Artistic Cabinetry
Nebraska/Kansas Chapter

It makes sense that someone who self-describes as “futuristic” would always want to be one step ahead. “My mind is always thinking about the future. How can I help better the future? How do my design decisions now affect the future?” says Amanda Slattery, Kitchen& Bath Designer at Kearney, Neb.-based Artistic Cabinetry. She was promoted to her current role in June 2021, just two years after being hired as a design assistant, which followed a college internship. She earned a degree in Interior Design & Construction Management from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. “You have to be someone who looks ahead with creative solutions to solve problems, in order to create impactful designs.”

“My mind is always thinking about the future…You have to be someone who looks ahead with creative solutions to solve problems, in order to create impactful designs.”

That doesn’t mean Amanda doesn’t dig certain things from the past. “My personal design preference leans toward minimal modern, but with warm touches from the ’70s,” she says, singling out the decade’s conversation-centric design. “My dream home would definitely have a conversation pit!”

Amanda also finds inspiration in the Bauhaus movement, but her favorite project was her first new build — because it allowed her to develop relationships in the area. “Being young in the construction industry has its challenges,” she admits, “so finding skilled tradesmen/women with whom I can build a relationship with and learn from is invaluable.”

Working remotely from home — Artistic Cabinetry’s showroom is two hours away — has also presented its challenges. But Amanda has honed her skills as a computer rendering specialist (a passion she traces back to a childhood obsession with designing homes on The Sims) to provide the best designer-client experience possible in “these strange times,” by modeling projects in Chief Architect. “I enjoy the initial reveal when clients see their future spaces modeled in 3D,” she says. Engaged to fiancé Will, Amanda spends her free time baking, painting and tending to her “overabundance of house plants.” Her must-dos include travel (Greece, Italy, Iceland and Australia in particular) and creating and developing her own product. “I have no idea what that product is yet,” she says, “but my entrepreneurial spirit is always thinking of problems that need solutions.”