Meet Michael A. Wright of Cleveland Kitchen and Design

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael A. Wright.

Hi Michael A., thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I kind of fell into Kitchen and Bath Design. I was adamant that I was going to be a Marine until the last semester of my senior year. I had an art teacher who completely reshaped my “only one way to do anything” mindset. I had to paint a flower with water colors, typical Marine’s way to pass the time. I was rebellious about it and instead painted a combat boot crushing a lily and got an A. I was shocked that you could see the world that way and still succeed. The next assignment required a landscape and thats when I fell in love with the geometry of structures. They might look free form sometimes but are still so regimented underneath. I then decided to go to school for architecture while selling power tools at Home Depot. An opportunity opened up in Kitchen and Bath design and here I am today. I started in the industry more than 25 years ago and quickly realized that I loved the combination of creativity, problem solving, construction, and people. Kitchen and bath design is unique because you are not simply making something look good. You are figuring out how people live, how a space needs to function, how it is actually going to be built, and then bringing all of those pieces together.

Over the years, and eight companies later, I worked my way from designer and salesperson into leadership, eventually becoming responsible for a significant portion of the sales and projects at Cleveland Kitchen and Design. Along the way, I earned my CKBD and certifications in color and lighting, but some of my most important education came from jobsites, clients, tradespeople, vendors, and other designers.

At one point, my now wife and I moved away from Cleveland. Professionally, that experience ended up teaching me something I did not expect: how important relationships and community were to my career. When we decided to move back, I called George, the owner of Cleveland Kitchen and Design, formerly Cleveland Tile and Cabinet, and told him very directly, “If I come back, within five years I am either want to buy your company or I am going to start my own.” His response was basically, “Come on.”

That conversation turned out to be pretty prophetic.

I returned to Cleveland, continued growing within the company, became increasingly involved with the NKBA, and started building relationships throughout the kitchen and bath industry nationally and internationally. I currently serve as President of the NKBA Ohio State Chapter, and the connections I have made through the industry have had an enormous impact on both my career and the way I lead.

In 2026, my wife Christine and I purchased Cleveland Kitchen and Design. Going from employee to owner of the company where I had spent so much of my career has been surreal, but it also feels like the natural next chapter.

Today, we are focused on building the kind of design-build company I always wanted to be part of. We want exceptional design, exceptional craftsmanship, strong collaboration between designers and trades, and a client experience where everyone involved is working toward the same goal. At the same time, I want to create opportunities for the next generation entering this industry and continue giving back to an industry that has given me an incredible career.

I still consider myself a designer first. I just happen to be a designer who now signs the paychecks, worries about the schedule, thinks about company culture at 3:00 in the morning, and occasionally has to remind myself that the company is actually ours.

There is still a lot I want to build, which is probably my favorite part of the story. I do not really feel like I have arrived anywhere yet. I feel like we are just getting started.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think the fact that my path was not a straight line probably answers that question. It definitely has not always been smooth, but many of the struggles are what shaped the way I approach the business today.

One of the biggest lessons came during the period I mentioned when we moved away from Cleveland. Professionally, I was successful on paper, but I was not fulfilled. I felt more like a revenue generator than a designer, and I started to understand that selling a lot of projects was not enough for me. I wanted to be proud of what we were creating, connected to the people building it, and surrounded by people I respected and enjoyed working with.

That experience is also why relationships became such an important part of my story. When we moved back to Cleveland, I realized how much I had missed my network. The designers, tradespeople, vendors, clients, and industry friends I had built relationships with over the years were not just business contacts. They were my people. That realization eventually pushed me to become much more involved with the NKBA and the broader kitchen and bath community.

The transition from designer and salesperson to leader, and now owner, has probably been the biggest challenge. I spent years learning how to design spaces, sell projects, and solve construction problems. None of that necessarily teaches you how to lead employees, build a healthy culture, make difficult personnel decisions, or accept that sometimes what is best for one person is not what is best for the client, the team, or the company.

Ownership has amplified all of that. Christine and I did not just buy a business. We took responsibility for employees and their families, clients who are trusting us with significant investments in their homes, and the reputation of a company that existed long before our names were attached to it. I take that responsibility very seriously.

I am also learning that I cannot personally solve everything, which may be the hardest lesson of all. My instinct has always been to jump in, fix the problem, and keep moving. Now my job is increasingly to build the team, systems, and culture that allow great work to happen without me having my hands in every single piece of it.

So no, it has not been a smooth road. But there is a common thread through most of the difficult periods: they forced me to figure out what mattered to me. Great design matters. Relationships matter. Culture matters. Doing right by the client matters. And surrounding yourself with talented people who care about the outcome matters.

Those lessons are a huge part of the company Christine and I are trying to build today, and probably why I still feel like we are just getting started.

We’ve been impressed with Cleveland Kitchen and Design, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
A lot of the lessons I mentioned above have ultimately shaped what we want Cleveland Kitchen and Design to be.

We are a full-service kitchen and bath design-build firm serving Northeast Ohio, specializing in higher-end kitchens, primary bathrooms, and larger renovations where thoughtful design and execution really matter. Design-build is an important part of that. We are not simply designing a beautiful space, handing someone a set of drawings, and hoping it gets built the way we envisioned it. Our designers, project team, carpenters, tradespeople, vendors, and clients are all connected throughout the process.

I think that connection is one of the things that sets us apart. A great rendering is relatively easy. Making that rendering work inside a 70-year-old Cleveland-area home, coordinating the plumbing, electrical, cabinetry, tile, countertops, lighting, and dozens of other details, and having the finished space still look like the original vision is the hard part. That is where our team really shines.

We also do not believe good design comes from simply asking a client what cabinet color they like. We spend a lot of time understanding how they live. How do they cook? Where do they drop their keys? Who uses the bathroom first in the morning? Do they entertain 20 people or avoid having anyone over? Sometimes the smallest details tell us more about what a space needs to become than a Pinterest board ever could.

We are also very product focused. We have spent years developing relationships with manufacturers, fabricators, tradespeople, and vendors we trust. Those relationships allow us to specify products we believe in and, just as importantly, know who is standing behind them when something does not go perfectly. Remodeling involves thousands of decisions and moving pieces. Something will eventually go sideways. I think a company’s character is revealed by what happens next.

Brand-wise, that is probably what I am most proud of. We want to be known for doing the right thing, collaborating instead of operating in silos, pushing design forward, and being willing to solve the difficult problems rather than pointing fingers when they happen.

Christine and I are now taking everything that has been built over the previous 93 years and figuring out what the next generation of the company looks like. We want to continue elevating the design, the client experience, our internal culture, and the level of craftsmanship while still keeping the personality and relationships that got us here.

At the end of the day, we are not trying to be the biggest remodeling company in Northeast Ohio. We want to be the company people seek out when they care deeply about how their home looks, how it functions, and how it is built. And we want the designers, craftspeople, and partners who work with us to be just as proud to put their names on the finished project as we are.

How do you think about luck?
Luck has absolutely played a role in my life and career, but I have come to believe that luck usually needs a little help.

There are so many moments I can look back on that could have gone completely differently. Moving away from Cleveland felt like bad luck at times, but it ultimately made me realize how important my relationships and this industry community were to me. Moving back led to that phone call with George where I told him I would either own his company within five years or start my own. I certainly did not know at the time that he would eventually give Christine and me the opportunity to actually buy it.

Getting involved with the NKBA has been another example. I applied for an industry trip to Germany in 2023 and happened to be one of about 20 people selected. I could have gone, toured some factories, taken some pictures, and come home. Instead, I met people on that trip who became friends, mentors, collaborators, and connections that have continued to shape my career. Some of those relationships have led to opportunities I never could have planned for.

There is luck in meeting the right person, being invited into the right room, getting the right phone call, or even having something go wrong at exactly the right time. But I think you have to do something with those moments.

Some of the best things that have happened to me started with introducing myself to someone when it would have been easier not to, saying yes to something that made me uncomfortable, or making a phone call without knowing where it would lead.

So I definitely believe in luck. I have been incredibly fortunate. But I also think the more people you meet, the more relationships you build, the more curious you stay, and the more willing you are to put yourself in uncomfortable situations, the luckier you seem to get.

Maybe that is especially true for an introvert who somehow built a career around people.

Pricing:

• Every project is custom. Pricing varies significantly based on the scope, existing conditions, cabinetry, materials, appliances, and level of construction involved.
• Our projects are typically comprehensive renovations rather than cosmetic updates. We specialize in projects where we can address the design, products, and construction as a complete space.
• A professionally designed and built kitchen renovation can easily represent a six-figure investment, particularly when it includes custom cabinetry, premium materials, structural changes, and high-end appliances.
• Primary bathroom renovations often begin in the tens of thousands and increase with the complexity and level of finish. Moving plumbing, custom shower systems, cabinetry, tile, lighting, and specialty products can all have a significant impact on the investment.
• We encourage clients to think about budget early. One of the most valuable things we can do is help align the design with a realistic investment before someone falls in love with a plan or products that do not fit their budget.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://clekd.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wright_by_design/
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/WrightByDesignCLE
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/michael-a-wright-11962999