Tom Bakker Design, LLC

ry and furniture store and went on to study interior and furniture design and manufacturing in Rotterdam, eventually felt as though he needed to "bust out" of his home town. Bust out he did, moving to Vancouver in 1986 - one of the few students in his college program to complete an international apprenticeship. "I lived with my aunt and worked for a decorating store; the experience in the decorating store was a great start, but it also helped me realize that I wanted to push beyond that and get into interior and architectural design." Bakker returned to Holland to complete his education, and, following that, worked in corporate, retail, high-end hospitality and yacht design. Gaining experience in all those areas, he says, was critical to his current status as an award-winning designer. "I see all those elements combined in people's homes. When a client wants a new bathroom, I want to give them that holiday experience, like in a five-star hotel. That's where hospitality design comes in. Yacht design, he adds, taught him "to work with a lack of space," while designing the interior of the Head Quarters of Saudi Arabia's Minister of Defense taught him about high-end corporate design. Back in the Pacific Northwest for over fifteen years, and Bakker has been steadily building his design firm and gaining a reputation for quality and excellence among clients and industry peers. Over the years Bakker has earned a number of design awards, one of which was for "Best Kitchen Renovation over $ 100,000". His secret to success is simple and based on a principle one of his clients shared with him once. He said "If you can't do it right, don't bother." Bakker explains that he is a designer that really wants to involve the client in the design process. "I like to defy the norm", Bakker continues. "Almost nothing I do is typical; that sets the bar really high and stretches my imagination to the limit every time. You have to make sure you bring other things to the table. You have to stand out. That's what I work really hard on. That's what sets me apart."