Furniture + Move Guru
Houston, TX
Bachelor of Business Administration, Sam Houston University

Cheryl’s organizational skills spark not only joy but also energy, efficiency and enthusiasm.  She uses the leadership skills of a Certified Professional Organizer and her project management logistics experience to coordinate complex move management projects.  Cheryl’s interests and passions are as intriguing and diverse as her skillset: Child Advocates recruiter, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo member, and life member of PTA – including President 6 terms in 3 schools.

FUN FACT
Though Cheryl has performed project management or move coordination services for the relocation of 145 clients throughout Texaxs, she and her family have been firmly rooted in the same house in Houston for over 30 years.

Furniture Guru
Des Moines, IA
Bachelor of Arts, Interior Design, University of Northern Iowa

Marissa’s dream of working with a great team in this field is only natural. She grew up in Dyersville, IA*, played team sports, and earned a BA in Interior Design from CIDA-accredited University of Northern Iowa. Marissa’s engaging manner plus top-notch skills in AutoCAD, furniture planning/specification/rendering, and creative design software make her an all-star on #teamkimiko projects.

FUN FACT
*Marissa’s hometown of Dyersville is the location of “Field of Dreams”.

Furniture Guru, Allied ASID
Cabot, AR
Bachelor of Science, Interior Design, University of Central Arkansas

Tamara is jazzed about learning. She adopts tech trends and cool apps like some of us collect shoes! This passion has led her to be invited to speak as a power user at annual industry conferences. An active member of ASID since college days at Central Arkansas University, Tamara is the Chair for the South Central Chapter. She loves being an influencer, especially onboarding and training new designers and is always looking for a new or better way to improve environments for clients as a kimiko furniture guru.

FUN FACT
Super-techie Tamara prefers a paper planner over a digital one. It’s been the Happy Planner brand for this happy furniture planner for the last 5 years.

Furniture Guru, NICDQ #023211
Oklahoma City, OK
Bachelor of Science, Interior Design, Oklahoma State University

Amanda is an Okie with Texas ties. With experience as both an Interior Designer and a Sales Representative, she can manage any project with confidence (and most likely an intense color-coded system). She has an uncanny ability to be detail-oriented, but not lose sight of the big picture. Fueled by organization and commitment to clients, she will execute every project with persistence and joy!

FUN FACT
When she is not cooking up projects, you can find her creating custom cookie sets for local events.

Furniture Guru
Grimsby, ON, Canada
Diploma in Architectural Technology, Mohawk College

Matthew is Kimiko’s International Man of Intrigue and pulls from both a manufacturing and software background in the furniture industry. He has worked as a designer, project coordinator and manager, technical product specialist and design team leader. He’s even been a DIRTT bag.  His combination of mad furniture skills and broad experience allows him to be the Edward Scissorhands of furniture for his clients.

FUN FACT
In his spare time, Matthew likes to flex his culinary muscle with his smoker and will bbq almost anything!

Furniture Guru
Conroe, TX
Bachelor of Arts in University Studies, Southern Illinois University Carbondale Associate of Science in Interior Design, Vincennes University

Karie’s inherent skillset was matched for interior design and commercial furniture from the very beginning. The analytical side of her brain loves the puzzle of space planning and building furniture from parts and pieces, while the creative side imagines all aspects of a project coming together. She is known for her incredible attention to detail, accuracy, and efficiency, as well as her sense of humor. Karie is one of kimiko’s CET software champions and a certified Herman Miller Living Office Placemaker.

FUN FACT
Karie has been practicing yoga over half her life and can finally do a headstand!

Furniture Guru, LEED AP
Houston, TX
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Interior Design, Savannah College of Art and Design

Rachel contributes her knowledge and passion for interior and sustainable design to the Kimiko team, based on a foundation formed at architectural firms. She loves to research and ask questions to solve intricate furniture puzzles – she has a true hunger for knowledge. Rachel strives to inspire others with innovation, responsibility and most of all, compassion – which is why at kimiko, she leads the ‘free furniture’ efforts; connecting used furniture donations to non-profit organizations.

FUN FACT
In her spare time, Rachel is crossing countries off her bucket list – 14 down, 181 to go!

Bookkeeper
Denton, TX
Associate of Arts, Dallas Community College

Val is the special projects captain that keeps the kimiko ship sailing. From the helm in North Texas, she steers our invoicing, internal processes and keeps the engines running. Working for non-profits in her other life, Val loves helping others better the world and is an expert in navigating complex logistics

FUN FACT
For 2 years, Val lived on the road in a bus, with 10 other people for 5 months at a time.

Furniture Guru
Houston, TX
Bachelor of Arts, Interior Design, The Art Institute of Houston

A native Texan, Sessily played all the sports and joined every club her small-town high school offered, preparing herself for multiple projects and responsibilities of a busy Kimiko furniture guru. Having earned a BA in Interior Design from the Art Institute of Houston, Sessily built her career in commercial design, furniture planning, and project management. We’re so glad she joined Kimiko Designs and puts all that energy to good use on our clients’ furniture planning projects.

FUN FACT
Sessily’s mom bought a Barbie house to focus her little girl’s obsession with rearranging furniture in the homes of their family’s friends. A furniture nerd was born.

Furniture Guru
Lake Country, BC, Canada
Bachelor of Applied Arts, Interior Design, Ryerson University

Yvonne is kimiko’s International Woman of Intrigue. She spent the first 20 years of her career working at one of Canada’s largest furniture dealerships. During her years in Toronto she led (some secret) projects for corporate and government agencies. Her 007 assets include loyalty, a strong work ethic and laser-focused accuracy; plus other things that we can’t tell you because of her top secret clearance.

FUN FACT
Yvonne didn’t speak a word of English when she moved from Poland to Canada in her twenties.

Furniture Guru, RID TN, NCIDQ 029281 Knoxville, TN
Bachelor of Science in Interior Design, University of Tennessee

Melissa earned her BS in Interior Design from CIDA-accredited University of Tennessee in Knoxville.  She worked to achieve meaningful credentials during her career: LEED AP, NCIDQ Certification, and Registered Interior Designer in the State of Tennessee.  Early experience in architecture and construction laid a strong foundation for Melissa’s career in the contract furniture and design industry.  Her love of furniture, art, and design and her proficient technical skills are great assets to her clients and Team Kimiko.

FUN FACT
Melissa is a TN-licensed cosmetologist.  Color-coding floor plans or coloring hair, Melissa’s got style to spare.

Furniture Guru
Highland Village, TX

Brook’s background in account and project management couldn’t be more action-packed if it included taming wild horses. Originally from a tiny town near Denton, TX, Brook says she was there before it was cool. Her strong work ethic and exceptional leadership qualities have been honed through intensely involved, highly responsible positions with top furniture and architectural wall dealerships including Knoll, Allsteel, and DIRTT, in major Texas markets. Brook is relied upon by fellow kimiko furniture gurus for her combination of project problem-solving abilities and client relationship-building skills.

FUN FACT
Brook’s first real job was designing and drawing security systems for TX state prisons.

Media Maven, Allied ASID
Houston, TX
Bachelor of Science, Home Furnishings Merchandising, University of North Texas

Sarah shares the coolest obsessions with team kimiko––a love of problem solving, furniture, puzzles and design. With a BS in Home Furnishings Merchandising from the University of North Texas, Sarah has impressive technical skills and style to boot. Besides managing kimiko’s admin and social media worlds, Sarah deftly serves as right hand to the Chief Happiness Officer.

FUN FACT
While living in Qatar, Sarah experienced the thrill of dune bashing—high-speed slipping, sliding, and spinning across the desert dunes in an SUV.

Furniture Guru
Vancouver, BC
Diploma in Interior Design, British Columbia Institute of Technology

Kevin is kimiko’s Commander Can-Do thanks to his optimistic outlook, techno-smarts, and tenacity. He uses those talents plus a handy range of experience from Steelcase and Herman Miller to expertly turn “no way” into “way cool.” Kevin’s mastery of CET software can flip any furniture problem right-side up. He wishes for the superhuman ability to fly, and clients say Kevin soars with his furniture planning skills and technical troubleshooting wizardry. 

FUN FACT
A grommet is a kid who likes to play around on a skateboard – that was Kevin. He went on to become an accomplished, sponsored skateboarder, and now, an accomplished grommet specifier.