“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 […]

Demo day is a distant memory, big items are in place and construction on your space is almost complete.  Don’t trip before you cross the finish line.  Final touches are the details that will take your project to the next level. By now you know that the knobs and pulls are the jewelry of your space, but what about the towel bars, hooks and toilet paper holder?  These items can add that extra heft, glamour or whimsy. Your windows can be the killer view when you contrast light casing with a darker grid. It will actually draw your eye to the outside instead of stopping you at the mullions.     Another unlikely scene-stealer….your plumbing.  Dress up an open base sink vanity or a free-standing bathtub with sparkling chrome pipes made to be seen.  Not to be outdone, a crystal adorned drain stopper becomes its own water cooler conversation piece in your wet bar. Narrow countertops in smaller areas can be maximized by anchoring the faucets to the wall rather than the tops.  A space-saving move that solves a problem while adding interest.  Continue to function in style by choosing a shelving niche above your kitchen sink to house display […]

You may have noticed, there’s a new girl in town….Brass.  She’s Gold’s younger, hipper cousin and she’s not going out of style anytime soon. If you’re thinking about trying a trend, mixing brass into your design gives you high impact with the stability of a look that’s here to stay a while.     mixing brass into your kitchen design just as with other metal finishes, with brass you’ll have options from shiny to brushed and even treatments like French Brass that marry the golden hues of brass with a touch of black similar to oil rubbed bronze.  And you don’t have to go all out to enjoy this look.  Brass compliments all of your other metals nicely.  Mix it with satin nickel, bronze and even chrome. Knobs and pulls can be the obvious place to start pulling brass into your space, but that needn’t be the first or only place.  Many appliance manufacturers, such as Wolf, offer brass accent packages adding a custom look to one of your room’s signature pieces.  A copper pot filler acts as a sculpture amidst the stone of your countertops and backsplash.  A copper faucet quenches your thirst for a pop that will stun […]

It has long been said that kitchens and baths are what sell a home. And, of course, it is true that we tend to want our kitchens and bathrooms to be stylish retreats that look great and function well with our daily routines. But in today’s busy world, it’s the “anywhere spaces” that will set your soul at ease and bring peace to often chaotic days. The closet: An obvious choice for an anywhere space. Not just a place to keep our things, our closets have turned into an oasis in and of themselves. Create extreme function and maximum beauty by bringing well-placed cabinetry and a luxurious island into your closet. A place for everything and everything in its place really does do wonders for the soul. The mudroom/laundry room: Perhaps a more fitting name for this room would be the “backpack” room or the “shoe” room. Without proper design, layout and storage, this room can be one of the most stress-inducing rooms in your home. Especially at around 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon, when backpacks overflowing with paperwork and shoes strewn hastily, can destroy this space faster than they can say “I need a snack, I’m STARVING!” Tucking […]

My husband and I had just purchased a vacation cottage in an idyllic community near Grafton, IL.  To say we got swept away and bought the place on a whim is an understatement.  To say the place needed a “little bit of work” is another understatement. Seeing that we hadn’t planned (nor budgeted) for such a project, I knew that our remodel would need to be frugal. I would need to be my own designer (or so I thought.) Measurements were taken, graph paper was purchased, and before long, I had chicken scratched out my very own layout for our new bathroom/laundry room.  I was so proud.  I couldn’t imagine how it could be better and I couldn’t wait to show my new friend, Jenny, who just happens to be a fellow cottage owner and the best designer I know.  Thankfully, Jenny is also a visionary who is honest and direct in the most compassionate way. “Are you sure you want the toilet right here,” she said.  “Well, I think that’s the best spot for me to fit it in,”  I replied.  You see, space is tight in the cottage, so this bathroom needed to function as a bathroom for […]

We have a confession to make. The new Wonder Woman movie is hitting theaters this week and, here at Karr Bick, we’re kind of geeking out. Our fearless leader, Jenny Rausch, has been a fan since she was 5 and got her first pair of Wonder Woman Underoos. So superpowers have become sort of a thing around our showroom. Collectively we use our powers to create “nothing ordinary” spaces. And have no fear, we’ve replaced our underoos with some super cool gear. Click here to visit our “nothing ordinary” shop.     Read Becky’s “nothing ordinary” story and discover her superpower             Read Jill’s “nothing ordinary” story and discover her superpower         At Karr Bick, we strive to continuously recognize the personal and professional “superpowers” within ourselves, our colleagues and our clients. We believe this is a key ingredient in our success in creating “nothing ordinary,” out of this world spaces. Meet our cast of characters: Jenny Rausch, designer, and owner: “I like to think my superpower is recognizing other people’s strengths,” says Jenny. “In fact, even a weakness can be cultivated for good because our weakness can be the core of […]

Adam is our Wendy's husband. They have two very tall almost adult boys and love to listen to live music and camp. He is also affectionately known as “our granite guy!” I would say Adam certainly challenges me. We come at most profound discussions from divergent planets. But somehow we remain good friends, are respectful of each other's limits and make endless attempts to listen to one another's point of view. This is really quite spectacular given how intensely demonstrative we both can be. He is in active pursuit of the live music experience. He rides his mountain bike (that does not have gears) all over the Midwestern woods and backcountry. He reads Steven King and Hemmingway and Bradbury (someday I will get him to read my favorite) but also finds The Onion a good read. Here is Adam in all his complexity, in his own words:

Jill is a 45-year old married teacher. She would tell you she has two bonus children and a dog through her marriage to Chuck. Jill was my original inspiration for the #NothingOrdinary line. She is by every definition an athlete. At one point I had these Karr Bick Logo beach towels as a giveaway. I gave one to Jill, and she started sending me pictures from her races and triathlons of the towel on her bike or sitting with her gear. She would say, "I am representing today!" Seeing how early she got up every morning and how aggressively she chased her goals inspired me. I felt part of it all somehow because my towel was part of it. Fast forward to this idea we’ve adopted into our Karr Bick culture: every single day we strive for #NothingOrdinary. I realized it extends to all things and all people. Jill was 100% #NothingOrdinary in her pursuit of running a race in all 50 states, in the way she vigorously chases goals, and in the way she loves and takes care of the people around her. I wanted her to be able to wear a reminder on her sleeve that what she does is nothing short of extraordinary. I also wanted to reminders of what it is I strive to be. Never stop trying. Never stop fighting. Never stop challenging yourself. Do not stop trying to shift the world or bring the magic. Me: “Who has been your most powerful mentor in life?” Jill: “My Co-Workers. I work with two amazing who are teachers and have three children. Their husbands work nights and I don’t know how they do it. Also, my husband. (but don’t tell him, he has a big head already).”

Becky has been married to Steve for 25 years and has three amazing boys (really really really amazing!): Andy (24), JD (21) and Luke (19). They own and operate a business that sells large tent washing and drying machines. Becky is a light-bringer. She is the quiet mighty. Becky is one of those people who stays steady wherever she goes, never shifting in times of stress or turmoil. She will shoulder the load, and you don't know she is doing it. Her happiness is contagious. It makes her a natural leader. A Becky quote, in her own words: Me: “What is the best compliment you've ever received?” Becky: “I have had a file (for about 20-ish years) labeled “Happy, ” and I put things in there that make me happy, like notes from my family and friends. “Thanks for being the best Ma that ever lived” or “I’ll be there to take care of you, and I promise to shave you if you grow facial hair, Love Luke.” And one came from an email string – I directed a women’s retreat over a long weekend, and the week after, the emails of gratitude brought me to tears, and my husband’s response was pretty cool.” To read Steve's note about Becky and the rest of Becky's story click here

Tom is a 35-year-old divorced dad of 2 little Cubs’ fans and a very proud & active uncle to two nieces and a nephew. He also owns and operates 2 technology companies. Tom was picked to model for our Nothing Ordinary store because of his honesty and bravery. He can relentlessly focus and carry the weight of the world unlike anyone I have every known. He is in constant pursuit of betterment and of understanding himself. He opens my mind to ideas and complexities and helps me understand the world better.