Pawel Witkowski: Pawel, lead designer at Spaces and Views’ Highland Park showroom, immigrated from Poland as a young boy. Despite the challenges he faced with language, education and culture, he was drawn to the arts and design early in his life. He attended Harrington Institute of Interior Design in Chicago and also traveled to Paris, where he studied French architecture and design. After earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Interior Design, he began his career with the Lee Lumber family.

Pawel has worked in Highland Park for the past 6 years and established a significant reputation for design within the North Shore community. He has been published in North Shore Magazine and quoted in the Chicago Tribune. Realizing that most clients are visual, Pawel uses his extensive portfolio to showcase a variety of ideas, allowing clients to hone in on what appeals to them. He then incorporates each client’s personality and taste into the spaces he designs.

Eileen Baumgarten: Eileen is a designer and busy mother who helps anchor our Highland Park location on a part-time basis. We wish we could have more of her time! She has always been involved with the arts (she has a music degree in Organ from the University of Oklahoma), so kitchen design comes naturally to her. You might have heard her playing organ at a local church and not known it! Eileen is a “people person” who forms relationships with clients and knows their lifestyles, needs, and desires before she begins their designs. She believes that in our non-stop, busy culture, every person needs a place of his or her own. So, she tries to create very personal, aesthetically beautiful designs within a framework of functionality for her clients.

Catherine Karabas: A true “people person”, Catherine blends her outgoing personality and her design talents when she introduces clients to the exquisite world of Woods-Mode fine custom cabinetry and to the many services of Spaces and Views. Both her construction and decorating backgrounds are strong contributors in starting clients on the right foot toward that special room of cabinetry. Her ability to understand and communicate the specific needs of Highland Park’s large contractor base creates a smooth and accurate business process. Since joining our Highland Park staff in 2005, Catherine has complemented our designers and assisted our clients with her unique and natural approach to choosing styles and finishes.

Kay Hutmacher: The owner of a Wood-Mode dealership for 10 years, Kay is one of the most knowledgeable people in the cabinet business. She graduated from the University of Dayton, took NKBA classes in design and advanced design at Wood-Mode, and then purchased Liberty Kitchens & Designs, which she owned and operated from 1991-2001. After selling the business, she continued there as manager until 2005, when Spaces and Views hired her to be our Outside Sales Representative, working out of the Oakbrook Terrace office. Kay creates and cultivates new relationships with custom builders, interior designers, remodeling companies, developers, designers, home owners, subcontractors, suppliers, and architects. She is not only a people person, but she has full and complete business knowledge of the cabinet industry. What’s more, after 16+ years with Wood-Mode, she is a true expert in the line.

Kay has worked on the HBAGC Tour of Homes committee, chaired the Run for Cover for Home Aid Chicago, and chaired the Woodland Academy of the Sacred Heart benefit. More important, no one knows more about all phases of the cabinet business and its markets than she.

Tom Nyland: Tom is our hybrid and one of our key people. He has grass roots knowledge of the industry, starting in construction in 1976 and learning everything about Wood-Mode, kitchens, baths, architecture, and interior design through experience. He owned Counter Intelligence and The Kitchenary in Northbrook for nine years, becoming an expert in kitchens, baths, cabinets, countertops, sinks, faucets, etc. and learning the business and accounting side of the business. He then worked at another Wood-Mode dealer before moving to Spaces and Views.

Today, Tom is a Designer and a Sales Representative, all in one. He has worked with builders, custom builders, contractors, developers, architects, interior designers, remodeling companies, and homeowners. No one in our company knows more about the exquisite Wood-Mode line of fine custom cabinetry, and how to make it work for your needs.

Janelle Keil: Surrounded by the rich, architectural tapestry of Barcelona, Janelle’s career studies turned from the microscope of bio-chemistry to the creative world of architecture and design.

"Barcelona is an amazing city of Old World elegance. And with extended travels to Rome, Capri and throughout the Mediterranean, my microscope gave way to the broad palette of charm, style and creativity. I simply needed to design.”

Transferring from the corn fields of Iowa City to the canyons and towers of Chicago, Janelle honed her design capabilities in the halls of Harrington.

“I love what I do. The interaction with people, the challenges each project brings, the energy that surrounds each new job make each day another exciting chapter in my life. How lucky can one person be?”

With her 9 years of active service in the Kitchen and Bath industry, Janelle chairs our Design Center in Oakbrook Terrace. After previously serving on the HBAGC Remodelers’ Council, she remains active in the Home Builders’ Association, maintaining strong ties within the membership.

Jaclyn E. Wike: Jaclyn is a sweet little southern girl from North Carolina who is a top kitchen and bath designer for Spaces and Views. Nine years ago, after receiving her BS in Housing and Interior Design from Appalachian State, she began her career in interior design, creating custom furniture, window treatments, and bedding, in Hickory, NC (the furniture capitol of the world). There, she worked with high-end fabrics and wall coverings and created spaces that reflected each client’s personality. She first worked for Luxe Home in the Merchandise Mart, quickly joined Chicago Kitchen Design Group, then moved to Kohler, and then to Spaces and Views. She has been a designer for five years, is a qualified AKBD (Associate Kitchen and Bath Designer), and is now pursuing her CKD and CKB (Certified Kitchen and Certified Bath Designer) certifications She is also studying for LEED certification (Green kitchen and bath design) that should achieve that within the next year.. We are lucky to have attracted this excellent talent.

Josie Pickett: Following her graduation from Olivet Nazarene with a BA in Housing and Environmental Design, Josie’s career wove its way through the home interior worlds of Lippman’s and Marshall Field’s Design Studio. After four years of working with clients and creating personalized living environments, Josie joined Spaces and Views and its unique team that is devoted exclusively to multi-unit projects.

Josie’s communication and design skills, attention to details, and excellence in project management make her an integral part of this team. She has contributed to such projects as The Montgomery and The Regatta of Millennium Park. Additionally, when redesigns are requested, she becomes the Designer of Record. Her attention to details and product knowledge make her a client favorite.

Jill Smith: Jill graduated with a BFA in Interior Design from the Illinois Institute of Art in 2003. At the time, she was already working for SmartRooms as an intern. We quickly made her a full time employee – we know talent when we see it. She is now a Project Manager with excellent knowledge of the entire Wood-Mode line of fine custom cabinetry.

Carl Hagemann: Customer service is at the heart of any successful business, and at Spaces and Views, Lincoln Park, that means Carl. Honing his people skills from years of service in the military and from a rewarding career in the hospitality industry, Carl knows and understands his role in servicing our clients. Carl’s product knowledge and understanding of style help our clients turn good rooms into glorious ones. In his support role, Carl works with the design staff in everything from pricing the product to handling the logistics of delivery. Like so many at Spaces and Views, Carl knows that no project is completed until the client is truly satisfied.

Fernando Soler: With a business degree from First Business School Chicago, and a degree in Interior Design from Harrington, Fernando joined SmartRooms four years ago to help run our high rise division as a Project Manager. He has since been promoted to Designer for Residential Clients. Fernando is a major creative talent, a people person, and a pragmatist. “I want to design not just for designs’ sake, but to create a beautiful yet fully functional kitchen for the individual,” he says. We feel that one telling fact shows his values and his character: Each year, Fernando spends several weeks volunteering in Africa (Ghana in 2008), assisting surgeons who give free operations to the poverty-stricken people of that nation. We are very proud of Fernando as a designer and a human being.

Douglas Jerdee: After spending eight years as a top kitchen and bath designer for Poggenpohl, Douglas became available and we snapped him up as fast as we could. We know talent! Douglas was educated at Illinois State and graduated with a BS in Industrial Technology (Pre-Press Graphics major and Visual Communications – Art -- minor). But printing was not his true love – design was. Over the past 15 years, he has taken as many classes as he could find in Architecture and Space Planning (applied services). He worked at Atria Studios and Polyform (at the Merchandise Mart) before joining Poggenpohl.

Wendy Bellas:  With a BS in Psychology from Ohio Wesleyan University and an Interior Design degree from her hometown of Denver, Wendy anchors our ever busy Kedzie location. She prides herself in her easy manner and ability to satisfy diverse client demands. “Balancing the budget while meeting their design needs keeps the job challenging,” Wendy says. “I love seeing the smile at the end of each job.”