Kitchen & Bath Business November/December 2023 - 75

LEFT Saeed's " MCM Diamond
in the Rough " design won fi rst
place in the Large Kitchen
category and Judge's Choice
for Best Overall Kitchen in
the 2022 NKBA Northern
California Chapter Design
Competition. Photo credit
for this and photo of Saeed:
Aimee Ryan of aimee.photos
A CHAPTER CHARITY PROGRAM
Under her lead, the chapter has also started collaborating with the Make
It Home Bay Area, a nonprofi t dedicated to ending furniture poverty and
waste in local communities. Th e chapter's $5,000 donation provides beds
for children in need, and a skills program was created to help youth groups
learn more about the fi elds of carpentry, plumbing and electrical.
Saeed has also developed an annual Chapter Day of Service where the
members can volunteer their time and skills to improve the community.
Later this year, the Northern California Chapter will help renovate the
kitchens and baths in a new building the Marin Foster Care Association
purchased to house 10 youths aging out of foster care. Th e designer has also
created a direct-to-client program with this association that began in October,
where people in need can receive donated appliances from local vendors.
A VOICE FOR REDRESSING RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION
Saeed had the opportunity to meet Richard Rothstein, the author of the
New York Times bestseller, " Th e Color of Law, " which addresses the issue
of residential segregation in our communities. His message resonated
with her, and she became a steering committee member of the National
Movement to Redress Residential Segregation, which addresses the lasting
eff ects policies and institutions have had on this issue.
" From my perspective and contribution, I have been focused on the direct
impact those policies have had on inherited wealth, the real estate market
and therefore the disproportionate servicing of diff erent interior design
clients in lower socioeconomic tiers, " explained Saeed.
ABOVE During the NKBA
Northern California Chapter
Day of Service at Make
it Home's Walnut Creek
location, the team spent the
day building furniture, sorting
donations and painting gently
used goods for use in future
client homes.
ADDITIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS
As if all that wasn't enough, the designer has
many more accolades to add her to resume in the
last year. She was a 2023 ASID Ones to Watch
winner; the honor recognizes those making a
DEI-focused shift in the industry. Saeed received
the 2023 Star Award, which recognizes the
NKBA's best chapter president out of 71 chapters,
and she was a 2022 NKBA Northern California
Chapter Design Competition winner. She
was also an inaugural participant of the NKBA's
2022 Women to Women Conference, which focuses
on mentoring, leadership, learning, growth
and support.
At a chapter event in January, Saeed will lead
the session " DEI and Beyond the Buzz, " where
she will explain that DEI is not just an HR term
but also something the design industry needs to
work toward.
" Several clients have sought me out because of
my point of view on this topic, and it has made
my business so much stronger. "
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Kitchen & Bath Business November/December 2023

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