Every family, every person, every home has a centerpiece, that one place where everything and everyone comes together. For some, it’s a playroom filled with kids’ laughter. For others, it’s the backyard where memories are grilled into every summer day. And for many, it’s the kitchen – where stories are shared, meals are created, and memories are built.
At The RTA Store, our people are that centerpiece. As a family-owned and operated company, the team behind the scenes is what truly builds the heart of the home for every customer we serve. And really, what’s more important than that?
In this month’s The Heart of Our Home spotlight, we’re featuring Virginia, our Senior Designer, so you can get to know the heart of The RTA Store.
Melissa: Hey Virginia, thank you so much for meeting today!
Virginia: Absolutely!
Melissa: So how did you get started in the design world?
Virginia: So, I went to college for interior design in Buffalo, so that was kind of my introduction into the design world. But I’ve always just been a fan of interiors and just how spaces make you feel when you walk into them. A well-designed space just evokes a certain feeling!
So, I’ve always been just interested in that aspect of design. It wasn’t really like a plan for me to go specifically into kitchens, but this was actually my first job out of college. And I fell in love with it! I didn’t know if I was going to be in residential design or if I was going to do something more on the commercial side. But I really do love residential design.
I feel like it’s so personal and I just love working with people one-on-one in their own homes because like I said, it’s very personal and it’s just a lot of fun.
Melissa: It’s true. Like they always say, it’s the “comfort of your own home”, and even though a lot of people, including myself, tend to have an overarching theme in the house or certain styles that they like, each room is slightly different because the room itself, depending on the person, kind of brings its own emotion – you have the family room or den sometimes smaller and more intimate than the living room, where you have more people and you’re hosting something, right? So, the den and libraries sometimes tend to be darker, more cozy. You’re relaxing there. And then you have the dining room where you’re going to be with a lot of people hosting family time.
But then, there’s the kitchen. And the kitchen for a lot of people is where conversations are had. It’s where you kind of just hang out having coffee or you’re spending a lot of time there because you’re cooking, you’re cleaning the dishes, you’re doing all different things. But then also you have the bathroom and bedroom, which are almost like a sanctuary for a lot of people, especially if there’s a master room with it.
Is there a room that you personally tend to get super excited about designing when someone comes with it?
Virginia: Absolutely. I mean kitchens always excite me! But other than that I have been getting a lot of basements.
People have a lot of square footage and they’re finishing their basements, so they want a wet bar or entertainment cabinets for their TV area. So that’s always fun because I feel like in your basement you can be a little bit more creative. You can go a little bit outside of the box with the colors, so it tends to be a little more of a fun space to design where you can kind of go outside of your comfort zone a little bit.
Melissa: I guess that’s almost like a blank canvas for a lot of people too, because a lot of the time they’re finishing a basement that was unfinished versus when you get into a home, there’s already kind of a layout and setup. And unless you want to do a drastic renovation, sometimes you don’t do as many different or unique things there. But in the basement, you can kind of just do whatever you want.
Virginia: Exactly! It’s the family area. It’s where you hang out and you can be comfortable and take a little design risk in the basement. So that’s a pretty cool and more common area that I’m finding that I’m designing more.
Melissa: That’s interesting! And what is it about cabinetry specifically that you love?
Virginia: I love that cabinetry is both beautiful and functional. I mean, you can add cabinetry really to almost anywhere in your home! And nowadays I feel like people need so much storage. Whether it’s in your kitchen or whether it’s to hide your clothes or your coats and your boots and stuff in a mudroom, for example. I think cabinetry has become more of a focal point and a beautiful point in the house whereas a long time ago in the past it was kind of more built in or kind of away from the sight of things.
Melissa: I know what you mean. I feel like the only room that off the bat, in a house that has cabinets, is a kitchen. And other than that, bathrooms will often but not always have a vanity, and a lot of the times it’s kind of just like an afterthought of something for storage in there. But the only room that’s really set up with cabinets that honestly can make or break the room is a kitchen.
I feel a lot more, nowadays especially, people are adding cabinetry as not just a couple of cabinets here or there, but actual statement pieces of cabinets, right? An entire wall of cabinets or designed around the room to make the room look and feel a certain way, because especially with a kitchen, cabinets can make the room look and feel something specific and then without them it’s a huge piece of furniture in a room the way you would look at a couch. And if it doesn’t all go together, it can kind of break it.
And I guess that’s actually kind of a good point since you’re an interior designer, because a lot of people don’t know what could be done with a room. I didn’t know until I started seeing what our designers could do when I first started at The RTA Store, genuinely I was flabbergasted by some of the befores and afters because my brain just doesn’t think of that room being just a blank slate!
It’s difficult to not see what’s right in front of you, especially with interior design, it’s not just about the space looking nice but functioning properly.
Virginia: Yeah, exactly! There is a saying, form follows function. Form meaning the beautiful part of it, the aesthetic. and function is obviously what you need to make the space functional for what it is. There’s so many ways to elevate the look of cabinets, too. It’s not like when you think of just a basic box that you slap on the wall. There’s so many ways to make it look like a furniture piece, adding decorative moldings and making it look more builtin.
And I think that’s really what sets apart your basic kind of builder grade cabinet, compared to a nicer, more well-thought-out design, using our cabinetry.
Melissa: That’s such a good point too, I never thought about that kind of thing either. To me, it was just kind of like cabinets on a wall, especially because my kitchen is not designed in the slightest. It’s still the same cabinets from when it was built in 1986 and they legit just look like boxes with doors on them! So that’s going to be fun when it’s redone.
Virginia: Let me know when you need a designer!! (both laugh)
Melissa: One hundred percent!! I already know exactly what I want, too. I want the Midtown Indigo kitchen, and Rustic Shaker island.
Virginia: Yes, I remember you saying the indigo! I love it.
Melissa: I don’t care that they’re not the same line. (laughs)
Virginia: It doesn’t matter! I think they’ll look great together because I love the combination of wood and a dark moody painted cabinet. I think that would look great.
Melissa: I’ve always liked the farmhouse theme because another lifetime I totally would have been a baker, but then also another lifetime I totally would have wanted to be on a farm with animals and everything. But maybe I can have chickens where we are. (both laugh)
But I have always loved the farmhouse theme. And when you’re in a house that isn’t built to look like a farmhouse, there’s only so much you can do, and whenever you look up farmhouse kitchens, you see the greens, the navy blues, or the classic white. And I’m like, “Oh my god, I’m not a big blue fan.” But dark blue kitchens are the most gorgeous kitchens I have ever seen in my life.
Virginia: (both laugh) Yeah. It’s a vibe! Some people are white and bright and open and airy and I’m the opposite. I’m moody and dark and cozy. Like that is me.
Melissa: Same 100%!
Virginia: I currently have black cabinets in my basement right now, we have a little wet bar in a TV area and I use black cabinets with brushed gold hardware and it looks great. I love gold with a dark navy or a black. It just pops and it’s warm.
Melissa: I will still always want the navy kitchen because that’s probably the color that I would be most happy with day in and day out, but I am also equally in love with black cabinets and that olive green, the woodland green. And I’ve been seeing so much green lately because it’s in now with the gold hardware and I’m like, Oh God, that looks so good! (laughs)
Virginia: Yeah. The woodland green. I love that color! It’s not too sagey green, it’s kind of a neutral but I love that cabinet. It’s one of my faves right now!
Melissa: I love when other people love moody stuff. (both laugh) So, what’s your favorite part about working at the RTA store itself?
Virginia: I would say my favorite part is working with the people. I love our customers! I love how excited they are about getting started with the design process. It can be stressful to begin with, but as soon as I send the first set of renderings, you can really see people open up and really start to get excited. And then that gets me excited.
And it’s really cool to see and be part of someone’s dream because for a lot of people redoing a space whether it’s your kitchen or bathroom or what, it’s their dream. They work hard and they save up their money, and this is something that a lot of people have probably spent a lot of time thinking about, and to finally be able to pull the trigger is exciting. And so for me, it’s exciting to be part of that.
Melissa: I love that. And it’s true, it’s such an investment because a lot of the times when you’re doing new cabinets, you’re not just doing new cabinets, you’re redoing the whole space a lot of the time. Especially with a kitchen and so it really does change the entire room. It’s probably something that every time you’re in the kitchen you’re thinking about what you want differently and how you feel in there now and thinking about what would make you feel the way you want to feel in your kitchen.
Virginia: Right! I mean, a lot of people will say I hate this and that about my current setup, and I love being a part of finding solutions that make their life easier in the kitchen, whether it’s a storage solution or more cabinet space, more countertop space.
I love helping them figure out how to make their new space fit their family and be more functional for them. It’s really fun.
Melissa: As cliche as it sounds, especially you guys as the designers, you really are helping to make people’s dreams a reality of what they want and really making a part of their home feel like home.
Now is the rapid fire! (laughs) So, first up, any answer that comes to your head. If you had a choice of cabinet in a room that’s not the obvious kind of thing that people would put in, like a book nook or a toe-kick drawer, a baker corner, anything. What would it be?
Virginia: It would absolutely be a hidden pantry! I know it’s not as common, but it’s becoming more common now that people have bigger homes and they’re building, especially with new builds. They will dedicate a space for a butler’s pantry, and when I say hidden pantry I mean using a cabinetry door that matches the kitchen cabinets and that will be your access door into another room which is the butler’s pantry. So that’s really cool, it’s kind of just like a hidden door! That’s kind of my favorite little creative way to use cabinetry.
Melissa: I think that is so cool! And really almost makes you guess, because as you said, it’ll look exactly like a cabinet and you open it up, and say what?! (both laugh)
Virginia: Yeah, it’s so cool! I mean, that can be a separate area for you to have your baking or appliances that you don’t want out on the countertop to be hidden away. Just kind of like a separate space that’s more functional but something you don’t really necessarily want to see.
Melissa: It really kind of pulls the room together with all the cabinets. New non-obvious choice for cabinets unlocked!(both laugh)
And so if you were on a desert island, what would be your desert island food of choice?
Virginia: This is hard for me because I feel like I’m such a foodie that I just love food from all different cultures! One of my favorites is Japanese ramen, but I also love street tacos, I love Italian food, especially pasta. I mean just like all the comfort food really.
Melissa: Oh man, I love proper Japanese Ramen! My desert island of choice would be pasta. It’s not going to be a specific pasta dish, I want all different kinds of pastas, different ones every day. (laughs)
And then if you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? Yes.
Virginia: It would have to be Italy! We went to Italy a couple of years ago for our honeymoon and it was just an incredible experience. It was about 2 weeks and we started in Rome and we made our way up north to Florence and Modena. We didn’t get over to Venice or Milan, but then we went down south to Naples and the Amalfi Coast.
Melissa: Yes, Positano!
Virginia: If I was rich, I’d live on the Amalfi Coast, it’s so beautiful there, Northern Italy is beautiful. The food is delicious., and the people are friendly and it’s just beautiful out there.
Melissa: I would love to own a home there to be able to go to and spend time there. It’s so hard too because I grew up going to Italy over the summer as a kid, at least 3-4 years old up until 10 years old, we’d go every other summer and stay with family friends. So we’d go into Milano, drive down through Naples, and end up in Sicily, and then we’d spend two weeks in Sicily because that’s where my dad’s family was all from. And I have my dual citizenship, I am ready to go when the time comes! (both laugh)
Then our last question. This series for the blog is all about the heart of the home. So Virginia, who or what is the heart of your home?
Virginia: The heart of my home is definitely my family. I mean for me, I don’t care where I live as long as I’ve got my family with me. And as long as I’ve got my people that’s where the heart of the home is for me. It’s not where I live, it’s who I’m with. It’s who I’m surrounded by.
Melissa: I love that. I feel like so many people at The RTA Store feel that way because we are all so culturally aligned with being family centric and the business itself is family centric. It’s true, your home is your house but if I were to have to leave it, I would still be fine as long as my husband and kids were with me.
Virginia: Yeah, same. Absolutely. I think most people probably feel that way here.
Melissa: One hundred percent. Thank you for doing this again Virginia!
Virginia: Of course, it was fun!
