Meet Vanessa Starkweather, Tile Outlets' Kitchen and Bath Cabinets Expert in Tampa

Posted by TOA's Blog Team on May 7th 2015

Are you in the Tampa market and chomping at the bit to make your dream for a perfect kitchen or bathroom come true, from backsplash to floor tile design to cabinets? Well, do we ever have exciting news for you! You can now explore, be inspired and select kitchen and bath cabinets in the Tile Outlets Tampa store! And, when you do, you'll have the benefit of our Kitchen and Bath Designer, Vanessa Starkweather.

(For those of you in the Fort Myers market, be sure to read about Tile Outlets' Kitchen and Bath Cabinet Expert: Michelle Slobodzian.)

Meet Vanessa Starkweather, Tile Outlets Kitchen and Bath Designer in the Tampa Store

We caught up with Vanessa to learn more about herself, her love of kitchen and bath design and how cabinets and tile make for a perfect combination.

TOA: Vanessa, tell us about yourself and your background?

Vanessa: I grew up in Florida, moved to Utah, back to central Florida, then back to Utah where I went to school for interior design and back again to Florida, this time to St. Petersburg where I have family. I now live in Tampa and am earning a bachelor's degree in Interior Design.

I love the sunshine and the warmth.

I also love design and how tile and cabinets come together to bring to life a beautiful design. They combine texture, color and pattern; add in countertops, walls and floors and you have a multi-dimensional quality that transforms a kitchen or bath into artwork.

Plus, when you think that we spend most of our time in the kitchen or the bathroom, it's really important to work the materials together and create an unforgettable and beautiful space.

Kitchen cabinets with rectangular shaped tile as backsplash. Notice how back lighting can bring cabinets to life.

TOA: How did you get into kitchen and bath design?

Vanessa: Well, we moved around a lot and I had the opportunity to pick colors, develop designs, and generally help my parents get settled in each of our homes. I realized I had talent and really enjoyed the process. I started by decorating my bedroom and then expanded to the rest of the house!

I now work professionally as a kitchen and bath designer. I focus on creating a space that’s more than just a room. That space needs to reflect the person whose room it is as well as the purpose of the room and also communicate a sense of home.

It's really fun to see how that transformation happens with materials, color, and textures.

TOA: What is your role at Tile Outlets of America in Tampa?

Vanessa: I'm the kitchen and bath designer, specializing in cabinets. I help with the cabinet and accessory selections, as well as coordinating with backsplash, floor tile or stone selections. I help to get the ball rolling.

Many people come in to Tile Outlets looking for tile. They wander through the store and then see the kitchen and bath cabinets displays. They say they need cabinets but don’t know exactly what they want. That's when I take them by the hand and help them through the process step by step.

Other people come in knowing exactly what they want and I offer them suggestions and help them with a few more decisions.

I may need to send them to websites to get inspiration and determine what style cabinet they like. Often, they don’t know what they like until they see what they don’t like. Then, I can take that concept and apply it to their space.

TOA: Vanessa, what’s important to consider when selecting and coordinating cabinets and tile?

Vanessa: It's important to understand the scope and dimensions of the cabinet project. For example, is it simply a vanity project that will coordinate with wall and floor tile, or is it a complex kitchen project with countertops and hanging cabinets?

Homeowners might have dimensions from their contractor. Or, they might want to measure the space themselves using the Tile Outlets Cabinet Planner design guide. It's really nice to get the customer involved in the process.

We have custom Pro-Kitchen software to help bring the project to life in 3d.

Before getting to that point, I often do a quick sketch on graph paper to draw the space out and bring to life the cabinet and tile selections for the customer.

As the in-store interior designer, I try to make an often difficult and frustrating process easy for customers.

Glass mosaic tiles in grays and browns coordinates with vanity countertop and large format floor tile.

TOA: What are the big design trends for kitchen and bath cabinets?

Vanessa: You'll notice a move toward more contemporary looks. Shaker doors are popular in pure white, or dark. They have clean, straight lines and are easy to dress up with a countertop and backsplash design. In Tampa, Italian modern cabinets are popular in a flat finish with texture which creates an extra dimension. As are grays and dark browns.

These cabinet trends work well with tile trends such as:

Larger format floor tiles – in 24x24 and 20x20, as well as linear shapes - make the space look larger, cleaner, and with fewer grout lines.
Clean backsplashes that include texture, or glass with movement in 4x12.
Less tumbled stone looks. Glass mosaic tile and rectangular formats.

TOA: Where do you go for kitchen and bath design ideas?

Vanessa: Houzz is a fantastic resource for ideas! Other online resources include:

I like to look at local design - Florida Design Magazine has great concepts. We're fortunate, too, that Miami is at the forefront of design trends for the rest of Florida.

I'm a member of the International Interior Designers Association; I enjoy seeing the work of local architect/designers such as:

Tampa is a melting pot and every neighborhood is different. Kitchen and bath design needs to be relevant to Florida and to Tampa and we have great design influences to be inspired by.

Sleek, modern tropical colored kitchen cabinetry coordinates with wood plank floor tile and horizontally installed wall tile.

TOA: How do you suggest that visitors prepare for a visit to Tile Outlets?

Vanessa: Definitely, bring in ideas of the things you like - online or that you found in a magazine. That way, you don’t walk in and get overwhelmed with the selection of tile and stone and cabinets.

Tile Outlets offers a wealth of beautiful tile and stone products to choose from and first time visitors are often taken aback by the selection.

So, come in with a plan and our sales associates can guide you through the rest of the process to find the right floor or wall tiles. Always have an idea and ideally a picture so we know what you want and can help your dreams become a reality.

TOA: Vanessa, any final words of advice?

Vanessa: Take your time. It’s an involved project no matter what you're doing. So, don’t rush through the decision and design process. Make sure you are getting what you love and what’s right for you once it's installed.

TOA: Thanks, Vanessa.

Are you ready to explore kitchen and bath cabinets? We hope you'll visit Tile Outlets of America in Tampa and ask for Vanessa Starkweather.