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“The beautiful thing about design is its intangibility,” says Mick De Giulio. “It’s subjective and hard to explain why you love certain things. For example, you might respond to the grain, the depth, the texture and the feel of a piece of wood, and someone else may not see it. All that matters is that you love it. Certain materials or objects attract certain people, and that is what I try to find for my designs.”
De Giulio has earned an international reputation for his unique and personal approach to kitchen design—an art he’s been practicing throughout most of his life. He learned woodworking as a teenager in Detroit, assisting his father in the family workshop. “My dad had a little woodshop where he would make cupolas. Eventually we progressed into cabinet making and I designed my first kitchen when I was about 20 years old.”
De Giulio moved to Chicago and founded his own company in 1984. He has remained committed to the craft of kitchen design ever since. “As a design profession, nothing has progressed more than kitchens,” he says. “In the last 20 years, especially, kitchens have evolved into a room and a lifestyle area where people do everything—hang out with family and friends, cook, entertain.”
Every kitchen tells a story. “I did a project for a client who showed me this old ice chest that she used to play with as a child in her grandmother’s house. She used it as a toy chest. I said, ‘Let’s take it and refinish the hardware, clean up the wood, and incorporate it into the kitchen.’ Now it’s part of her kitchen, and those memories of this heirloom are still around.”
De Giulio is attracted to projects that reflect the individual lives and loves of his clients. In his search for unusual pieces, he often incorporates antiques into his kitchen and bath designs. “Found objects, personal pieces—these are the things that put a unique signature to each design,” he says. “For instance, there’s a stone basin that one of my clients bought from Pagoda Red that we incorporated into their powder room vanity. We set it on a piece of lychee, a Balinese wood.”
Travel also inspires the design process. On global expeditions, De Giulio has collected inspiration from a wide range of cultures. “I was at a tile shop in Paris when I saw this beautiful material—just a little piece on the floor. It took me 2 years to research how that piece was made. Eventually I found the people that made it—a group of artisans working it Italy. I befriended an artist, and now we work together to incorporate these unique pieces into my designs.” De Giulio’s search for a unique object, crafted in a way that distinguishes it from all other pieces, speaks to a sensibility deeply grounded in a personal approach to design.
“It’s not just about buying cabinets and countertops,” he explains. “It’s about surrounding yourself with things you love.”_________________________________________________________________________________________For more information about Mick De Giulio and his designs:WILMETTE
de Giulio kitchen design
1121 Central Avenue
Wilmette, IL 60091
847.256.8833CHICAGO
de Giulio kitchen design
222 Merchandise Mart Plaza
Suite 121
Chicago, IL 60654
312.494.9200
