Dear Members,
One of my passions is travel and I have been fortunate to have traveled extensively this past year. In April I experienced the trip of a lifetime in South Africa. Ecotourism is growing and I was inspired by all things wild and yes, I stayed in one of those bougie tents with all the amenities one only dreams of: not only a soaking tub, but also a plunge pool and sexy outdoor shower. I researched the designer for the reserve as I was so enamored with the comforts styled to bring the outdoors in, while being luxuriously "natural". The textiles and surfaces were all locally sourced and organic. Even the bathroom tub (looking out to the "bush") and mirrors were organic in shape. Should you visit my home now, I have tried to create the illusion that I may one day return...think pillows of Impala hide, furry throws and my very old vintage leopard covered bench is now front and center. Native-made wooden utensils are now my everyday prep tools. As I design, I consider more than ever the impact of the circle of life I witnessed.
What does this have to do with our Chapter you ask? Well, I believe that immersing oneself in another culture and country can inform our tastes and vision in design. And meeting other people with different ideas, background and experience in our industry is always a learning opportunity...even if travel is not your thing.
This is why I always love a well-attended Chapter meeting. Did you know we are one of the top five (out of 71) most active NKBA Chapters in all of the USA? One of my objectives as President is to bring more of our members together to enhance our wisdom and share our knowledge in the field. If you believe as I do that a well-designed home is critical to our health and happiness, then this community will benefit from your involvement.
We are so fortunate to be able to get together with each other as we promote excellence in the Kitchen and Bath Industry. This past year we have covered a wide range of topics in our meetings and collaborated with the other design organizations in the Puget Sound in hopes of attracting member engagement. The all-new Great Vendor Adventure is proving to be a fun way to better know our sponsors and vendors. Our recent meeting covering "Wellness by Design" captured the essence of incorporating a healthy lifestyle with marketing our experiences to our clients. We've also covered Color Psychology, the most innovative flooring surfaces, new product introductions from our sponsors, and tech-y lighting solutions. "How to Get Published" proved to be one of our most popular events.
Speaking of which... all of the Design Competition Award Winners are being published in the November edition of Portrait of Seattle magazine!
Our out-of-this-world themed Awards Gala highlighted how talented our local designers are! Thanks to our co-Chairs Laura Zmuda and Jennifer Kowalski for organizing this stellar event!
The Chapter survey gave us some valuable insights into what our Members are interested in and in what area(s) they might like to volunteer. A big shout out to all who participated. We are in the process of planning our events for next year. If you have a topic you would like to see at a presentation, please let me or our Programs Chair Sarah Cardinal know right away!
We have been enthusiastically busy and on behalf of all our Council Members, we thank you for your support, participation and friendship.
Cheers and Health to all!
Judith Wright Sentz, CKBD, CLIPP
Judith Wright Design
President, NKBA Puget Sound Chapter 2022/23
