The Overall Best Bath winner at the 2023 Design Awards talks about useful kitchen-and-bath technology, the pros and cons of large porcelain slabs, and her own “large project” at home.
By Donna Heiderstadt
When Mary Maney’s clients wanted an “elegant and luxurious” primary bathroom incorporating natural marble in several patterns, the CKBD-accredited 28-year design veteran knew precisely how to mix the multiple shapes and textures into an aesthetically stunning space. “Serene Luxury” would go on to win both Best Primary Bath and Best Overall Bath at NKBA’s Kitchen & Bath Design + Industry Awards at KBIS 2023 in Las Vegas.
As a designer at Crystal Kitchen + Bath in Crystal, MN, she strives to incorporate that “extra” design detail that makes a room unique, while also focusing on practicality. Her past accolades include being a designer for the ASID Showcase House in 2010, 2012 and 2013, and winning design awards from the NKBA’s Minnesota Chapter and the American Society of Interior Designers.
Following KBIS, Maney took time to talk to us about the trends and products she loves and offer tips on navigating labor and material shortages.
NKBA: What are you most excited about in regard to your upcoming projects and/or products for 2023 and beyond?
Mary Maney: I am finally remodeling my own kitchen sometime this fall. I have my Wolf and Subzero appliances ordered, but I’m still fine-tuning some of the materials and finishes. It’s not just my kitchen, but several rooms in my house, including flooring and painting projects — needless to say, a large project.
Beyond that, I am liking the lighter wood tones in cabinetry and flooring that I’ve been seeing.
NKBA: What trends are you seeing emerge in the Kitchen + Bath spaces and the home as a whole? And what are you excited about — and not so excited about?
MM: Technology in relation to plumbing fixtures. Voice- and hand-activated faucets. Bidet toilets. For half baths, I think a hand-activated faucet is great, and also in a child’s bathroom or the kitchen. Bidet or washlet toilets for older clients can help them maintain their hygiene and independence. I know these have been around a long time, but they’re not as common in the U.S., or at least in the Midwest.
I also love the look of large panels of porcelain in showers, which creates fewer seams to clean. That said, porcelain slabs have been a challenge for us when it comes to fabrication and installation, plus they are very expensive compared to tiling.
NKBA: Is your business being impacted by the economy? Any tips for how to navigate the current uncertainty in the market?
MM: Yes, the labor and material shortage has definitely affected us. We tell clients if they can afford to, don’t put off the remodel because prices are only going to continue to go up.
One of my clients is still waiting on her Wolf range and Subzero refrigerator, even after we completed her kitchen, sliding in her old appliances until the new ones arrive… If they had waited overall, their cabinet and appliance prices would have increased.
In terms of navigating the market, let me give you an example. We are involved with Remodeler Showcase, which happens one weekend each spring and fall in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. We ask one of our clients to allow us to show off their kitchen/bath project for one weekend — and we usually see an increase in new customers thereafter. My tip would be to get involved with an organization or event that allows potential clients to visit an actual space you have designed and installed so they can see the quality level of your work. When a potential client can walk into a home and see a completed project, that helps them feel more confident.
The other tip would be to enter more design contests, especially those that show the winners in a magazine. The more your company’s name is seen, the better.
NKBA: What constitutes good design to you personally and what design strategies have you found to be the most effective?
MM: Good design has function and purpose to it. Good design pays attention to details. Good design is well executed. We have very good subcontractors who do wonderful work, especially our carpenter and tile setter. And we use quality finishes and materials, such as our cabinetry line, Crystal Cabinet Works, which is built and painted/stained at the factory and not on site.
We also have a design process that we follow for each of our projects, from the conceptual design to the selection process to getting bids for the labor portion of the project. We have a project manager that oversees everything from ordering to installation. Our subcontractors have worked with us for a long time and do quality work, and it is reflected in the finished project.
NKBA: What has been your biggest design challenge and how did you overcome it?
MM: Years ago, I had a kitchen that we were reconfiguring, which required removing a wall between the kitchen and a large walk-in pantry. Our carpenter had gone up in the attic to see if there were any load-bearing walls over the pantry area that would prohibit our new design layout.
We felt confident after he checked that we would be able to make the layout change without needing to have any soffit above the cabinets. We wanted the new cabinets to extend up to the 10-foot ceiling, but in the end we had to keep a soffit and the cabinets only went up to eight feet. The kitchen still was greatly improved, but it didn’t have the same impact that stacked cabinets up to 10 feet would have had.