Case Study: Cassidy Davis – The Modernist Group
June 4, 2021
The Modernist Group provides specification, budgeting, and installation services for the Häcker cabinet and countertop systems in the US. Headed by Jeffery Sears, founder of the Home Depot Design Center and Pirch, and Design Director Cassidy Davis they work with consumers and multi-family clients. In this case study, we catch up with Cassidy Davis on her experience of using Winner in her inspirational kitchen designs.
How did you get into kitchen design?
I always wanted to design, as my Dad was an architect and I always had a love for design. Instead of following in my Dad’s step, I wanted to specialise in one field in particular so he recommended that I learn in the field and so I applied to work as an intern in a design house selling German brands in Texas, where I first turned my passion into a career.
After a few years, I moved to Dubai where I was a senior designer for a market-leading Häcker branch. Working in the UAE, taught me to work quickly and accurately, as most of the sales needed to be done on the first meeting. Winner really helped with this, as it provides that ‘wow’ moment for customers.
After moving back to the US, I met Jeffery, my business partner who was setting up a new venture to sell Häcker kitchens and the Modernist Group started from there.
Can you tell us more about the Modernist Group?
The Modernist Group was formed in 2020 by Jeffery Sears, who is the former Co-founder of another successful kitchen retailer Pirch, as well as the Home Depot Design Centre. I joined the Modernist Group as a Design Director at its foundation, bringing with me my knowledge of Häcker and Winner. I am responsible for all the design enquiries from designing kitchens through to their installation.
The Modernist Group provides specification, budgeting, and installation services for the Häcker cabinet and countertop systems in San Diego and Baja, California. We don’t have a showroom yet but we are in the process of creating a beautiful Mobile Showroom, which will be really useful in showcasing our range to developers.
How long have you used Winner Design?
I’ve been using Winner since I moved to Dubai in 2018 and I really enjoyed it as I can design very quickly and always get the “wow” factor from my customers thanks to the renders. The number of alternatives possible on Winner is unlimited, which is great when you can show all the possibilities in front of the customer. The accuracy of the Häcker catalogue in Winner is excellent, which gives me full confidence when I am designing a kitchen that the design and quote will be accurate.
I have used other CAD systems in the past but the realism of the renders wasn’t there and the visualisation of the kitchen is very important to sell a kitchen quickly in a very competitive market.
Tell us more about your design process?
The visualisation of the kitchen is very important, I usually start working in Photoshop to sketch out the initial ideas and then I move to design in Winner. The quality of the renders on Winner does the job for us and I have learned to work quickly in front of our customers. I can make some changes on the spot in front of them thanks to how easy it is to use and change the style and colours.
What tips do you have for other designers?
The most important tip is to know your clients and build a relationship with them. It is super important for me to bring happiness and bring some emotional connection with the customers in the design. With Winner, I can add the background in the window and some architectural details of their house to help our customers to see themselves in their kitchen.
Why would you recommend Winner Design?
Buying a kitchen has a lot of emotion attached to it, so being able to present an image that transports them into the kitchen is essential and Winner delivers that ‘wow’ moment. This helps to close the deal in these meetings with customers, which you need to do, otherwise the customer can go away and then the excitement can wear off and can be replaced with doubt or even with a cheaper alternative and you can lose the sale.
Being able to change colours or styles quickly and then be able to render live in front of the customer is also important to this sales process and getting the commitment then and there.
Find out more about the Modernist Group and their fantastic range:
For inspirational designs, see Cassidy Davis’ regular posts on LinkedIn:
