Teaching design and sustainability keeps designer ahead of the curve
Since Robin Rigby Fisher began designing kitchens and baths 32 years ago, the industry has changed dramatically. “Every single day, I learn something new,” stresses Fisher. “It’s a career that constantly evolves, which is what I love.”
An award-winning designer, Fisher has been a founding partner of both a Portland, OR design/build remodeling firm and an independent residential design firm. As an advocate of sustainable design, she has co-authored Sustainable Design for the Kitchen and Bath Designer, part of the Professional Resource Library for the NKBA.
During the interview process, the designer talks to her clients about their sustainability quotient with regard to indoor air quality, energy efficiency, water conservation, buying locally, recycled content and Universal Design. She states, “I don’t think sustainability should be an option, it should just be what we do.”
Fisher regularly shares her passion for design and sustainability with the next generation by teaching the cornerstone classes in kitchen and bath design at Portland Community College. “One of the reasons I teach is to keep me at the top of my game, because I expect my students to be at the top of their game,” she reports.
