Kitchen and bath designer Sarah Steinberg doesn’t believe in dead ends, not in life, and certainly not in design. Steinberg’s past mirrors her philosophy. At first she was driven toward the corporate world, but she upended her career to pursue a job in design. Now the owner of Sarah Steinberg Custom Designs, as Steinberg tells Maine Home+Design, she channels her creativity and joy into transformative spaces for her clients.

Q. In your opinion, why is it so important that spaces have a sense of flow?

A. I don’t believe in dead ends in life. I never want to be trapped in a situation where I can’t get out, and that applies to the rooms in a home. All of my designs flow easily from one space to another, meaning that the style is consistent and yet functional.

Q. Why do you work primarily on kitchens and baths?

A. Those spaces drive our life. Yes, we go into our bedrooms to sleep, but we live in our kitchens. That room is a big piece of how we live. That space should reflect who we are, and it should be something that gives us positive energy.

Q. Do your relationships with the families you work with extend beyond design?

A. I think there’s a lot of counseling in design. I’m usually quick to pick up on the things that are going wrong in the family, such as when people aren’t eating together because they don’t have a place to sit. If there’s not enough space in the master bath, the wife has taken over the entire counter, and the husband has no closet, a couple is bound to have disagreements. Small changes can help a couple work through that. Your space shouldn’t make you feel depressed or anxious.

Q. From your designs, it seems like you take pleasure in juxtaposing different materials. Why is that?

A. I feel like modern looks are best showcased next to natural, organic materials. Otherwise it can be excessive, and I’m not a “too much” kind of person. I like sleek cabinets with some rustic reclaimed wood or a modern kitchen with a walnut island.

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Maine Home+Design’s MH+D Inside Out series features interviews with creators from our community and gets inside some of the top minds in the design industry. Read on for their stories, tips, and sources of inspiration.