The revealing discussion was held on the NEXT Stage at February’s expo.
By NKBA Staff
Know your superpowers and never stop learning.
That was the theme of a discussion between Chelsie Butler, Executive Editor of KBB magazine, and Sharon L. Sherman, CKD, CID, NCIDQ, Founder of Thyme & Place Design in Wyckoff, NJ. Butler interviewed Sherman, KBB’s 2025 Person of the Year, on the NEXT Stage at KBIS 2026 in February.
Sherman, who has been in the industry for 43 years and in her own business for 24, shared advice from her “Tips from the Trade” blog on her Thyme & Place website. Her overarching message was to continue learning about all facets of the industry and to capitalize on available resources to grow volume and profitability in a proprietary business.
“I try to provide info that’s good for manufacturers and designers,” Sherman said, “and to provide a full-bodied read that’s fun — and you learn something from it.”
Butler asked Sherman to share key strategies that will help designers improve their processes.
Value Your Work
Sherman said one of the key things that designers must recognize is their value to the remodeling process. She always charges a consultation fee but donates 40 to 50 percent of it to a local social services organization in Ridgewood, NJ.
“Things that have no value are given no value. Think about what ‘free design’ means,” she said. “This is a business, and if someone is not willing to invest in me, I’m not benefiting. So, I started collecting a consultation fee, and if they don’t use me, I donate it to the community. My clients and potential clients like knowing that up front. I believe that what you put out into the universe, you get back. It’s a win-win.”
Use Available Resources and Learn from Other People’s Mistakes
As part of her own journey, Sherman wrote three “Guidebooks” that share useful information, strategic advice and missteps to avoid.
“You learn from your mistakes, but you also lose money,” she acknowledged. “I created a series of Guidebooks to help people learn from my mistakes. When I started, I had no idea about the business side of things — and no one helped me. So, I feel a responsibility to share my mistakes and what I learned from them, help others, and to train the next generation and set them on a path for success. It’s a ‘pay-it-forward’ approach.”
The Guidebooks detail several key topics:
- How to interview clients to help them discover what they want.
- Project and timeline checklists.
- Real contracts that protect profits and that include critical clauses.
- How to determine budgets.
- Systems to help prevent mistakes.
- Creating a lasting client experience that results in referrals.
The Guidebooks may be purchased on Sherman’s Thyme & Place Design website and are segmented into three phases of a project: 1. Design Phase: Foundation for Success; 2. Procurement Phase: Systems That Scale; and 3. Job Completion Phase: Creating Lifelong Clients. She said she plans to continue the Guidebook series and start a podcast in the year ahead.
Pay Close Attention to Contracts
“Make sure you have an attorney review your standard contract who knows our business,” she stressed. “Make sure your contract includes start and stop dates, covers your responsibility — and spells it all out in detail. This includes what you’re doing and what you’re not doing.”
The contract also needs to set boundaries for the client, such as what they need to do and what they may not do, that they must be respectful of the designers’ time, and how communication is handled — for instance, a timeframe within which a client may expect an email reply, or not to call on a Sunday.
The contract should also specify how products must be stored. The designer can’t be held responsible if the client leaves materials out in the elements if they are delivered to the job site but are not yet ready for installation.
“Protect yourself, your project, your workers — and your client.”
Don’t Be Afraid of AI
“AI is not going away, but it’s not replacing us, either,” Sherman stated plainly. “It’s just like when computer-aided design came on the scene. It’s a tool, we learn how to use it, and it evolves.
“But don’t let AI represent your work,” she cautioned. “Use it as a tool to help you, to shorten the design cycle, and to fill in the blank of a skill you might not have.”
Talk the Talk
Sherman advised designers to learn to speak the language of construction professionals. “Understanding ‘construction talk’ allows designers to communicate with contractors knowledgeably and ensures mutual respect,” she said.
Don’t Limit Yourself to K&B
“There’s an intersection between the kitchen and bath sector and overall interior design,” she said, noting that attending an event like High Point Spring Market (April 25-29 in High Point, NC) presents an extraordinary opportunity to see and learn from this growing convergence. “I think of myself as a design professional who specializes in kitchen and bath because my clients expect more. As K&B designers, our superpower is all the technical knowledge we have, about everything that goes on behind the walls. It goes deeper than colors and material choices.”
Sherman added that the industry is at the forefront of the health and wellness movement in residential design, and that kitchen and bath are the most important centers of influence on the well-being of the people living in that space.
“We can be the ‘one call’ — a singular design vision for the full space,” she added. “This is why we should come together, not in competition, but in collaboration, and blend the two disciplines…because kitchen and bath drive the whole design concept of the house.”
She concluded that designers should not be obsessed with chasing “likes” on the Internet. “That’s fleeting,” she said. “Create a strategic plan and develop your own design philosophy. Learn more about Sherman here.
