Custom Kitchen Blog

How a U.S. manufacturer and London designer created a luxury cabinet brand

NEW YORK — Bakes & Kropp, a luxury cabinetry brand founded in 2014, has been developing a model that merges European design culture with U.S. manufacturing. Founded in 2014 by London-trained designer Bob Bakes and Michigan craftsman Paul Kropp, the company was built around a shared belief that high-end residential cabinetry requires both aesthetic discipline and manufacturing rigor, not one or the other.

Bakes established his career in the UK, refining an approach centered on proportion, restraint, and architectural balance. Kropp, working an ocean away, built his reputation on the opposite end of the process: hand-building bespoke furniture and cabinetry with a detail-driven, workshop-first mindset.

“We combine the precision of modern machinery with the craftsmanship of traditional techniques,” Kropp says. Bakes adds, "There's a human flavor that sort of flows through our designs. Our guys are hand-staining and joining and... There's an organic nature to our manufacturing process. Customers should always feel that they're getting a personal piece."

Their Detroit-area facility, now approaching 70,000 square feet after a recent expansion, runs on an internally developed process called BK-ECP (Efficient Custom Production). Kropp describes the model as "combining our core values with simple concepts of flow and preparedness to do custom work in a very efficient manner while maintaining the highest quality levels."

In just over a decade, Bakes & Kropp has expanded from a single showroom to six, and from 10 employees to about 60. “I think it's the small things that make a successful cabinet company,” Bakes says. “For example, we have our own delivery network, and we don't employ subcontractors. From a perspective of a cabinetry company, we wanted to be as self-contained as possible so we come across as a recognizable brand. Adding on to that, we wanted to be self-fulfilling in the design aspect as well. We can't just supply cabinetry; you have to have a vision of a successful company that flows through our manufacturing facility and our showrooms."

One way that the company fulfills this successful vision is through quality control. “Everyone is a quality inspector in our facilities,” Kropp says, adding more details about the companies ECP method. “And we do a full checklist inspection of everything before it is packaged.” Bakes supports this statement, adding that the manufacturing process is a people-centric workflow and crucial to the Bakes & Kropp identity.

Looking ahead, the company anticipates steady growth, targeting approximately 12% annual growth over the next five years. With the latest facility expansion complete, Bakes & Kropp plans to focus on refining operations and strengthening current markets. “Maybe we will see one new market expansion in the next few years but the focus is more on filling out the markets we currently have and taking care of our employees," Kropp adds. "Employees are the #1 key to success."

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Architecture at the Speed of Disaster

DXA Studio’s modular homes for Lahaina wildfire survivors prove that emergency housing can deliver dignity, beauty, and permanence—not just shelter.

When the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century tore through Lahaina, Hawaii, in August 2023, housing survivors became the state’s most urgent design brief.

Today, nearly 170 factory-made housing units offer shelter to the displaced with more units to yet to come. They’re situated along a stretch of Maui coastline—small, bright colored dwellings that look permanent and communal. That’s by design.

New York-based DXA Studio launched Liv-Connected with the goal of deploying disaster-relief housing that doesn’t sacrifice design, health, or durability. In Maui, the result is FEMA’s first prefabricated, modular temporary homes built to the International Building Code and local amendments. One-, two-, and three-bedroom units meet Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS), are fully furnished on delivery, and can serve as either interim or permanent housing.

“We have thoughtfully designed the homes so they are comfortable and functional enough to become permanent, and the families affected by the fires deserve to have a comfortable, safe home to recover in,” says Wayne Norbeck, co-founding partner of DXA Studio and Liv-Connected.

Inside the homes, Liv-Connected specified low- to no-emitting materials, generous daylight, and cross-ventilation to support indoor-air quality and thermal comfort in a tropical climate. A warm palette and high ceilings keep the small footprints from feeling cramped; windows are sized and placed to frame views and keep residents connected to the landscape.

The Conexus line uses Liv-Connected’s Component Linked Construction (CLiC System)—a kit-of-parts strategy that locks repeatable elements (structure, MEP, smart tech) into a manufacturing flow, then allows finish and plan variations. That modular approach reduces rework, absorbs supply variability, and keeps field labor focused on siting and hook-ups rather than stick-building. For public clients, the predictability is as important as speed: fewer unknowns, fewer change orders, and better odds of hitting deadlines when a community is still displaced.

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Where Housing Inventory Grows, Sales Follow

Key Points:

* Existing-home sales are projected to end 2024 higher than one year ago.

* Housing supply has increased in 34 of the top 50 markets we track on a year-over-year basis.

* Our analysis suggests a strong and positive relationship between increasing new listings and improving sales.

Despite a year marked by elevated interest rates and the persistent rate lock-in effect, the housing market is showing signs of mild recovery. Our latest Existing-Home Sales Outlook Report indicates that existing-home sales are projected to conclude 2024 slightly above 4 million annualized sales, surpassing December 2023 levels, but still trailing historical norms. The year-over-year increase is partly attributed to an increase in inventory.(opens in a new tab/window) Nationally, for-sale inventory1 is 19 percent higher than one year ago but remains nearly 26 percent lower than pre-pandemic, November 2019 levels. New listings2 in November were just 0.5 percent higher than a year ago, and 16.3 percent lower compared to November 2019. However, real estate is local and it’s important to note that the growth in listings has not been uniform across the country. Moreover, not all housing inventory is created equal.

What’s Inventory Got to Do With It?

One unique factor about the housing market is that the seller and the buyer are, in many cases, the same – the existing homeowner. In order to buy a new home, you have to sell the home you already own, and then find a home to buy, but not just any home – one that you like better. The fewer homes there are for sale, the harder it becomes to find a home better than what you already own. Therefore, a lack of inventory doesn’t just prevent first-time home buyers from jumping into the market, but it also keeps existing homeowners staying put and limits existing-home sales. The opposite is also true.

According to Zillow’s new listings metric, housing supply has increased in 34 of the top 50 markets we track on a year-over-year basis. Using the U.S. Census Bureau’s definition of the four U.S. regions, the strongest growth in new listings is in Southern and Western markets, and more muted improvements occurred in the Northeast and Midwest.

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Meet the African architect making ‘Africa great again’ by building cities that cost nothing

Across Africa’s skylines, from Dakar to Lomé, one name consistently echoes in conversations about modern architecture: Pierre Goudiaby Atepa.

A trailblazing Senegalese engineer, architect, and businessman, Atepa has not only influenced the physical architecture of the continent but has also been a strong proponent of sustainable urban development, Africa-centered design, and economic independence.

Born on June 30, 1947, in Ziguinchor, southern Senegal, Pierre Goudiaby Atepa’s story is one of perseverance, talent, and purpose.Atepa received a scholarship to study in the United States and attended the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, which he highlighted during an exclusive with Business Insider Africa on the sidelines of the Fii Senegal 2025 investment Forum.

“As far as architecture is concerned, I was fortunate enough to study in one of the greatest architectural schools, which is the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, upstate New York. I graduated back in 1973. I was very lucky,” he stated.

Subsequently, his passion for constructing architectural masterpieces intensified, leading him to immediately undertake the construction of Senegal’s tallest building, the BCEAO Headquarters, in a competition.

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Consultation

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Kitchen Style

Choosing your kitchen style can be confusing. Let's see what your choices are.

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Before You Remodel Gather Kitchen Design Ideas

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Ideas For Designing A Kosher Kitchen

A Rabbi is an expert on Jewish Law and would be perfect to design a kosher kitchen.

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Basic Kitchen Layout Shapes

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Plan Your Kitchen Budget

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The Kitchen Plan and Kitchen Guidelines

Let's Draw a Kitchen Plan.The Most Important Part of Designing a Kitchen is the Planning.

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FREE Kitchen Project Workbook

This kitchen project planner will take you through every stage of creating that perfect space. Get started with your Dream Kitchen Now!!!

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Kitchen Design Questionnaire

Kitchens are highly complex rooms that serve many different functions. To best meet your expectations, we need to know about your lifestyle needs, and desires.

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Choosing Kitchen Cabinets

Stock, Semi-Custom, and Custom cabinetry fully explained in the ABC's of cabinets.

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Luxury Kitchen Design

Who Else Wants a Beautiful Luxury Kitchen?

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