Kitchen & Bath Business May/June 2024 - 64

L A S T W ORD
PASSION AND HUMILITY
This designer finds strength and direction by improving the lives of her clients
DESIGNER TONI SABATINO'S kitchen and bath experience spans running
a plumbing supply showroom and retail sales and marketing roles for
cabinet brands before she founded her fi rm, New York City-based Toni
Sabatino Style.
Does your background infl uence the way you approach the design business?
I come from a family that really enjoyed being in New York. Th ere is a sort
of comfort in all the mixed-in cultures and styles. Both my grandmothers
infl uenced me very much, one being an artist and the other loving to
entertain and being a passionate garden lover. I think the idea of having
a home that shows who you are and what you love with a design that is
safe, comfortable and beautiful is an homage to them.
What has been your biggest challenge - and how did you resolve it?
Th e business part; being creative comes naturally, but the back end, the
insurances, accounting and all that comes with running your own business
can be daunting! Finding the right people, accountants, insurance brokers,
warehouse and delivery people, good product reps and creating working
partnerships have helped me through.
What is the most important career lesson you've learned?
I think that me feeling my own value has been the best lesson. Understanding
that building environments for better living for people of all
ages and abilities is important. I believe in the service I am providing,
because I truly believe the design business is about service to the clients
more than product. Realizing that the user experience of the space and
64
/ MAY-JUNE 2024
ABOVE Embracing
collaboration and learning
has kept Toni Sabatino at the
forefront of design practice.
She's committed to pursuing
personalization for her clients,
as this living room project
demonstrates.
Photo credit project: Vadara
Quartz; Photo credit headshot:
Audrey Tiernan
how it makes you feel is equally important to
what it looks like in a photograph.
What advice would you give someone who is thinking
about entering the design business?
Working in design is very fulfi lling. I think joining
associations like NKBA and other design
groups to fi nd the right mentors and people to
discuss day-to-day business challenges with is
important.
What is your favorite thing to collect - and why?
Framed art and photographs are my latest " collection. "
I guess I am really collecting memories.
Who or what has been a seminal infl uence on your
design career?
Travel to trade shows for interacting with peers
and sharing ideas, as well as looking at new product.
Travel to far-off places to study the art and
architectural infl uences and how people live. I
am especially interested in how and what people
store and display, as well as how they source,
prepare and serve food. So much of life revolves
around meals and mealtimes. I think that is one
of the reasons I love designing kitchens.
Kitchen & Bath Business May/June 2024

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