The kitchen designer, one of just a few NKBA members to have earned all nine Specialty Badges, has consistently amplified his skills over the course of his career, despite a few bumps in the road.
By Dianne M. Pogoda
The challenges that life presents often lead to our biggest opportunities. Tyler Williams, a kitchen designer with The Home Depot in Provo, UT, identified his passion for design at age nine, while helping his mom — herself an amateur, self-taught designer — with a DIY kitchen renovation. Fueling his dreams of interior design and architecture, he consumed as much from the design world as possible. He took classes in drafting and multi-media throughout middle school and high school, attended show houses with his family, studied floor plans in magazines and sketched his own plans relentlessly, amassing more than 150 designs by the time he was a sophomore.
“My mom has always been my biggest advocate and has always inspired me to do my best,” he recalled. “She was the one that sparked my initial interest in the design world at a young age when we remodeled our own kitchen.”
But he had a few setbacks with health, the sudden loss of a family member, and was unable to finish college. He found himself off-track, but happily working at Walmart, learning how to deal with the public — and then COVID-19 hit. Ultimately, he took a part-time job at The Home Depot, where an astute HR manager listened to his story, identified his talent and passion, and placed him in a training program to become a kitchen designer.
“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I was doing something I was passionate about and loving my job! Full circle, I was finally where I belonged from the beginning. The Home Depot’s partnership with the NKBA has been the key to my ability to have these opportunities,” he said. “This is an employer that has believed in me from day one and continues to do so.”
He recently celebrated his fourth year designing for The Home Depot, which participates in an NKBA badge-sponsorship program, and has surpassed $1 million in sales for each fiscal year. He has earned multiple Specialist of the Month recognitions at his store and was a five-time Specialist of the District honoree. In addition, Williams received the Designer Excellence Award from American Woodmark in 2023 and 2024. After completing his ninth badge in April, Williams is aiming for CKBD certification.
“No matter how many times I feel reduced to ashes,” he said, “I always find a way to rebuild and improve even more.”
Williams, a member of NKBA’s Mountain States Chapter, discussed his inspiration and pathway to earning all nine badges and how that has helped him grow in his career.
NKBA: What inspired you to earn all 9 badges?
TW: My mom, my customers, my friends and family, my coworkers, my workplace, my education, and my personal drive to increase my worth and always do my best have contributed to my inspiration. Why wouldn’t I want to be more specialized in kitchen/bath design to further assist my customers? The benefits are endless as the badges only allow me to design even better projects.
NKBA: What do you find to be the most important benefit of the badges?
TW: Being able to sell a more complete project by having a clearer understanding of the individual components of a kitchen and how they coincide. This not only benefits me but also each of my clients.
NKBA: Which was easiest for you, which was hardest for you, and why?
TW: Cabinetry, Floorplans & Specifications, Appliances, and Color were easiest for me as I was most familiar with those subjects. Remodeling was probably the hardest because of the length and breadth of the material. I was originally intimidated by Sales & Marketing, Sustainability, and Universal Design but as I dove into the material, I realized that I knew more than I expected. Each badge contained information that I didn’t know before, and I found value in all nine.
NKBA: Is there one badge that has helped you more than the others?
TW: Color really built on my previous knowledge from Interior Design courses I took in college and has only helped my confidence in reassuring customers with their color choices, and helping them with paint colors for their walls, tile selections, as well as the more obvious cabinet pairings for multi-toned projects. Lighting has also been advantageous in recommending new light fixtures.
NKBA: What did you learn that surprised you about the process?
TW: How much I already knew, and how much more can be learned in the world of kitchen and bath.
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While NKBA certification has long been recognized across the K&B world as a standard of design excellence, it is available exclusively to the designer community. Designers earn their Certified Kitchen & Bath Designer (CKBD) credential and may level up to Certified Master Kitchen & Bath Designer (CMKBD).
The badges were developed by NKBA and subject matter experts as a micro-credentialing program for all categories of membership — designers as well as remodelers, retailers, distributors, manufacturers, sales and marketing professionals, consultants and any other industry-related pro. The badges provide personalized learning and allow NKBA members to gain specific knowledge of a particular trade or skill.Currently, the nine NKBA Specialty Badges include Floor Plans & Specifications, Lighting, Cabinetry, Sales & Marketing, Sustainability, Remodeling, Universal Design, Color, and Appliances. The first Specialty Badge costs $199 with subsequent Badges available for $149 each. Badge packages include all study materials and testing, and NKBA periodically offers special promotions for additional member discounts. For more information about the badges, visit NKBA.org/badges.
