Jennifer Gilmer
  

Jennifer Gilmer, CKD, has been creating beautiful kitchens in the Washington, DC area and beyond for more than 20 years. Starting with a drafting job in a small kitchen design firm in McLean, Virginia, Jennifer soon realized she had an absolute passion for this creatively technical work. She also discovered an innate ability to understand the needs and personalities of her clients and to create spaces to compliment each individual. Her award-winning designs span the spectrum from classic and traditional to sleek and contemporary. She is committed to fulfilling her clients’ needs, doing it well and making the process as joyful as possible.

Jennifer is a native of the Washington, DC area. After her initial drafting job, Jennifer worked with legendary high-end kitchen designer Richard Tunis for eight years. She and a partner then opened Kitchen and Bath Studios, Inc. in Chevy Chase, Maryland in 1993. In 1998, she decided to launch her own firm -- Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen and Bath, Ltd. Her vision has grown into a successful business, which includes a dedicated support staff who strive to provide the firm’s clients with detailed designs and exceptional service.

Please click here to view a list of Jennifer Gilmer's awards and accreditations.
 

Carolyn B. Thomas

Carolyn B. Thomas has a Masters of Fine Arts in Design, is an NKBA Certified Bath Designer, and an Allied Member of ASID. She joined JGKB in 2001, after 12 years of experience in bath design. Her projects have been seen in many national publications and on HGTV. She is the recipient of the National Kitchen & Bath Association’s “Best Small Bath” Award.

Washingtonian Magazine wrote in its review of the metro area’s best kitchen & bath designers: “Carolyn Thomas is praised by peers and even competitors as the best in town. Her years as a (design) teacher at the University of Maryland
might be behind her ability to communicate complex ideas”

Her projects span a wide range of sizes and styles from updating a powder room, to replacing a standard 5’ x 7’ bathroom, to the challenge of completely redesigning the First Lady’s Bath in the Principal Suite at The Blair House (The President’s Guest House).
 

Ania Gaguine has been designing kitchens in a wide range of styles, from traditional to contemporary, of spaces, and budgets to meet her clients’ needs. Ania’s goal in designing is to achieve maximum functionality, to complement and enhance the style of the home, and to be in harmony with her clients’ lifestyle.
Ania is a graduate from the Interior Architecture & Design School in Paris. Her professional background encompasses over two decades as an interior designer for major architectural firms in New York, Paris and Washington DC.
As a designer, Ania favors pure lines and elegance in style to achieve timeless aesthetics. She likes challenging projects leading to creative solutions, efficient and refined designs. She thrives at transforming the kitchen into an inviting space to be enjoyed by its owners and their guests
 

Connie’s passion for design extends beyond kitchens to all areas of the home bringing a unique perspective to her designs. Her natural gift for space planning, insightful designs, invaluable guidance, and unparalleled attention to the details have brought her many loyal clients Her innate ability for combining her clients needs and style with the architectural character of the home have created many award winning projects. Her work has been featured in national and local publications.

Connie received her degree in Interior Design and has 20 years of experience as a Certified Kitchen Designer. She began her career in the industry working for an architectural firm as an architect’s assistant for five years and then joined a prestigious kitchen design firm in the International Design Center of Minneapolis.
She is an active member of the National Kitchen and Bath Association and has served both nationally and locally. Her hobbies are sailing, reading and painting
 

Gwyneth Hand is a Certified Kitchen Designer who found her way into the kitchen industry after completing a course in cabinet making at The
Hertfordshire College of Building in St Albans, England. She also gained knowledge of building construction while working as kitchen designer at a
company which also incorporated a remodeling facility.

After working as a kitchen designer in the greater metropolitan Washington DC area for over fifteen years and owning a kitchen design company for five
of those years, Gwyneth bought a kitchen showroom in Auckland NZ. There she had the opportunity to study and design in the contemporary European design aesthetic. She brought her knowledge and experience back to Washington and joined the team at JGKB after her recent return.
 

Julian Palacios

I joined the company in 2004 to lead our efforts in developing our state-of-the art Drafting Services. I have 14 years of experience in architectural design, development and presentation of blueprints, drawings, floor plans and elevations.

I obtained my bachelor’s degree in architectural design in my country of origin, Chile, and started my professional career at Ardeco Architects, a leading Architectural firm in Santiago, Chile. I also have vast experience in construction, interior and graphic design.

I have been working with AUTOCAD for 11 years and am very proficient with this program. I immigrated to the United States in 1996 and settled here as a permanent resident with my family for 11 years. I try to keep up with growing market trends, computer program updates and latest architectural concepts in order to offer our customers the best options in design.

In the near future, I would like to further my architectural academic background to include a college degree here in the U.S.
 

John Guzek

 
"I began drafting classes in 8th grade and I've loved it ever since," said John Guzek, who joined JGKB's drafting department in 2006.  A native of Torrance, California, John moved to the Washington area in high school. He attended Paint Branch High School and the Edison Center in Wheaton before earning a CAD certificate at Montgomery College.  "I was immediately overwhelmed with work," he said.

John initially designed and drafted residential and commercial landscaping projects in AutoCAD for KT Enterprises, Inc., where he worked for three years. He then moved into the interior design field, working for seven years with Builders' Design and Leasing, Inc. 
|At JGKB, John's meticulous attention to detail and his experienced technical skills help to translate the designers' visions to clients and builders with the type of exacting precision that leads to beautifully crafted kitchen and bath projects.
 

Melissa Reyes

Melissa has always been passionate about design, form and function. While earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology and completing a double major in fine art from Duke University, she asked herself “How is the world designed around me?” and “How can I design the world?”

Upon graduation she worked for several design oriented firms in the Durham, NC area not only gaining experience in design but also in business. At the Bio-Design Studio she managed this lab and designed working biological research models. At the Center for Inquiry-Based Learning she administered this hands-on science education and research program. At SeeSaw Studio she facilitated the early development of this youth-run design and entrepreneurial program. At Galleria d’Artiste she launched this retail gallery for fine art, decorative accessories for the home, and gifts.

Shortly after her decision to pursue a formal design education at Montgomery College, she started as an intern at JGKB. Ever since she has been inspired daily by one-of-a-kind design, quality of product, and the highest standard of professionalism.

Priya Gupta

Communications consultant and stylist Priya Gupta is responsible for the creative advertising and marketing functions at JGKB.  With prior experience in managing her own fine arts business, Priya enjoys the challenge of promoting the work of the firm’s talented designers.  “It helps paint the whole cycle from creative conceptualization to showcasing the value created for our clients,” Priya said. 

Priya holds a BA in Psychology and Philosophy from the University of Bombay, India and a post-graduate diploma in Advertising and Marketing from St. Xavier’s College, also in Bombay, India.

Helen Maga
 

A native of Fairfax County, Virginia,  Helen has a background in nonprofit fundraising.  After ten years of working in that field, she decided a change was in order and made a switch to the design world.  She worked first for a local granite distributor and then found happiness with the JGKB family. Helen is in charge of ordering, tracking, and following through with all the millions of parts and pieces that create beautiful kitchens and bathrooms for JGKB.

Teresa Ann Nyberg-Grim

Terry is a registered architect, with a BARCH from the University of Notre Dame. The challenge of integrating additions and renovations to existing homes and life styles, has been a passion of hers for decades. She found her architectural niche in the kitchen industry with JGK&B in 2004. When the dream kitchen needs a little extra space to perform perfectly, she magically creates it, naturally blending it with form, & style. And, thus, functioning ideally with the newly designed kitchen. When not engrossed with designing client’s additions, Terry is busy with her husband, three sons and playing USTA tennis.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge”. ---Einstein
 

Susan Suss Jones manages all accounting and finance for Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath Ltd. Originally from the Washington, DC area, she earned here BA in English Composition at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts.
She later attended Chesapeake College on Maryland's Eastern Shore with the goal of becoming a CPA. After juggling classes, full time work and single parenting, she put the CPA on hold. During her 25 years as an accountant, she has found she much prefers doing the accounting for small businesses to preparing taxes. To this day she still enjoys her work and the stimulating creative environment at JGKB. She is proud to be a and team member with her sister, Jennifer, in this exciting business.
 

Bill is committed to following through with the same dedication and attention to detail as Jennifer and her staff are throughout the design process. Bill's desire to continue taking care of our client's service
needs throughout the lifetime of their kitchen has greatly added to JGKB's excellent reputation. Bill's philosophy is "These days it's difficult to find a family business which takes care of their clients the old fashioned way, and, my ability to bring this to our clients gives me great pleasure!"