February 27, 2020

As principal of Atlanta-based Design Galleria Kitchen and Bath Studio and KBB’s 2019 Person of the Year, designer Matthew Quinn is known for his original and client-inspired designs. He is the recipient of numerous national design awards and has been widely published – even having authored two of his own books. Quinn is also a partner in Nashville’s first design center – the Nashville Design Collective – where he will open Design Galleria Kitchen and Bath Studio’s second location. Chelsie Butler, KBB’s executive editor, conducted an in-depth interview with Quinn on the KBISNeXT Stage during the show.

Did you always want to be a designer?
MQ: My father was a school principal, but he built or renovated a house every summer, so I was exposed to design at an early age. However, my parents wanted me to be a doctor. I went along that career path and majored in chemistry, before I was accepted to medical school at Emory University in Atlanta. My first week I had an anxiety attack, realized I did not want to be in the medical field and flew to Paris.

My parents were furious at first, but I stayed and worked as a waiter and was truly inspired by the design and architecture all around me in Paris. Like anyone who spends any time in that city, I left wanting to be an architect. When I came back to the States, I wanted to go to Georgia Tech, but I would have had to start all over again with an architecture degree, and I didn’t have time for that. I went to American Intercontinental University instead.

I was totally broke, but I started taking classes in space planning and drafting and absolutely fell in love with the latter. I applied for a position with a firm – Design Galleria – and was hired despite my inexperience because he said my smile was better than the other candidate. I’ve been in love with kitchens ever since. It might be my background in chemistry, but I love the scientific part of it.

Do you prefer kitchens over baths?
MQ: In kitchens, I really study the clients and focus on saving them time. In bathrooms, the comfort level is different and essential. I actually love designing closets too. I ask my clients what their favorite store is, and we draw inspiration from that.

Were there any leaps of faith you took as your career was developing?
MQ: When the owner of Design Galleria offered to sell me the business and I agreed, that was a massive leap of faith. Most designers want to start their own company, but I bought another. The owner asked me what I could live on and paid me that – everything else went to the down payment on the business. It was eight years of basically making nothing, but it was so worth it.

Tell us how you got started in product design and share some detail on your brand relationships?
MQ: I’m very blessed to have great clients, and they want products that solve specific problems. Some products work so well that it made sense to license them and have them mass manufactured – like my design for the Julien Home Refinements’ Corner Sink. I’ve also been working with MTI Baths in Suwanee, Ga., the longest, and we’ve come up with some amazing bathtubs and sinks. We have a new sink design that I swear is going to save marriages.

I’ve worked with several other brands, including Art for Everyday and La Cornue. I am always sketching things, and I feel like product design and interior design go hand in hand. I don’t feel like you can be successful in product design unless you know what’s going on in interior design.

What’s the best advice you’ve received? Given?
MQ: My father taught me the Golden Rule growing up, and that’s what I still follow and promote. Always put yourself in another’s shoes, and treat others as you want to be treated.

Also, I think it’s important to think long term, not short term. In an expensive design, select materials that are high quality and have a good reputation. Let’s not satisfy an itch for a certain trend right now but instead look at what this decision is going to feel like in five years. I always think a few steps ahead.

What stands out as a cool project you’ve worked on?
MQ: I never think about the project but the people. I have to be connected to the person in that space. One project, which was just recently on the cover of Traditional Home, was for a client with an autoimmune disease. Every decision had to be made in terms of air quality. This client was the most beautiful, kind woman, and unfortunately she is not doing well. I just recently delivered the magazine to her, and she was so happy to see her dream kitchen on the cover.

Do you travel a lot?
MQ: I’m always on the road. The book exposure – plus doing show houses – has been great. Lately 70 percent of my work is not in Georgia, but through calls and Skype we are able to accomplish a lot. I’ve done a lot of projects in Bermuda and Belize.

How did you become interested in being an author?
MQ: For me, writing a book was about sharing my designs and process, but ultimately it is about getting business. I also included guidelines about how I think and some of my favorite things, like a bible of products I love using. Some of it is just about the love I experienced working with some of these clients and these designs.

What aspect of being a kitchen design excites you the most, and how do you stay inspired?
MQ: I like to visit my clients at breakfast or dinner, and I see the chaos. I study this and feel inspired to solve that chaos and make life easier for them. We always do a thorough two-hour-long interview and go over small details, like how many times they pass between appliances and if they clean as they go when cooking. I always tell clients that I need them to pay attention while they are in a space and report back to me so we can create the most functional design.

It’s also about their unique preferences. Some clients tell you that they want to be organized, but naturally they are just a mess. You’ve got to find that out before you design the kitchen for them. In that case, you can create places where they can hide their mess like behind a door, which might be more practical than trying to enforce a more organized interior cabinetry plan on them.

I get excited about saving a client time. If you are able to do that and the family is interacting more, that makes me so happy.

What made you decide to open another Design Galleria showroom in Nashville? How did you come to bring in Richard Anuszkiewicz as the lead designer?
MQ: Nashville is on fire. We’ve always done a lot of work there, and recently the stars aligned to open a space there. We fell in love with this massive mop factory and developed it into Nashville’s only design center. Richard is the lead designer of that showroom and we work well together.

If you know Richard, his personality and design style are perfect for Nashville. He built the Monogram booth in the center. I also designed a big lounge area and a stage. There are lots of little nooks, and it’s meant to be a good lounge space for designer and clients to meet. We will also host functions and events there.

What has been your most significant achievement?
MQ: I would say the team we have assembled here at Design Galleria and the Matthew Quinn Collection. There are 34 people in our firm, and many have been there for 15 years or more. I couldn’t do it without them. They are solution oriented, make the clients happy through the Golden Rule, and they love to come to work almost every day.

What has been the greatest lesson learned as you’ve grown your brand and business?
MQ: Every time I think I need to discount services to get a job, I always regret it later. Don’t be afraid to charge what you’re worth – your experience makes you faster and better than your competition. To me, it is important to establish the value for my unique design and high level of service and stick to it.

Also, I know they say copying is the highest form of praise, but I get frustrated with copy-cat designers. Instead, I would encourage designers to put their own mark on it. Inspiration is great, and I try to lead by example, but a design is about the people living there. Take those extra steps to make it look like they live there.

What do you do about clients who don’t work out?
MQ: I ask for a retainer, and if after two or three meetings it’s not working out, I’ll refund their money. It’s important to listen to those red flags because you have to be a good fit for your client.

What does the future hold?
MQ: With the design center in Nashville, I’ve discovered that I love development. Other cities might have similar needs that we could also fulfill. I will also continue in product design, Product design, knowing that I am a better product designer while still designing quintessential kitchens and spaces as well.