Like so many, Michele M. Krishnamurthy was laid off in 2020 because of the pandemic. “I had a career that I loved for 20+ years in retail home improvement, and in a blink everything changed,” says Michele.
Since 2020, home improvement projects have exploded. Houzz, an online home remodeling platform, reported a 58% annual increase in project leads for home professionals in July 2021.
So, Michele took it upon herself to recreate her next chapter. Taking all of her experience and knowledge, she founded MMK Home and Design, a company that Michele had envisioned for herself for as long as she can remember.
According to CBNC, kitchen and bath have always been popular remodeling choices, but even those saw a 40% jump in demand. More people are cooking and eating at home, and kitchens are now even more the center of family life.
“People have been at home for more than a year now,” says Michele. “I was letting my company organically grow, helping friends and neighbors put together their dream kitches and bathrooms in a cost efffective way, and from there my business just took off.”
“I know how stressful remodeling a home can be,” explains Michele. “We minimize the hassle of renovations by providing a one-stop-shop for the homeowners. We stage, design, and manage the contractors, from execution to completion. My dream is to make their dreams become a reality, seemlessly.”
Born in Queens, New York, Michele moved to Anchorage, Alaska when she was three years old. “I have always had an affinity for design. My mother and father encouraged my creative gift. As a young girl, I was allowed to design my bedroom,” says Michele with a smile. “I vividly remember going to JCPenney to order light lavender Levolor shades for my bedroom. I loved art, decorating, and fashion.”
Michele attended college in Arizona, earning a degree in interior design. Michele went on to work for an interior design firm, specializing in kitchen and bath designing, and then accepted a position with American Woodmark, a cabinet manufacturer, calling on Home Depot and Lowes. Shortly into her time at American Woodmark, Michele was promoted and moved to the corporate office in Virginia, to be the retail marketing manager for Lowes. She later became the national account manager for The Home Depot, and she relocated to Atlanta, Georgia.
After leaving American Woodmark in 2010, Michele went to work at the Home Depot corporate office for nearly a decade. Michele had many roles during this time: merchandising, décor, and product development , just to name a few, until she left in September 2019 to pursue a senior director role with a flooring manufacturer.
It was Michele’s ability to visualize and make spaces come to life that led her to start MMK Home and Design in 2020, offering her clients something special and unique.
“I’m doing everything people want to do but don’t know how to get started,” says Michele. “I have a unique business sense and I’ve developed an excellent team of contractors who have performed at the highest level in numerous projects of mine. I can pull it all through from an initial thought to completion.”
“Michele has great ideas and vision,” explains Susan Fron. “As a realtor working with clients myself, Michele and I have partnered on several projects. Michele is also good at engaging contractors that really understand the scope of work, budget, and keeping them “on task” to completion. And it is clear that her passion for her work and for her customers is there.”
Michele reassures clients that she has her hands in the entire scope of the project, “like Joanna Gaines.”
“I cannot say enough positive things about Michele,” says Andrea Meucci Menadue. “She turned around my home (floors, paint, carpeting, staging) in record time and the finished product was beautiful. I truly believe her help was instrumental in our receiving 3 offers in the first 24 hours our home was on the market – including 2 for asking price!”
From kitchen or bath remodeling to staging for real estate agents, to landscaping potted flowers and creating floral arrangements for special events; from professional painting of the highest standards, to space planning of furniture and artwork, MMK Home and Design can do it all!
“2020 has been a pivotal year in many ways,” explains Michele. “I took a leap of faith and started my own company in pursuit of my passion and expertise. Design encompasses so many different things – functionality, color, light, space, shapes, texture, comfort and so much more. My experiences have shaped me to be agile and nimble. It’s taken me years to get here, but I have arrived.”
More Information: mmkhomedesign.com.