OUR HISTORY

Creating memorable kitchens for over 68 years

Kd. is a family, both literally and figuratively. For 70 years, we have been passionately dedicated to helping our clients create custom kitchens that truly become the heart of the home—equal parts beautiful and functional, and always reflective of the people who inhabit them.

kitchen distributors team

Charlie Hartman mid-install, 1972. He was an installer with Kd. for over 35 years before retiring in 2000; some of his kitchens are still being used today. 

A marriage of hard work and creativity

Esther Hartman posing for a photo shoot, 1969.

A marriage of hard work and creativity

The Kd. story began in 1953, when P.G. and Esther Hartman opened a commercial cabinetry distributorship with a GI Bill and a $250 loan from Esther’s father. As the fledgling Denver kitchen industry evolved, the Kitchen Distributors name became synonymous with quality and attention to detail. A true creative visionary, P.G. became the voice of the fledgling Colorado kitchen design industry, and is largely responsible for its success today. He was instrumental in the establishment of the first Mountain States Chapter of the American Institute of Kitchen Design (now known as the NKBA) and was often the first in the state to offer innovative products—including luxury brands and avant-garde designs that represented a new era of kitchen design.

A marriage of hard work and creativity

Esther Hartman posing for a photo shoot, 1969.

A tradition of bringing family and friends together

The Legacy of Kd. lives on. When P.G. passed away unexpectedly in 1974, his family made the decision to pool their respective talents and carry his proud legacy into the future. When Esther retired in 2008, the business passed into the capable hands of her son, Tom Hartman. Today, with three successful showrooms and more than 68 years of award-winning design under their collective belt, Kitchen Distributors’ heritage is stronger than ever before. But if you ask Tom or anyone else in the Kd. family what makes them the proudest, they won’t mention prestigious awards or glowing editorial. Now, as it always has been, it’s about friends and family…gathered together in the one room that nourishes mind, body and soul.

kd kitchen remodel

New Kitchen: 2017 Remodel

OUR VALUES

We provide exceptional and unique product solutions.

Kitchen Distributors offers our customers both cutting-edge modern kitchen designs as well as time-tested favorites proven by our years of experience.

We create stunning spaces.

Our finished, luxurious kitchens are true works of art that reflect both the passion, expertise, and talent of our designers and craftsmen—and the precise wishes of our clients.

We are designers and dreamers.

As Denver kitchen design experts, we’re always looking for new ways to express our creativity. We’re quality-obsessed and style-agnostic, never boxed in a single brand or genre.

We design for our clients—not for our egos.

Our goal is to realize our clients’ dreams and design a space that is the best possible representation of that dream. No matter what your vision looks like, our kitchen design experts will make it possible.

We design relationships.

Custom kitchens may be our physical product, but as a family business, our relationships are our true legacy. We are proud of our loyal customers and devoted to the communities we serve.

We provide individualized customization options for your space.

Our tailored, award-winning approach to designing custom kitchens doesn’t skip over a single detail. We utilize durable, timeless building materials, sourced from a network of exclusive vendors and design professionals, to ensure your arrangement options are limitless.

OUR TEAM

Our team of skilled Colorado kitchen designers and engineers has been hand-selected to ensure the highest level of expertise within the kitchen and bath design industry is on hand for your project. Our award-winning kitchen design team has over a half-century of combined kitchen and bath design experience, and are at the forefront of their field.
Directory
Directory

Tom Hartman

President

Elisabeth Aiello

Project Designer at Kd.

Sarah Spiroff

Project Designer at Kd.

Linda McLean

Project Designer at Kd.

William M. Landeros

Showroom Director & Designer at bulthaup

Jed Mackenzie

Project Designer at bulthaup

Michele Bowden

Project Engineer

Martin Nordin

Project Engineer

← Scroll →

president tom hartman
President
303-795-0665

[email protected]

About Tom Hartman:

The kitchen business is in Tom Hartman’s blood; he’s never done anything else. Born and raised in Denver, Tom was indoctrinated through his father, P.G. Hartman—a kitchen industry visionary known for process and perfectionism. He had his own drawing board by age eight, and spent much of his childhood immersed in the nuts and bolts of the business. Then, when P.G. died suddenly in 1974 of a heart attack, Tom (still in high school) joined his mother and sister to take over the family enterprise. Tom went on to study business at the University of Colorado, Denver, and become a Certified Kitchen Designer (CKD) in 1987.

An admitted “detail fanatic,” Tom is known throughout the industry for his “evil eye”—his ability to walk into a space and tell instantly if something is out of balance. Drawing on the deep expertise of his mentorship with P.G. and his own experience, he has been instrumental in nurturing Denver-area designers and continues to forward the industry as a whole. In 2002, he brought bulthaup, a European luxury brand respected internationally for quality and precision, to Denver. Since that transition, he has come to embrace the minimalist beauty of the Bauhaus design philosophy.

Tom officially took the reins of Kitchen Distributors in 2008, upon his mother’s retirement. The consummate innovator, he remains passionate about every aspect of the business, from compassionate employee relations to meticulous project installation—and dedicated to continuing the legacy of Kd.’s proud 60-year heritage.

Elisabeth Aiello
Project Designer at Kd.
303-795-0665

[email protected]

About Elisabeth Aiello:

Elisabeth has been creating beautiful kitchens in Colorado for more than 20 years. After obtaining a Fine Arts Degree in Interior Design in 1993, she took an internship at a small kitchen design firm in Denver. She quickly learned that she had an absolute passion for high-end kitchen design, and began to search for the perfect outlet for her abilities.

She found Kitchen Distributors in 1996, and has been fulfilling her dreams – and her client’s – ever since. Elisabeth is committed to creating spaces that reflect her client’s personalities and compliment their style, and to making the process as joyful as possible. As a senior designer at Kd, Elisabeth’s work is continually featured in local and national publications – including Colorado Homes & lifestyles, Great American Kitchens, and Luxe Magazine – and has been honored in local home shows and contests. Her projects span a wide range of styles, from classic to contemporary.

Sarah Spiroff
Project Designer at Kd.
303-795-0665 

[email protected]

About Sarah Spiroff:

Originally from Michigan, Sarah started her career in 1996 working for Home Depot while earning her Interior Design degree at Baker College. Her time there was diverse, learning all the materials and products hands on, interacting with builders and tradesmen, as well as all levels of homeowners. She believes this helped give her a great base of knowledge and perspective to approach a career in Kitchen and Bathroom design. She earned her CKD and CBD certifications from the National Kitchen and Bath Association in 2006 while working for a luxury kitchen design build remodeling firm in the bay area of California. After 13 years with the company and many NKBA award winning projects, she decided to relocate to Colorado and further her career in the exciting and challenging Rocky Mountain market. 

A long time sailor and world traveler, Sarah takes inspiration from her past experiences and loves to look at things from a different perspective. She knows that a project’s design needs to be something special, with well thought out details, architectural presence, and a personality that is unique to each client. She loves the process of creating something physical and that in the end, her clients get to share and enjoy the space for years to come. 

Linda McLean
Project Designer at Kd.
303-795-0665 

[email protected]

About Linda McLean:

With more than three decades of kitchen design experience, Linda brings the skills necessary to transform her clients’ dreams into reality. Having been raised in Colorado by parents who fixed and flipped homes (before the concept had a slogan), Linda found that she could easily spot the potential of any space. After earning a degree in business from Western State University, she spent time in Arizona and California perfecting her craft. She rose from bookkeeper to lead designer to Vice President in her first employment and continues to rise to the top in her field.

Linda’s expertise in spatial planning—combined with vast product knowledge, acute attention to detail, and strong emphasis on craftsmanship—has allowed her to create award-winning designs that transcend the test of time. She recognizes each project as unique and caters her designs to the needs and vision of her clients. As a result, Linda has been widely published and has spread her creativity both nationally and internationally.

When Linda isn’t elbow deep in her work, she makes time to share with family and friends: enjoying live music, hiking, skiing and, with the help of her husband, maintaining a historic home in the mountains where she was raised.

William M. Landeros
Showroom Director & Designer at bulthaup
303-777-5409

[email protected]

About William M. Landeros:

An outgoing and insightful problem-solver, William believes in balancing logic and creativity to find innovative solutions to challenges of all kinds. William holds a degree in languages from Metro State College, and an Associate of Occupational Studies Degree in Baking and Pastry from the New England Culinary Institute. In the 1980’s, he launched Feastable Catering in Texas, and opened a nouveau cuisine restaurant, The Secret Garden, in Camden, Maine.

Today, as Designer and showroom Director at bulthaup Denver, William “lives” the classic Bauhuas design motto: unity between art and technology. He is inspired by the timeless architecture of Walter Gropius, Georg Muche and Frank Lloyd Wright. His award-winning work has been featured in numerous local, national, and international publications, including Modern in Denver, Colorado Homes & Lifestyles, Luxe, and Trends Magazines. He has received awards from Sub-Zero/Wolf, Viking, The American Society for Interior Designers, The National Kitchen & Bath Association, and the Colorado Home Builders Association.

Jed Mackenzie
Project Designer at bulthaup
303-777-5409

[email protected]

About Jed Mackenzie:

As a senior designer at bulthaup Denver, Jed MacKenzie is following a lifelong passion for art and design. He finds inspiration daily, and draws upon his European travels for design cues. Jed studied at Fort Lewis College, where he majored in business administration and minored in art. His work has been featured in numerous local, national, and international publications, including Colorado Homes & Lifestyles, Luxe, Modern In Denver, and Trends magazines.

Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe said, “Less is more.” Robert Venturi said, “Less is a bore.” Jed’s design philosophy is that form follows function, but that it isn’t defined by it. He sees challenging spaces as opportunities to encourage creativity, and likes to create focal points to draw the eye in, while maintaining balance and proportion. Jed imagines his client in the space, and visualizes the experiences that will happen there – His goal is to realize a client’s vision and exceed their expectations with innovative solutions that inspire them.

Carolyn Kreeger
Project Designer at bulthaup
303-777-5409

[email protected]

About Carolyn Kreeger:

At a young age, Carolyn discovered a floor plan in a home and garden magazine and promptly began marking it up with notes and lines showing what she loved about the space and what she would change. Carolyn continued to go through life observing people interacting with the spaces around them and how the built environment shapes the way people move, work, and live. This passion for design led Carolyn to study and earn her BA in interior design from Seattle Pacific University.

After graduating, Carolyn took off on the adventure of a lifetime to live and work in Europe. The years spent abroad helped her gain a deep-seated appreciation for designing with clean-lines, the Bauhaus style, and German-engineering. These same appreciations are what brought her to bulthaup and Kitchen Distributors.

As a Colorado native, Carolyn gets inspiration from the world that surrounds us, and she enjoys almost any activity outside including skiing, cycling, kayaking, soccer, and running. She also takes great pride in listening to clients’ needs and desires for their kitchens to create beautiful spaces to fit their life-style. Design challenges are like the ultimate puzzle for her, and she looks forward to helping you put together all the perfect pieces for your new kitchen and other interiors.

Morgan MacKay
Director of Marketing
303-795-0665

[email protected]

About Morgan MacKay:

Morgan grew up in New England, split between suburban Boston during the school year, and the coast of Connecticut during the summer. He moved west for college, receiving a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business. When asked why he wanted to work with kitchens, he said, “The kitchen has always been my favorite part of the house. Growing up with two brothers, the kitchen was the center of our household. It is the heart of your home, and I have always been drawn to that.”

As Director of Marketing, Morgan is responsible for the implementation and management of the company’s strategic marketing plan and stewardship of the company’s brand within the competitive kitchen design industry. His new perspective will help to keep Kitchen Distributors on the cutting edge, and help continue the Hartman family legacy of excellence in service and kitchen design.

Michele Bowden
Project Engineer
303-795-0665

[email protected]

About Michele Bowden:

Originally from La Crosse Wisconsin, Michele attended Western Wisconsin Technical College, earning a Degree in Interior Design. Soon after, she continued her education at American InterContinental University of Los Angeles, CA, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Architecture. Her career in the luxury kitchen design industry began when Neil Cooper of Cooper Pacific Kitchens offered her a position at his firm. With over twenty years in the industry, she still loves “how every space brings new challenges to a kitchen design, no job is ever the same. To see the look on our client’s faces when they see their brand new kitchen is what keeps me doing what I do, and working with the extremely talented designers that service this area of Colorado keeps me inspired. “

A master of AutoCAD two/three-dimensional drafting as well as space planning and project management, Michele’s talents shine through her work. Her obsession with detail and tireless work ethic shows in every print. She creates the first representation of the Kd. vision for our clients, and is instrumental in helping them see this before any work has been done. The passion she has for her work comes from creating this vision for our customers and is one of the reasons Kd. goes above and beyond to realize our client’s dreams.

Martin Nordin
Project Engineer
303-795-0665

[email protected]

About Martin Nordin:

Born in Durban South Africa, Martin has been a resident of Colorado for 13 years. He began his career in London, moving there after high school, working at an Interior Design Firm. After 4 years in London, he moved back to South Africa to complete his degree in Interior Design at the University of Cape Town. In 2005, shortly after graduating from UCT, he received an Associates Degree in Kitchen Design and has been working in the industry ever since.

Martin has an aptitude for space planning and organization, and a mastery of the AutoCAD Drafting program to help convey complex design aspect in an easy to understand and uncomplicated manner. His passion is for the technical aspects of designing, and he finds it extremely rewarding to help clients define their dream space and navigate the complexities of the design process. 

bulthaup kitchen showroom
colorado kitchen designers

BULTHAUP SHOWROOM

Our showroom partner

Kitchen Distributors is honored to be an authorized bulthaup partner in the U.S. and the owner/operator of the company’s Denver Showroom. Founded in Germany in 1949, this internationally respected brand is inextricably linked with the development of the modern kitchen. Both rooted in tradition and devoted to innovation, bulthaup kitchens are not influenced by kitchen design trends, but are instead designed to change our perceptions of what a truly timeless kitchen should be.

European design + Colorado spirit: it’s a match truly made in heaven.

colorado kitchen designers