Dana and Patrick Knorr didn’t know anyone in Seattle after moving there from Kansas and purchasing a 1970s home. So when they wanted a designer to help them redesign, they didn’t have a community of friends or tools to tap. Patrick got a couple of referrals from coworkers, but the professionals he contacted offered only references — they didn’t have examples of work to show.
Frustrated, Dana began browsing profiles of interior designers in her region on . That is when she found Kayron Brewer.
Dana adored the projects she saw at Brewer’s profile and hired the designer before she and Patrick even closed on the home. As is so frequently true, what began as simply a kitchen remodel ended up becoming a lot more. From the time they finished, they’d overhauled the dining room, powder room and master bath too. “Pretty much the entire first floor,” Knorr says.
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Before Photo
Walls and a small hallway separated the kitchen, dining room and powder room, obstructing views of Seattle and Lake Washington.
Kayron Brewer, CKD, CBD / Studio K B
AFTER: Brewer eliminated the walls and also added a support beam to open up the distance, which makes it more family oriented and suitable for entertaining.
Wall paint: Sandbar, Sherwin-Williams; island cabinets: maple, Pendleton door with mahogany Paint and brushed vintage oatmeal glaze, Showplace Wood Products; countertop: Fantasy Brown organic quartzite stone
Before Photo
Well-worn cabinets and checkered parquet floors made the kitchen feel obsolete.
Kayron Brewer, CKD, CBD / Studio K B
AFTER: Brewer replaced the floors in the kitchen and the carpeting in the dining room with engineered acacia wood. Then she installed new cabinets, which she topped with engineered stone round the perimeter and a pure quartzite slab on the island. Recessed cans, pendant lights and LED undercabinet light replaced the woefully inadequate globe fixtures.
“I had never used a designer” Dana says. “We’d never done any project this extensive. I have always chosen stuff out and then hired builders. Brewer is the first time that I’ve used a designer, and it’s been worth every penny”
Floors: Sable Mist 5-inch-wide plank acacia, Dansk Flooring
Kayron Brewer, CKD, CBD / Studio K B
Smart storage like a toaster and pullout counter rack make the room superefficient.
Cabinets: Pendleton door with Sandstone paint, Showplace Wood Products; countertop: Lattice, PentalQuartz; backsplash: Washed Slate, Creekside by Bellavita
Before Photo
The powder room off the kitchen was previously a cramped space. “You can sit back on the toilet and wash your hands at exactly the exact same time,” Brewer says.
The Knorrs didn’t want to redesign the powder room initially, since they feared it would not fit in their budget. Brewer showed them that by folding the hallway into the powder room they can have more distance in the tub and open the rest of the kitchen to accommodate more storage.
Kayron Brewer, CKD, CBD / Studio K B
The toilet remained in the exact same place (a great budget saver), although the rest of the room enlarged significantly. There is even room for a corner cabinet on the opposite wall.
Wall paint: Quite Coral, Sherwin-Williams; mirror and pendants: Restoration Hardware; faucet: Metrics C, Hansgrohe
Kayron Brewer, CKD, CBD / Studio K B
Taking away the hallway allowed Brewer to create this pub and storage space for entertaining.
The way the Knorrs Found Their Designer
Dana went to the Locate Local Experts section on and hunted under “Seattle.” (You are able to filter by type of expert on the left, such as contractors, cabinetry specialists or tile installers. You can even sort by Best Match, Most Reviewed or Recently Reviewed to personalize your search.)
After searching through a few profiles, Dana landed Brewer’s page.
Brewer’s profile gave Dana a feeling of this designer’s experience and style. She looked at her ratings, reviewed her portfolio of past projects (it showed just what Dana was searching for in her home), also got a feeling of Brewer’s character by viewing the way the designer interacted with the community in the Discussions section.
Then Dana pulled confirmed client reviews about particular projects that Brewer had worked. “It was great to see the testimonials of individuals,” Dana says.
The Discussions section is where Dana really got a feel for Brewer’s professional mindset. “One thing I enjoyed was how responsive Kayron was to individuals on ,” Dana says. “She really interacted with them up to a sensible point. I really enjoyed that.”
Before Photo
And that’s how Dana went from having this dark, constricted master bath …
Kayron Brewer, CKD, CBD / Studio K B
AFTER: … to this completely transformed harbor. The single thing Brewer left in place was the toilet and the window, which is currently located over a new shower (sans stained glass bird).
Kayron Brewer, CKD, CBD / Studio K B
Bathtub: Jazz, Maax; fixtures: Hansgrohe; cupboards: Pendleton door with mahogany paint and brushed vintage oatmeal, Showplace Wood Products; sconces: Sussex Tube, Pottery Barn
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