By Donna Heiderstadt

Lucas Rosa isn’t afraid of a challenge. “My willingness to place myself in uncomfortable and new situations to grow myself as a designer and leader makes me stand out amongst my competitors and colleagues,” says the Showroom Manager and Lead Designer for BauTeam Chicago. At just 25 years old, Lucas has already been involved with the opening and maintenance of the company’s showroom in the Merchandise Mart, as well as the successful design and management of high-end custom kitchen projects in Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Florida.

What drew him to the kitchen-and-bath industry? Aside from being “motivated” to succeed, Lucas says as a child he favored the arts, but was also very analytical. “Initially, I expected to go to college for visual arts or engineering, but during my senior year of high school I discovered interior design, which I felt blended critical thinking and problem-solving with creativity,” he explains. During college, Lucas connected deeply with the technicality of kitchen design, which resulted in an internship with a kitchen-and-bath company. Just two days after graduation, he started at BauTeam.

Lucas says his most memorable project was a new construction home in Colorado that was one of his first with the company. “I got to closely work with the client, their architect, and their designer on impactful solutions for their kitchens, bathrooms, and many other spaces in the house over the course of two years to help them create their dream home,” he explains. “Along the way I learned about how important team collaboration can be as well as how to be clear and concise in my thoughts, opinions, and knowledge. All of this added value to the project and to my personal growth.”

As for his personal design style — which he calls “edited Maximalism” — Lucas says, “I love color, texture, and patterns that blend well to create a unique space that portrays an individual’s character. I love the glitz and glam of the Art Deco era.” He spent his childhood drawing and crafting, as well as competitive ice skating (which instilled discipline from a young age, he says), and he fondly recalls repeatedly redecorating his bedroom. “I most vividly remember when I had my ceiling and walls in three different colors and my mom created custom curtains to match, tying in all the colors,” he says. “I was constantly begging my parents for different rugs, bedspreads, and other decor to update my space as I grew.”

Now engaged to his fiancé, Connor, with whom he recently purchased a condo, Lucas enjoys creating art at home — which he also shares with the couple’s dog, Winston, and cat, Hera — and dreaming of jetting off to experience new cultures. “I love to travel and I think my must-do list would include visiting Africa, Southeast Asia, and more countries in South America,” he says.