Tag: designer profile

Designer Profile: Alberto Villalobos

April 25, 2017 in Interview, Profile

We had a great time at the Monogram Designer Summit in February with all of the designers and participants. As a follow-up, we interviewed some of the designers to learn a little more about their background and design experiences. Today we’re featuring Alberto Villalobos with Villalobos Desio based in New York City.

SRFD: How did you become interested in design?

Alberto: I became interested in interior design from an early age. From building tree houses to playing with Legos, I always had an interest in creating spaces and playing with proportions that led me to interior design down the road.

SRFD: Tell us about a recent project you really enjoyed.

Alberto: My business partner Mercedes and I enjoyed working on our latest project in London. It was a great experience to work there with new contractors and getting out of our comfort zone in the States, by meeting new vendors. The client was really easy to work with which added to the experience, plus shopping in Europe is always fun.

SRFD: A trend you’re over?

Alberto: I am over finishes that are not true to nature. My business partner and I prefer natural materials that are real, we appreciate craftsmanship and details. For example, when we use ceramic, we like ceramic that is true in nature, not one that reproduces another element such as wood.

SRFD: A trend you’re excited about?

Alberto: We are excited about the rediscovery of terra-cotta. Again, it is a natural material that is noble and relates both to our Latin and European backgrounds.

SRFD: What did you learn during the Monogram Designer Summit in Louisville?

Alberto: My favorite take-away from the summit is that knowledge is not understanding, a very interesting principle. It has helped me to see things differently and makes you realize to always question yourself. What a great tool for the design practice.

Designer Profile: Brenna Krouse

January 12, 2016 in Interview, Profile

The Monogram Experience Center (MEC) brings designers to Louisville, Kentucky, for three-day experiences to learn about Monogram, the design process, our appliances – and even cook with them! We interviewed each designer to learn a little more about their background and design experiences.

Today’s profile highlights Brenna Krouse with K Squared Construction in Sacramento, California.

Brenna Krouse with Josh Temple, host of House Crashers, in the home she designed for the TV show.

SRFD: How did you become interested in design?

Brenna: I remember as a kid, always rearranging the furniture in my room. As I got older, I loved looking at model homes. Then when I was 19, I started working in a design center for a higher end home builder and fell in love with design.

SRFD: Tell us about a recent project you really enjoyed.

Brenna: Recently, I have had the opportunity to work on the TV show, House Crashers. They are very challenging but they also allow me to have full creative authority over the project. I get to complete my vision from start to finish. My husband is a general contractor and we make a good team. I always say, “I can dream it, he can build it!”

SRFD: A trend you’re over?

Brenna: Chevron patterns!

SRFD: A trend you’re excited about?

Brenna: Wallpaper! It’s a super fun way to add color and texture!

SRFD: What did you learn in Louisville?

Brenna: I learned a lot about the higher end gas ranges! I never really paid too much attention to the differences between the brands.

Monogram Dream Kitchen Design Contest Judge Profile: Jeffrey Blum

October 1, 2015 in Contest

Very soon we will be announcing the winners of the Monogram Dream Kitchen Design Contest. We received so many great entries from around the country! Our judges definitely had their work cut out for them. And speaking of judges, an illustrious collection of esteemed designers from across the U.S. agreed to take the time to review the contest submissions and select the winners. This year’s judges are:

Jeffrey Blum
Robin Burrill
Oscar De las salas
Paula Kennedy
Martin Spicuzza
Chip Blankenship, President and CEO of GE Appliances

Over the next few weeks, we will profile each Monogram Dream Kitchen Design Contest judge. Our first profile features Jeffrey Blum with Sixzero6 in New York City.

SRFD: How did you become interested in design?

Jeff: Do you have a few hours? … I think it’s built in. But certainly fostered by early exposure and then finally, after a very circuitous career search, getting around to building things. Once you have your hands on materials, the need to manipulate them to your will gets into your blood.

SRFD: Tell us about a recent project you really enjoyed.

Jeff: I enjoy them all, even with what most of us would consider the most difficult clients. Those are the ones that throw you curveballs, and my job is often about problem solving. So the more challenging the problem, the more satisfying the solution.

SRFD: A trend you’re over?

Jeff: I am over trends.

SRFD: A trend you’re excited about?

Jeff: Well, I encourage a loosening up of any adherence to rules, and I see people not being so stuck on a particular style these days, which is incredibly freeing as a designer.

SRFD: What are you looking forward to about judging the design contest entries?

Jeff: Seeing the work! Everyone approaches design differently, and here’s an opportunity to celebrate that variety. As I always tell my clients, “there’s more than one way to skin a cat.” (He said with his cat sitting next to him on his desk. What a terrible thing to say!).

Designer profile: Felicitas Oefelein

April 16, 2015 in Interview, Profile

Today’s profile highlights Felicitas Oefelein from F O Designs in Brooklyn, New York.

Felicitas Oefelein, recent participant at the GE Monogram Experience Center in Louisville, Kentucky

SRFD: How did you become interested in design?

Felicitas: I have been interested in design ever since I can remember. My Barbie dolls were less interested in playing dress up but lived in fabulous multi-level homes in my bookcases…

SRFD: Tell us about a recent project you really enjoyed.

Felicitas: Last year I went back to St. Martin to do some additional work in a client’s vacation villa. While there we experienced a Level 3 hurricane, which was quite unexpected. Part of the property was flooded, which means that now there is more work to be done. Since these clients are very dear to me, I am, of course, very excited about the prospect of spending more time working in the Caribbean.

SRFD: A trend you’re over?

Felicitas: Oh, I am so very over any materials that try to look like something else … ceramic tiles looking like wood floors, or quartz counters looking like marble or granite. I just cannot understand this as a concept at all. I prefer pure materials. Concrete that actually looks like concrete and not like leather for a change.

SRFD: A trend you’re excited about?

Felicitas: I love that there is a trend towards smaller homes that are built and designed higher in quality. It seems that McMansions are finally a bit passé, and that people have realized a smaller but well built quality home is something more worth striving for. Bigger is not always better!

Maybe the same will be happening with appliances? I am just in love with your 30” Monogram fridge with the convertible fridge freezer drawer! When will we finally get a high end 24” range with matching over-the-range microwave with hood? Or an Advantium in that size? All of Europe lives with 24” wide appliances. And being from New York, I can tell you there really is a need.

SRFD: What did you learn in Louisville?

Felicitas: I learned a lot, I was very impressed by the factory tour and the pride people take working for GE. I also loved how much GE was invested in making a better product at a good and very competitive price point. I am originally from Germany but have lived in New York for over 20 years. It is also important to me to support our own economy and the ability to purchase products that are built here has meaning to me.

Image of the St. Martin home designed by Felicitas Oefelein

Designer profile: Carrie Antonello

February 10, 2015 in Interview, Profile

Today’s profile highlights Carrie Antonello from Tuscan Touch Designs in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Carrie Antonello, recent participant at the GE Monogram Experience Center in Louisville, Kentucky

SRFD: How did you become interested in design?

Carrie: I remember dreaming of having my own room as a kid – looking through magazines and redecorating it over and over in my mind. I loved imagining how fabrics, lighting, furniture and window treatments would look in ‘my room.’ So naturally, I became an engineer and went to work for GE Appliances. Wait, what now?! Well, I had other interests too. So interior design and decorating became more of a hobby while I built my career and learned from the masters at GE.

Once my husband and I started a family, I took the leap and changed careers starting my own interior design business using my passions, talent and also my business experiences to create a successful and fun second career.

SRFD: Tell us about a recent project you really enjoyed.

Carrie: Recently I was asked by a new client to help turn her unfinished attic into a combination yoga studio and ballroom dance studio. Quite a challenge for sure! Yoga calls for calm, quiet, zen-like qualities. The colors should be soft subdued and the decor simple. Now, how can I add a disco ball to that and still make it work? Working together, the client and I came up with a few tricks that resulted in a zen experience by day, and with just a few changes of glitzy toss pillows, lighting and accessories, provided the welcoming, energized party space for couples to swing the night away!

SRFD: A trend you’re over?

Carrie: I’m over or have never been a fan of the barnyard-animal decor in the kitchen. Chickens, cows and pigs may have their place in a recipe, but even with a cute chalk board in-hand, they just don’t belong on the countertop.

SRFD: A trend you’re excited about?

Carrie: I’m enjoying the new colors in appliances. Stainless is still very strong in the market, but homeowners are warming up to other colors and that makes my job so much more interesting. Generally, I see homes getting softer and warmer. Colors are richer and deeper than they’ve been in the past. At the recent International Home Furnishing Market in High Point, North Carolina, I couldn’t keep my hands off of the textiles. Area rugs, bedding fabrics, draperies and upholstery will be so plush and soft when they hit the stores in 2015!

SRFD: What did you learn in Louisville?

Carrie: So, so much! The MEC is such a beautiful space that is conducive to learning AND experiencing. It was beneficial not only to use the appliances, but also to compare the Monogram brand to competitors’ appliances. When it’s time to specify appliances for my clients, I can tell them first-hand what my experiences have been and guide them through the brand decisions.

Also, I loved seeing the new innovations in the Monogram line. Specifically, I was so impressed with the new Monogram Advantium wall-oven, that I replaced my own original 13-year old model with the new ZSC2201 shortly after returning to Raleigh. The addition of convection cooking, the added capacity and the storage drawer for trays were big selling points. But the real selling point for me, and for subsequent clients, is that the additional capacity and storage that the new speed-cooker offers, fits in the exact same cut-out as the old oven! So no reconfiguration is necessary and no valuable cabinet space is lost. I’ve converted quite a few homeowners to Advantium cooking! And once they’ve made that switch, selling the entire kitchen of Monogram just falls into place.

Lastly, networking with other designers and professionals was priceless. I’m still in touch with so many wonderful people that I met during my week at the MEC.