I’m a sucker for a good quote. The ability to sum up an idea or concept succinctly is a very compelling thing. Words are powerful. String the right words together and they have the ability to heal, to hurt, to motivate and turn something on inside the soul. To me the digestion of words is therapy. When I just can’t, words help me do. They help organize my thoughts and emotions and motivate me to act. I have collected a few insanely well-written sentences and included my not so dynamic ramblings about why they are fuel to me. “Creativity is a highfalutin word for the work I have to do between now and Tuesday.” –Ray Kroc I am often thought of as a “creative”. What does that even mean? On most days I feel like Ray Kroc hit the nail on the head. Plus, I like that really successful people use the word “highfalutin”. “Leave it better than you found it.” –Bruce A. Nordstrom This is a dang good way to allow yourself room to breathe. The redesign of a room can be rather suffocating at the start. The expectations of what you can and need to do can out […]

It is my belief that the “Craftsman” is becoming an endangered species. A nose to the grindstone, unassuming species, adorned with tool belts slung across their shoulders or hung around their waists, their name is “Craftsmen.” By nature, they are accommodating and analytical, and they produce highly precise and accurate work; but they have been hunted to near extinction by an aggressive and unhappy race of new consumers. Now they can be found wandering around alongside the giant panda, the Grus Americana whooping crane, and other endangered species. A person of this species is highly skilled at working in the manual arts and is motivated by the mastery of his trade. He is an artisan with distinctive, technical, tireless skill. He builds the infrastructure of our daily lives through the trades which include electrical, mechanical, framing, HVAC, finish carpentry, stone masonry, plumbing, and more. We believe these are jobs and people we must value. Let’s get to the “how do you kill them” part. To kill a craftsman, you’ve gotta hit ‘em where it counts. A true craftsman is highly skilled and innovative. He puts his soul into everything he touches. He deserves our respect. So, load your ammo and […]

A kitchen can be filled with beautiful cabinets, countertops and decorative accoutrements, but if the layout and space don't work well, it's not an effective design. In kitchens, more than any other room, a good space plan is critical. The most efficiently designed kitchens are focused around a “work triangle”.

A look back at 2017 reveals that we have a lot to be grateful for and we thought we would share our Top 7 list of things you helped us accomplish last year. Our Top 7 List !!!! 😄😄 We built a new website, and you responded to it with vigor! Thanks to your input we have more great resources on the way. What’s to come? Many more “before and after” projects, a comprehensive cabinet buying guide and a crazy cool pricing feature to help you understand what kitchen remodels cost! We were part of a 🏠 St. Louis renovation project featured on HouzzTV.🏠 It was one of 5 episodes highlighting designers from around the nation working with celebrities to renovate one of their family member’s homes. You loved our blog post about small kitchens so much that we get visitors to our site from all over the internet searching for “small kitchen remodels” 🏆🏆 Thanks to some gracious customers who permitted us to submit their projects, we won several design competitions, including the most recent double win in St. Louis Homes and Lifestyles Magazine for Kitchen of the Year 2018 – Gold & Kitchen of the Year 2018 – […]

A kitchen can be filled with beautiful cabinets, countertops and decorative accoutrements, but if the layout and space don't work well, it's not an effective design. In kitchens, more than any other room, a good space plan is critical. The most efficiently designed kitchens are focused around a “work triangle”.

A kitchen can be filled with beautiful cabinets, countertops and decorative accoutrements, but if the layout and space don't work well, it's not an effective design. In kitchens, more than any other room, a good space plan is critical. The most efficiently designed kitchens are focused around a “work triangle”.

Recently, I’ve been up late at night. Thinking. About you, the consumer. What can a small business like mine do to set themselves apart? How do we tell you, show you, that we are unique or different? How do we communicate to you that we are #nothingordinary? I can honestly say that some days it feels like an almost impossible feat. Right now, in fact, I can imagine it to be a little like hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) barefoot with no supplies, all 2,650 miles of it. Everyone is competing for your attention. Companies like Google and Facebook have entire armies of people dedicated to the acquisition of your attention. Entrepreneurs like me, well, we have ourselves. So here I sit, on a Tuesday night, kids tucked into bed, a full day of work complete and my job (well my second job) is to figure out what I can do for you. What can I do to be relevant and helpful? What can I do to get you to keep coming back? If I think about why you seek us out, what you need from us, the answer is easy…information. Lots and lots of information. We have to […]

Famously Sought-After Design By Grounded Professionals  In a world more and more focused on personal divides, sometimes it’s something as domestic as home design to remind us that we all have more in common than we think. Sometimes the very idea that we are each unique, and want that uniqueness reflected in our spaces, is the common thread that binds us together. So it’s not really surprising then, that the resource you and I use for design inspiration and professionals would be the same tool used by famous Hollywood actor, Jenna Fischer. When St. Louis native, Fischer, wanted to surprise her sister with a complete living space renovation, she turned to Houzz.com and local expert, Jenny Rausch, Designer/Owner of Karr Bick Kitchens and Bath, to make her unique renovation dreams come true. Fischer’s sister, Emily, and her family live in a St. Louis home that originally belonged to their grandparents. Chock full of wonderful family memories, the home was a diamond in the rough with its cramped, closed-off floorplan and outdated kitchen. Once Jenna brought Jenny from Karr Bick on board, the two were able to communicate design ideas and vision cross country using the tools on Houzz.com. Jenna wanted […]

“Stay true to yourself and listen to your inner voice, it will lead you to your dream.” Author, James Ross. Words to live by, and, as it turns out, to design by as well. 2017 is already shaping up to be an award-winning year for Jenny Rausch and team here at Karr Bick. This year’s magazine features have included Midwest Living May/June 2017, Beautiful Kitchens and Baths Spring 2017, and the cover of At Home St. Louis’ March/April 2017 issue. Not to mention winning rooms in At Home’s Architect & Designer Awards in the Kitchens Larger than 300 sq. Feet and New Construction categories. So what’s our secret to winning? Simply, we don’t try to win. “We don’t worry about what a good room is ‘supposed’ to look like,” says Jenny. “Instead we focus on your needs, and how you use your space.  Then we listen to how different colors, styles, and design pieces make you feel and go with what makes you feel good.” At Karr Bick, we design customer-inspired spaces. And yes, they happen to win a lot of awards. That’s just what Jenny and her client did as they designed his garage turned bonus kitchen which ended […]