PRESS RELEASE: Corey earns coveted professional certification, CMKBD
Updated July 2, 2024 by Andrew Luketic
Articulated Design Studio Archives
We found this Blog post in our archives and realised we can provide context as well as a much needed update.
We will cover some questions People Also Ask like:
Why has the NKBA been a fundamental part of the growth of our design studio?
What is the CMKBD or Certified Master Kitchen + Bath Designer?
What does the Certified Master Kitchen + Bath Designer matter for my project?
What is the NKBA?
What is the National Kitchen + Bath Association?
What is KBIS?
What has Corey Klassen been working on behind the Scenes with the NKBA?
Introduction
The design expertise that we offer our clients is not only built upon our extensive local industry experience. Our design team values certifications as a part of showcasing what we can bring to the design journey for a client and their chosen contractor. Industry created certifications like the Certified Master Kitchen and Bath Designer (CMKBD) are designed to be independent evaluations of the skills which a designer has accumulated in their career.
Essentially this certification can establish credibility in an industry where there are varied skill levels, experience, and abilities for the professional design businesses in the Lower Mainland and beyond. CMKBD is more than a few letters after a designer’s name, The Certified Master Kitchen + Bath Designer of the National Kitchen + Bath Association means that Corey achieved one of only 2 certifications available to designers in Canada and the USA . Corey Klassen is not only a respected educational content writer, teacher, and industry speaker, they are a practicing interior designer working in both new build residential design and home renovation design working out of our home base of the Lower Mainland and designing for clients across Canada.
Currently (2024) their full name on their business cards are:
Corey Klassen, CMKBD NCIDQ IIDA DDA Accredited
What is a Certified Master Kitchen + Bath Designer?
A Certified Master Kitchen + Bath Designer, CMKBD, is an elite level certification for a designer that specialises in kitchen design and bathroom design. It can ascertain the industry competency of a practicing designer at an international and luxury level. Meaning that it evaluates designers across both Canada and the United States based upon the building and design standards of each country, without being prejudiced to either systems of measurement (Imperial and Metric).
This means that each candidate to hold this title has been independently verified to be knowledgeable of a variety of custom cabinetry details, culinary equipment, or other technical requirements which will be a part of a kitchen or bathroom design for each budget level. This includes kitchens with built in luxury appliances and steam showers with heated towel warmers for your bathroom. Making sure that these custom spaces, enclosures, and custom cabinetry are properly designed for the technical requirements of these devices to operate within the manufacturers specification.
You might be asking yourself who is this NKBA that seems to permeate our portfolio, speaker’s list, awards & recognition, as well as our social media feed. As a Canadian client living on the West Coast or working with us online across the country you might not be aware of the association at the heart of the very foundations of our design studio.
The NKBA
The National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) is an organization with both an international and local reach to British Columbia for the design industry at large.
The NKBA has a member run local BC chapter which participates along with the other member chapters across North America in the learning program and growth opportunities of the NKBA. Each chapter helps to promote eachother and the local design industry of their region within the context Kitchen and Bath design as well as provide regional awards that recognise this design specialty on annual basis. In fact our Creative Director, Corey Klassen founded and inaugurated the first 3 years of the very design awards they use to recognise local members called the Design Excellence Awards (DEA Awards).
The NKBA provides many opportunities for designers to promote themselves and grow their skill set because for more than 5 decades they have created their own education programs. Their own leading designer members have a proud history of creating THE educational programs and certifications for the next generation of designers who specialise in Kitchens and bathrooms. They even have even produced their own educational publications and industry resources like the NKBA National Planning Guidelines 4th edition. Designer members contribute as teachers, subject matter experts, content coordinators, and evaluators.
Links to:
NKBA, a leading organization in the design Industry
This type of cross pollination might not be easy to see from the client level in your local Canadian municipality. It is only when you see how they interact with each other at the biggest annual gathering of them which is currently KBIS in Las Vegas, USA. Not only does the NKBA host the largest annual industry event to the design community in North America. It has a 60 year history of building a community of designers who specialise in some of the most complex types of home improvements in residential design.
Not only is there an annual international gathering centred upon KBIS, The Kitchen and Bath Industry Show, which currently takes over the entire Las Vegas Convention Centre (including the new addition) along with IBS, the International Builders’ Show. Having walked the 1+ km length of the whole show myself it is definitely the show where everything we need to see is all in one place, as well as leading subject matter experts in the industry. There are many opportunities to learn from leading industry speakers from across North America, as well as see the latest product launches and demonstrations from all the leading brands.
Links to:
KBIS 2025: Kitchen + Bath Industry Show 2025 Las Vegas
IBS 2025: International Builders’ Show
So if you are familiar with our design studio, you will know that our Founder and Creative Director Corey Klassen is a regular speaker at KBIS. They have also contributed back to the NKBA education programs and resources as a subject matter expert. We are providing a little more detail about the NKBA as to p[rovide insight into how this organization has been a part of developing the skills and career designers across the country. It has become an international platform where they have been able to participate with the industry at large across North America. This has led to opportunities for recognition for Corey in the United States as a Design Innovator of 2022 by Kitchen and Bath Design News Magazine. I could go through this designer’s CV yet it does not effectively communicate our values as much as our track record.
What carries down to how we work with you our client on their project is that we value contributing and being a productive member of your team of professionals in an Integrated Design Approach. We use our expertise to give you best long term value for your goals, and we design for building code requirements of your municipality. In addition to this we have specialised knowledge specific to some of the most complex parts of a home renovation. This has been verified through an independent certification process managed through a very reputable and veritable member association that is also leading the design industry in North America.
Yet, There are many details happening behind the scenes at Articulated and only now do we get the opportunity to reveal them!
VANCOUVER, BC - Corey Klassen Interior Design is pleased to announce that Corey, the firms founder, has earned his Certified Master Kitchen & Bath Designer (CMKBD) professional designation from the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA, Hackettstown, NJ). The CMKBD candidate must possess their Certified Kitchen & Bath Designer (CKBD) designation and 7 years additional professional work experience, been recognized through national awards, printed publications, and meet specific industry and educational requirements.
"It has been an incredible process earning my CKMBD." says Corey. "From my first "real" industry job, volunteering with the NKBA, becoming an adjunct instructor at an Accredited College, and now growing my business, I find that all aspects of this certification embody my passion, desire, and values. I'm excited to share this news with my clients!"
To work with Corey and his Design Team, reach out to us at (604) 565-2159.
About Corey Klassen Interior Design
Corey Klassen Interior Design is a multiple award-winning boutique interior design firm based in Vancouver, Canada. We create customized interiors for residences and public. Our approach is to document, analyze, and cultivate a curated space that reflects our clients' lifestyle, brand, and values.
From new construction to renovations, our Professional Design Team works directly with Owners, Architects, Professional Engineers, and General Contractors to create customized interiors.
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