Designing siblings - Gregory C. Gill and Patricia G. Hampton, owners of Designs by Gill, Rockville, Maryland kitchen and bathroom design firm and appliance distributor

Black Enterprise, July, 1993 by Angela Flagg

Gregory C. Gill had big plans in 1986 when he started Construction Tectonics inc., a firm that did residential renovations in the Dupont Circle and Capitol Hill areas of Washington, D.C. But his new business brought a reality check. "As a subcontractor, I was doing construction work that was already specified," recalls Gill. "I wanted more control over projects."

So, in 1990, Gill dissolved his construction firm. With his sister, Patricia G. Hampton, he then launched Designs By Gill, a kitchen and bathroom design firm and appliance distributor in Rockville, Md. The brother-sister duo used $25,000 in savings to lease a 1,250-square-foot office where they set up two kitchen displays.

The company now has 11 employees and a showroom housing four kitchens and four bathroom exhibits as well as a home-office display. Designs by Gill grossed $410,000 in 1992. This year's sales are expected to reach $750,000.

Gill, the company president, and Hampton, vice president, have serviced over 150 clients, including the Department of Defense. An average kitchen runs about $25,000 for cabinets and installation, says Gill, 47. A standard bathroom goes for $6,000, while a custom bathroom costs between $15,000 and $17,000. Gill and Hampton, 53, buy appliances and accessories from 18 distributors. The firm has thrived primarily because of word-of-mouth advertising. "Now I have the control I wanted," says Gill, who studied architecture at Southern University at Baton Rouge from 1965 to 1967.

Looking ahead, Gill plans to open another showroom in Washington, D.C., or Virginia by year-end. "More people are spending money on fixing up their homes," Gill explains. "They can't afford to buy new ones because of the economy." That just means more creative opportunities for his firm.