I’d sit by a fire every night and watch the whales and the stars.

What are some of your biggest achievements?
When I started my business, the goal I set out for myself was to get published, and I avoided the goal for years. In 2004 on a personal dare, I entered three national design competitions, including KBB’s Design Awards. I won all three that year, including being on my first of three covers. It changed my career, winning more than 30 national awards over the next decade, and in 2015, I won the International Design Award for Kitchen and Bath design in London.
– David Stimmel, Principal Designer, Stimmel Consulting Group

If you could relive one moment in your life, what would it be?
I love the ballet. When I was younger, I would dance pointe. The structure and discipline it took to advance was a drug to me. I would go back and relive dancing to Swan Lake.

When did you know you were destined for the K&B industry?
I worked on home plans throughout my high school and college time, and I carried design positions in construction and architecture firms. The first time I walked into an actual kitchen showroom to look at cabinets to place into a design (about 18 years ago), I was hooked. I could not believe there was a whole industry around kitchen and baths exclusively and that you could make money just designing the most exciting part of the home!
– Brandy Souza, General Manager of Kitchen Views, 
part of the National Lumber Family of Cos.

What is your favorite app to use on your smartphone or tablet?
Instagram – I love posting pictures on my professional page about my new projects or even my daily life as a designer. I love hearing the feedback from my followers all across the world. I also love following other designers to see their beautiful projects and congratulate them on their accomplishments.

What are some lessons learned you can share with other professionals?
Don’t be afraid to say no. If a client isn’t respectful, too needy, doesn’t value your time or something just doesn’t feel right, don’t be afraid to say no. No matter how much money they throw in your face, sometimes it just isn’t worth it. Always be your biggest fan and know your worth.
– Ebony Stephenson, CAPS, Designer, Criner Remodeling, 
and Owner, Designs by Ebony

If you could have dinner with one person – living or dead – who would it be?
Even though we don’t have many finished works by him, Leonardo da Vinci would be my hopeful pick. Here’s the man who created some amazing mechanical pieces and artwork that have left us all more curious. I don’t want to know the secrets, and I don’t think I could eat during dinner, but I want to know what made him more curious.

What are some of your biggest achievements?
Professionally, I’m proud of the design awards and certifications I have, and personally I’m proud that I’ve built a business that is all mine. The work I’ve done with brands like DXV, BLANCO Canada and the NKBA has been extremely rewarding, yet I find it is the former second-career students who go onward and upward (and, yes, maybe I hired one) to succeed in their dreams. It’s inspiring to see them glow!
– Corey Klassen, CKD, CBD, Assoc. ASID, 
Principal Designer, Corey Klassen Interior Design

If you could see anyone in concert – living or dead – who would it be?
Marvin Gaye. He was in the middle of a creative evolution when he was killed and never got to reach his full potential. His song “Mercy, Mercy Me” about the protection of the environment still stirs my soul.

What is your favorite style of design?
The longer I do this, the simpler my aesthetic becomes – serene and functional with classic elements. Trends come and go, but classic design will always win out.
– Patricia Gaylor, Patricia Gaylor Interior Design

What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?
Spend time with friends, my dogs and quietly sitting with me.

What is your favorite style of design?
The 1800s through the 1900s and each decade through the 60s has its own unique style, and I love every one of them. My favorite project is restoring a full house back to its original luster.
– Reva Kussmaul, CEO, Eye for Detail

If you could have dinner with anyone – living or dead – who would it be?
Steve Jobs

What are some of your biggest achievements?
In the last six years, I’ve been involved in the development of nine award-winning experiential showrooms from coast to coast culminated with a 32,000-sq.-ft. flagship store in NYC that has been embraced by the local design community and customers alike.
– Arturo Vazquez, V.P. of Store Design & Development, Pirch

If you could have dinner with one person – living or dead – who would it be?
I would love to have met and eaten with Queen Elizabeth I, as I love the pageantry of the Tudor era. I love the art of Chagall and Andy Warhol and would love to have gotten to know the minds behind such interesting and expressive work! I would also love to have met Mozart. The incredible brilliance and intricacy of the music makes me wonder what he was like as a person.

When did you know you were destined for the K&B industry?
I realized in my early 20s that the kitchen and bath field was the way I wanted to express my passion for art and design. I also realized that expressing the clients’ passions and lifestyle in the design of the home to make it inviting, expressive and low maintenance were key for me.
– Toni Sabatino, Toni Sabatino Style

If you could relive one moment in your life, what would it be?
Professionally, the day I was handed the key to my showroom. Personally, the first time I met my husband.

What are some lessons learned you can share with other professionals?
The biggest lesson I learned was that most issues on a project are because my drawings could have been cleaner or the information easier to understand. Like most other kitchen designers, we all learned on the job from a mentor or by the experience of on-the-job training. I figured out that if you present a solid set of plans, your project will usually go smooth. Even beautiful hand drawings sometime lack the information needed.
– Laura Eagan, CKD, Owner of Estrella Cabinetry and Design Center

If you could have dinner with anyone – living or dead – who would it be?
Richard Branson. He is wildy adventurous, funny and bold, yet he is changing the face of the world we live in with his innovative ideas and unique ways of doing business. Can’t wait for Virgin Galactica to be operational.

What are some lessons learned you can share with other professionals?
The interior design industry is always changing and in flux. Be open to learning from everyone – your designers and your clients.
– Sandra Espinet, S.E. Design Services

What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?
Play golf

When did you know you were destined for the K&B industry?
We at Rosen Supply are celebrating our 70th year in business this year, so I would say that I was born into it. Although, I would say [it began in] 1989 when I worked at Heieck Supply in San Francisco running their showroom.
– Devin Rosen, Showroom Director, 
Water Concepts Kitchen & Bath

If you could see anyone in concert again, living or dead, who would it be?
Mozart

What is your favorite design style?
Although I appreciate most styles of design, my favorite is modern, as in the Bauhaus and Cranbook Academy designs of the likes of Mies van der Rohe, Florence Knoll, Charles and Ray Eames, the Saarinens, Breuer and Bertoia, to name a few. I am drawn to the clean lines, unfussiness and coolness of modern design. I’m not a tchotchke type of person; I like my collections – whether they be blue and white porcelain or architectural prints – clean and spare.
– Amy Ahearn, CKD, CAPS, Owner, Decorating Den Interiors