By Melisa Jahic -- Toni is truly a woman of many talents. She has been in the industry for her entire adult life. Previous to starting her own business, she worked as a designer and salesperson for a wholesale cabinet supplier, doing hundreds of kitchen, bath, and millwork designs per year. She also ran a plumbing supply and demonstrated solid surface materials.

When asked why she chose interior design as her career path, Toni said, “I love that design matters. Everything we use was designed by someone. Designers matter, and we positively impact how people live. Residential interior design is an opportunity to create a wonderful space for life to happen.”

Toni went on to say that understanding the needs and desires of the inhabitants and incorporating their passions into a space that reflects who they are and makes them feel beauty and happiness gives her a great sense of work satisfaction.

Toni couldn’t name just one thing to be deemed as her “favorite part” of the job, but she did mention that the opportunity to work with people and be creative makes her very happy.

When discussing her day-to-day, Toni explained that each day is unique. Some days have job-site visits, others paperwork, designing on Chief Architect, or placing and checking material orders. Meeting with clients and creating, reviewing, and revising plans is a big part of what she does as well, and she also loves to visit showrooms and attend trade shows and events to keep her outlook fresh and stay up on the new products that are being offered.

In terms of her contributions to our local chapter of the NKBA, which are many, Toni mentioned she truly appreciates the kitchen and bath business and wanted to give back to an industry that accepted her and allowed her to grow professionally and personally. “Joining the NKBA and becoming a board member was a great way to do that. I enjoyed all the positions I held: membership, communications, and president. I was honored to be NKBA Star Award winning Chapter President of the Year in 2019,” says Toni. Currently, sponsorship was a natural transition, due to all the relationships she formed during her time on the board, and we are lucky to have her.

When asked to share a piece of advice with our members, Toni left us with some wonderful words:

“Participate! Get involved! There is a wealth of knowledge and some great people at our NKBA chapter. It feels good to talk shop to people that understand and may even help you in some way with a connection or a product. Aside from the professional aspect, it is also just plain fun.”