Private Mentorship for Kitchen & Bath Designers
I teach designers how to think. Learn to think like a designer who doesn't make mistakes — with someone to ask.
Training a whole design team? See Team Training
Fewer mistakes. Smoother projects.
I teach the thinking. With hard work and determination, you make it a habit.
Most designers don't have anyone to ask. They learned on the job, they're good at the work, and when something isn't right, they work it out alone.
A layout that won't resolve, an order about to go out, a price they're second-guessing, a client pushing back. Mentorship is four hours a month with a designer who has been doing this for thirty years, spent on whatever is actually in front of you.
What your mentorship includes
Four hours that are yours, and everything the academy teaches.
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i.
Four private hours a month
One a week, on Zoom, scheduled around your work. We spend them on what's on your desk, not on a syllabus.
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ii.
Your real projects, worked through together
Bring the drawing you're unsure about or the order you're about to place. We go through it together and I show you what to check and why, so you know what to look for on the next one.
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iii.
The full academy Included
The live class every week and the entire recorded library: cabinetry, tile, lighting, closet design, appliances, sales, AI and 2020 Design.
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iv.
Direct access between sessions
If something comes up on a Tuesday and it can't wait until your session, let me know and I will help you.
“I've been a designer and 2020 user for 10 years and I still pick up ideas and ‘tricks’ in every class.”
“Karen is not only very knowledgeable in design and 2020 software, she is a great teacher… very thorough and very patient.”
“I taught myself 2020 Design over the last year and I work by myself with no one to ask questions or collaborate with. One day of class and it's already been so helpful.”
“She has been a mentor and a credible and brilliant trainer who delivers her knowledge with authenticity and patience. You never disappoint!”
“Karen is one of the most effective, knowledgeable, and patient instructors I've had. What's more is Karen genuinely cares about her students' progress.”
“Karen is a fantastic instructor delivering valuable, practical content. Her experience shows in her deep knowledge of design, 2020 software, and the cabinet industry as a whole. I highly recommend her training.”
“Karen was instrumental in helping me become the youngest CMKBD in the country at the time. She has trained hundreds of designers and I'm so happy that she has started a formal school to pass on her knowledge!”
including NKBA
plus a new class every week
Learn from someone who has done the work.
Thirty years in the kitchen and bath industry. I've trained designers at the companies I've worked for, and for years as a cabinet rep. More than a hundred live classes later, that's still the work.
In Kitchen & Bath Business Magazine's 2023 Person of the Year awards, I was a Praiseworthy Pick and named Curriculum Star for writing and presenting more than twenty classes in a single year. Kitchen & Bath Design News named me an Innovator in 2021.
Kitchen and bath companies hire me to train their design teams. Mentorship brings that same training to you, one-on-one.
- CMKBDCertified Master Kitchen & Bath Designer · NKBA
- CAPSCertified Aging-in-Place Specialist
- Curriculum StarPraiseworthy Pick · KBB 2023 Person of the Year
- InnovatorKitchen & Bath Design News · 2021
One price, billed monthly.
- Four private one-hour sessions a month
- Your real projects, worked through together
- The full academy — the live class and the whole library
- Direct access between sessions
Additional hours, when you want them, are $150 each.
Questions designers ask me first.
I've been doing this for years. Do I really need this?
Most of the designers I work with privately are experienced. That's usually the point. They learned on the job, built real skill, and worked around a handful of gaps for so long that the gaps became invisible. Four hours a month isn't remedial — it's the thing experienced designers rarely get: a second set of eyes with more years than theirs.
Will you check my orders and drawings for me?
We'll work through them together and I'll show you what to look for and why. What I'm teaching is the checking habit itself, so that you catch things without me. I'm not an order-checking service and the work stays yours — the point is to build the checking habit in you. With hard work and determination, that habit means fewer mistakes and a more efficient way of working.
I'm already an academy member. What happens to that?
It's folded into your mentorship, so you don't pay for both. Tell me before you subscribe and I'll make sure you're never billed twice.
What if I don't have four hours a month?
It's one hour a week, scheduled around your work. We spend it on a live project rather than on theory, so the busiest designers tend to get the most out of it. If a month gets away from you, we adjust.
Do I have to use 2020 Design?
No. 2020 Design is one of the things I teach, not the reason to be here. If your drawings are slowing you down we'll work on that. If your pricing is the problem, we'll work on that instead.
Bring me the project you're least sure about.
That's usually the right first session. Four hours a month, the full academy with it, and someone to ask before it goes out the door.
Begin Your Mentorship — $499 a monthLimited to a small number of designers