An Oklahoma native who cut her teeth in the Denver design scene, Melissa Fitzgerald launched her firm Kitchen Society Design in 2019 and quickly became synonymous with timeless residential projects in Oklahoma City. Although she’s won design competitions — including one in the “Most Dramatic Makeover” category — and even been dubbed Oklahoma City’s “Face of Kitchen Design,” Fitzgerald considers opening her first showroom among her greatest accomplishments. 

Opened in 2021, Fitzgerald’s first showroom was only large enough to accommodate a single kitchen and bar. After she inevitably outgrew the compact space, an opportunity presented itself in the form of a window-lined ground-floor space in Oklahoma City’s historic Pioneer Building. Built in 1907 in an ornate style championed by turn-of-the-century architect Louis Sullivan, the building was lovingly restored in 2019 to showcase its stately limestone and marble features.

“While I always had my eye on the location, and the thought of finishing out the first floor of this beautiful, historic building was definitely a dream of mine, the main reason for the move was that we did grow out of the space,” Fitzgerald told Alexander Marchant. “I wanted to show more than just the one kitchen and bar. I’ve learned over the years that it is very helpful for clients to envision their new space if they can see similar design details and an aesthetic similar to what they are wanting in an actual kitchen display versus a design board.”

Fittingly, the historic space mirrors some of Fitzgerald’s projects — specifically remodels of older homes she modernizes with an emphasis on timeless aesthetics.

“I think there is an amount of charm and character in our new space that reflects some of the old historic homes we remodel,” Fitzgerald said. “It gives our clients a sense of confidence that if we could work with the bones and quirks of our space and turn it into the space it is now, we can do the same for their home. It has been so much fun meeting with clients in the new space. They all seem impressed when they walk in, and a few people have told me how calming the space is, which I love. Since there’s more room for material samples, it allows our clients to think outside the box and get creative — which allows us to push the limits a bit more. It’s always fun to jump around between the displays and materials area to look at little details and compile all our ideas.”

Among those displays are examples of Kitchen Society Design’s incredibly customizable in-house cabinetry lines. 

“We can produce any wood product, any paint color and sheen, beautiful veneer products, metal cabinetry and outdoor cabinetry,” Fitzgerald said. “We draw everything in AutoCAD and both lines are produced straight from our drawings, so it’s a fully custom process.”

Cabinetry customization goes one step further with the wide assortment of bespoke hardware Fitzgerald sources from Alexander Marchant’s Oklahoma City showroom.

“Having a plumbing and hardware showroom in Oklahoma City that matches the quality of work and finished product we’re trying to achieve is instrumental to our success,” Fitzgerald said. “The people at Alexander Marchant could not be more lovely to work with, and understand time sensitivity and how different each client that we bring in there is — and adjust accordingly.”

When asked about her favorite area in her new showroom, Fitzgerald pinpointed a classic yet modern kitchen display featuring an eclectic mix of finishes and textures.

“The display features quite the mixture of cabinetry, which includes a dark stained walnut, Birdseye maple, Mapa Burl, a lacquered paint finish, and stainless-steel and polished stainless cabinetry. The stone is a beautiful Breccia Viola marble. And to top it off, we used a combination of stunning Classic Brass and Armac Martin hardware from Alexander Marchant. We used a combination of edge pulls, cremone bolts, oval pulls, knobs on rectangular plates and long cup pulls. It does seem like a lot of finishes, and many different types of hardware for one space, but it came together nicely and achieves our goal of showing our clients that many more options — all within one space.”