Special Effects Interior Design is a California based interior design company that started in 1984 and is owned by well-known interior designer and consultant Joyce Gaskins.

Gaskins and her team of designers have over the years worked with homeowners designing and re-designing interiors using Top Knobs cabinet hardware that are often their product of choice.

Top Knobs caught up with Gaskins to find out what inspires her designs and what some of her favorite collections are.

TK: Welcome to  the Top Knobs Design Board Joyce. Please tell us how did your association with Top Knobs begin?

JG: Well, I have used lots of Top Knobs products ever since being introduced to them. I have mixed, matched and tailored the collections to each individual project over the years depending on client style and preference.  I particularly like interchanging them with each other through a house. All things matching is a bore!

TK: What do you think makes the collections so popular with your clients?

JG: Top Knobs was one of the first to give us some great choices in appliances pulls, which I also frequently use “back to back” on shower doors and even closet doors in some cases. The majority of your finishes transfer throughout the collections. That’s critical for me since I am someone who rarely keeps everything the same so I need to be able to mix and match while maintaining the same finish.

TK: How do you approach each collection? Style? Design? 

JG: I  appreciate that I can depend on Top Knobs to give me a comfortable projections on knobs and larger centers on pulls giving the client easy access while giving the cabinet door or drawer some visual style and a bit of “presence”.

TK: If  you had to design a bathroom or kitchen, what Top Knobs collection would you choose and why?

JG: Wow, that really all depends on the style of kitchen or bath and the person using it. It will likely be a more rustic simple style if it’s a mountain home, whereas a more formal or contemporary design will call for something entirely different. I also work in “Universal Design”, when working with handicap people, the range of motion may be different and ease of access becomes critical. So all I can say is “thank you” for giving me things I can use in my many different situations.

TK: And finally, what is your signature design of choice?

JG: I hope I don’t have a “signature” other than good design based on the classic, whether that be contemporary, art deco, old world period, American ranch, etc. It all completely depends on the client, their project needs & budget. If everything looks like a designer’s signature that usually means the designer wasn’t listening. Growing up in Europe and living in many of our States, the “looks” can be vastly different. All good… but often very different.

Learn more about the Top Knobs Design Board, and how to join my visiting this page.