IDS MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: KYLE MORGAN

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY FROM THE AIR FORCE TO BECOMING A CHEF AND THEN TO INTERIOR DESIGN SCHOOL? WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO MAKE THESE TRANSITIONS?

After graduating from undergrad in 2008 and entering a tanking job market, I decided to pursue a career in Air Force Special Operations, ultimately as a SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) Specialist instructor, a career field that teaches pilots, special operations, and aircrew how to survive in any emergency and scenario behind enemy lines. While I enjoyed my time leading and educating teams through the wilderness, my contract was ending and my love and passion for food had remained steadfast since working in my parents’ sandwich shops throughout high school. I was able to use my GI Bill to attend the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley. From there I worked with, and for, some of the best chefs in the world and was afforded the opportunity to cook in multiple Michelin-starred restaurants throughout San Francisco and Napa Valley. After moving to Denver in 2015, I started my own award-winning potato chip and catering companies, which I successfully ran for 6 years before burning out and making the tough decision to end that chapter.

In search for my next life, I wanted a way to keep food and cooking paramount, without the physical toll it was taking on my body. I was offered the opportunity to learn cabinetry from the ground up. I have always enjoyed the principles and application of great interior design from a hobbyist's point of view, so the idea of kitchen design through casework and cabinetry became my focus. I decided to enroll in the Interior Design program at Front Range Community College in Fort Collins, Colorado. While enrolled, I have been able to learn, work, and grow as a student, a cabinet and kitchen designer, and project manager with Distinctive Cabinetry and Designs (and formerly Harlan Jasper Joinery). I am very excited to be graduating in Spring 2024 and really dive into my new life focused on interior design.

IN WHAT WAYS HAVE YOUR CULINARY SKILLS AND CREATIVITY IN THE KITCHEN INFORMED YOUR APPROACH TO INTERIOR DESIGN PROJECTS?

In the creation and development of a new dish, a chef wants to feature and complement different ingredients and flavors and use the plate as a canvas, using space and color to focus and attract the eaters’ attention to certain aspects of a dish. These same principles apply to interior design: highlighting focus on a special piece of furniture or area of a room; pairing and complementing colors, woods, fabrics, and metals; helping a theme or concept smoothly transition through an entire space; etc. It is, conceptually, very similar to designing a menu. From a technical point of view, having a deep understanding of movement while cooking and hosting helps me design a more functional and efficient space that is not only beautiful, but also well designed for aging in place.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE ANY PARALLELS BETWEEN THE PRECISION AND ATTENTION TO DETAIL REQUIRED IN THE AIR FORCE, THE CULINARY WORLD, AND INTERIOR DESIGN? HOW DO THESE SKILLS TRANSLATE FROM ONE FIELD TO ANOTHER?

“Slow is smooth, smooth is fast” is a concept that I have applied in many aspects of my life since entering the Air Force. Originally taught to me while under a hyper-intense training regimen in a much more literal sense, I’ve since been able to apply it more broadly throughout my cooking and interior design careers. By helping me to minimize unnecessary physical movements and making sure my mise-en-place (French for “everything in its place,” used to describe prepared ingredients for a dish) is front and center, "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast” has also helped facilitate my learning of new concepts and programs by understanding how my brain processes and learns new material and to eliminate unhelpful methods. This has allowed me to learn and apply new skills quickly and efficiently. Working with clients *usually* tends to be a bit less pressure than teaching survival in the middle of winter in the Rockies, or a Friday night line shift with a 1000-degree oven in my face!

HAVE YOU HAD ANY OPPORTUNITIES TO COLLABORATE WITH OTHER STUDENTS OR FACULTY ON DESIGN PROJECTS THAT SHOWCASE YOUR UNIQUE SKILLS AND PERSPECTIVE?

I would love to collaborate with my instructors after graduation, but nothing as of yet!

CAN YOU HIGHLIGHT ANY SPECIFIC DESIGN PRINCIPLES, TRENDS, OR STYLES THAT RESONATE WITH YOU, AND HOW DO YOU APPLY THEM IN YOUR PROJECTS?

I do really love Euro casing and trends and do tend to design with a more contemporary aesthetic and lots of color. I think the improvements in laminate have really helped kitchens to be more durable and resilient, while saving money and still maintaining style and beauty. I think, finally, there has been some great progress in induction cooking technology that can help create that hosting “wow” factor by allowing the range to be within the kitchen focal point but without being too obtrusive when not in use.

WHAT'S THE MOST TREASURED ITEM IN YOUR OWN HOME?

When I was stationed in Germany, I bought a small hunter’s cuckoo clock from the man that carved it, Gerald Burger, deep in the heart of the Black Forest. It is my prized possession and will always be prominently displayed in my home! I also love my ever-growing cookbook library and am currently working on some Thanksgiving menu planning!