About Us | Profiles
Jackie Balint, CKD Owner, The Kitchen Collection LLC
Kitchens are the most demanding room in the home to design.
Jackie Balint loves that challenge.
Take the eye and training of an artist.
Add a deepened appreciation for color, textures, scope and form, courtesy of a brief career in interior design. The keen awareness for line and shape? That comes from involvement in architecture.
The relentless search for a better way to configure a cabinet or situate a kitchen island? Give some credit to her engineer Dad, who also got her enthused about doing home improvement and construction.
Mix in the broadening life experience of being an Army officer's wife, living in 28 different places over 23 years, not just across the U.S., but through Europe and Central America, plus a continuing love of travel.
Now add formal training and certification in kitchen design, plus over 25 years of passionately pursuing a career in doing kitchen design at the highest levels. Oh yes, by the way, she loves to cook.
Meet Jackie Balint. Her creative energies can transform your home.
Jackie came to The Kitchen Collection in 1983 as an independent designer. In 1988 she and husband Barry became owners, turning it into a family business, now joined by daughter Debra as one of the designers.
In a way, Jackie has been working on family home-improvement projects her entire life.
"I grew up with a Dad who was an engineer but his hobby was rebuilding our house. He moved every existing wall and even the roofline. He had two daughters and we were his helpers. Early on I was putting insulation in walls and straightening nails, and thought nothing of walking around on bare floor joists."
Over the years as a businesswoman and designer, Jackie has built The Kitchen Collection by developing strong relationships with top local contractors. She has filled her showroom with the finest kitchen products.
Her guiding philosophy is simple yet powerful:
"I look at a contractor and ask: 'Would I have this contractor work on my house?' If I wouldn't, I don't want to work with them. We partner with the best contractors and builders in the business, people who will take care of problems if any arise, people who stand behind their work. That is the same way we choose products. We carry products because we believe they are the best choices for our clients."
One of Jackie's specialties is custom designing cabinetry, built-ins and freestanding furniture. She majored in art at the University of Delaware, and studied commercial art at Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts. Years of experience doing kitchen design, plus her NKBA certification, give her a deep understanding of what works and what doesn't work, and why custom design can be so valuable to a client.
"We deal with companies that build quality custom cabinetry and they will build anything we draw. I could redo your kitchen in exactly the same configuration and yet give you twice the effective storage space. Of course we never do it, but that is part of the value of true custom work."
For Jackie and The Kitchen Collection staff, bringing your ideas to life, creating a kitchen that exudes sophistication, elegance and function, is what matters. They love teaming up with clients to create a design that reflects the intricacies of their personality, to invent something new and different- and personal.
"We are opinionated because we have been doing this a long time and know things that work and don't work. Clients don't have to take our suggestions but we want them to look at it from all points of view. We tell our clients, 'This is your kitchen, but it is part ours too.' We want it to be something we are proud of."
"All of us here at The Kitchen Collection are personally invested in everything we do."
Meet the rest of our team:
Barry Balint, our chief financial officer and go-to guy for tasks large and small. A military officer and aerospace industry veteran whose knack for logistics and problem-solving helps make daily life run smoothly.
Debra Houle works with us as a talented independent designer, based in Moreno Valley. She is also working on her contractor's license, specializing in complete kitchen installation.
Lee Schweickert, our office manager, has been working in the kitchen and bath industry for 21 years. She knows each client and helps keep their projects on track. Lee is the glue that holds the whole place together.
Robyn Manger has remodeling in her blood. "Every home I've lived in we have remodeled, in both my growing up years and married life," Robyn says. "I've always thought that's what everyone does." The years of knowledge gained is now applied to her projects at the Kitchen Collection. Robyn has been a member of our team since July 1999. With Kitchen and Space planning studies added to her construction background, she guides her clients through their projects with patience and expertise.
Anne Hui Bon Hoa has been with the Kitchen Collection for six years. A UCLA graduate with a degree in Psychology, she returned to UCLA for Interior Design and found a passion for kitchen design. Her natural ability, design sense, attention to detail and superb people skills have resulted in many beautiful projects, happy clients and a well-earned referral base. Recent exciting opportunities have her working via the wonders of technology as our "offshore" member; she will be our support staff from Shanghai, China. Lucky Shanghai!
Colette Lopilato grew up around construction. "My mother designed a new house every 5 years and she acted as the general contractor for their construction. I loved to be around the construction site and see the transformation of a home. I have been remodeling homes ever since and was the contractor on the addition we built on our house in Maryland." Lucky for us Colette recently moved back to California from Maryland, where she was an award-winning artist. She has a degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and is currently in the Interior Design program at UCLA. Colette also loves to cook and utilizes this knowledge in the design process. It is not enough to have a kitchen just look great. It must also function well. Through her classes at UCLA, Colette hopes to bring the perfect balance of function and form to create beautiful kitchens that really work for her clients.