Meet Jerilyn Horn | Certified Kitchen & Bath Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jerilyn Horn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jerilyn, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My thought process behind starting my own business was that I would offer more professional design services and products than other businesses in the area and allow more of a partnership with other trades in the area as opposed to competing with them. I have achieved this by advertising that I can be hired solely for design purposes if needed. One example of this would be if someone wanted to keep their existing cabinets and have them professionally painted. Also, I work with a lot of local cabinet makers on projects who need my help with layout and pulling the colors together. I provide the dimensioned layouts and 3D designs for these projects. However, my design services are included at no extra charge if the customer purchases the majority of the products from me. Additionally, I can be hired for paint color consultations, lighting consultations and general design help. I’m one of the only Certified Kitchen and Bath Designers through the NKBA in my area which gives my quality of service an even bigger advantage for the customer.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Our favorite city to hang out in, and bring friends to, would Burlington, Iowa- specifically the downtown area. This downtown has an old European charm with its beautiful historic buildings and fascinating alley ways (which also give a downtown Chicago-vibe). I’d first want to start my morning in the quant little coffee shop, The Beancounter Coffeehouse, or for a big breakfast, go eat at Wake n Bake. Then I would walk up and down Jefferson Street and shop at all of the unique boutiques. No one can leave Burlington without walking up and down the famous Snake Alley which in 2017, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! recognized the street as “Unbelievably Crooked” and the #1 Odd Spot in their Odd Spots Across America Campaign. After that, I love to go to The Art Center of Burlington and check out their latest artist gallery and gift shop.
Burlington is known for their many good restaurants…so we’d have to go to The Som for their Crab Rangoon Burger and start with the Bao Buns. For dinner, we’d go to the latest addition to our downtown: The Busted Cup Brewhouse that has an awesome arcade bar downstairs and an amazing German inspired restaurant on the 2nd level. The Pulled Pork Spaetz and Cheese is amazing! You’ll also have to try a beer flight. If I’m in the mood for a red wine, The Drake Restaurant is one of my other favorites with such a cozy atmosphere. The Lobster Chipotle Pizza is not only unique, but amazing!! We’d finish off the night with a cocktail at the sophisticated lounge, La Boheme. This list of awesome eateries and drinkeries go way beyond the few I had mentioned- you could spend an entire week trying to make it to all of them and still miss a few!
There are many attractions to check out and some depend on the time of year. Take the kids to the river front and have them run through the Splash Pad or in the winter go ice skating- all at The Memorial Auditorium. It’s also fun to watch live entertainment at the Memorial Auditorium or the beautiful Capitol Theater. There’s always something happening in downtown Burlington!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My upbringing and my family are what simply motivates me to keep pushing forward and remaining ambitious about my business and the design industry. My mom, working hard every day and holding a full-time job even throughout my entire childhood and joining every committee. Even being the president of the PTA and coaching me and my sister’s sports teams and cheerleading team. Showing me that working hard was important and that being a community member substantial. When I was a child, I was always drawing and painting alongside my grandma who was a professional oil painter and was a great influence on my talent as an artist and always instilling in me to do what I love. I would even be sketching up interior ideas, so the field of interior design is what I went into and attended The Art Institute of Illinois where I graduated in 2008 with a BFA in Interior Design.

Additionally influencing my interest in interior design would be my grandpa who started his own construction company back in his early years and even had his son, my uncle, continue the business doing new home builds and kitchen and bath remodels. My uncle and I do work together to this day. His brother, my dad, can build beautiful custom cabinets and even had a cabinet shop at one point in my earlier career where I first worked at. I worked for several different companies after my dad closed his shop gaining even more experience and knowledge in the kitchen and bath field. Many of my clients and contractors were persuading me to go out on my own and my heart always felt that I should as well, but it was the unknown and fear that held me back.

There was a sudden car accident involving my grandma in 2018 and, tragically, we lost her. I found notes of hers that were for an art class she was teaching at the Art Center of Burlington. Many of them inspired me but the quote that grabbed me the most was: “Go for that dream. The experience will make you feel excited, frustrated, discouraged, joyous, hopeful, fulfilled and most importantly, it will feed your soul!”

My perspective on life had changed after this and my fear of the unknowns wasn’t taking over my mind as much. I took a leap of faith and I decided to go out on my own towards the end of 2019. One could probably guess that during this time I had plenty of hours to create my business plan and find a location for a showroom with the pandemic on the rise. I even took advantage of the time at home and studied for the Certified Kitchen and Bath Designer exam through the National Kitchen and Bath Association. I achieved my certification in the winter of 2021.
That same year I received my business license for Jerilyn Horn Kitchen and Bath Design Co. and opened a showroom in the thriving little community of downtown Burlington, Iowa, which is also centrally located to my client radius. In my first year I doubled the expected sales projections, working with past clients and even gaining many new clients. I’ve even joined several local committees and have gained a great following through networking and volunteering in the community.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Additionally, I am still doing my charcoal and watercolor artwork today and fulfilling many commissioned artwork requests. The biggest challenge is trying to find the time to do my artwork while also running my own interior design business full-time and raising my family with two young children.

Website: https://www.jhkitchenbath.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jh.kitchenbath/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerilyn-horn-57a9681b/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jhkitchenbath/

Image Credits
Brissey Photography