Seifer Kitchen Design Center

Seifer Kitchen Design Center (Seifer) is a family-owned and -operated showroom and design center based in Pine Brook, N.J. Richard Seifer founded the business in 1946, selling hardware and appliances to cabinet shops and builders. Over the years the company has grown to become the go-to supplier for builders, homeowners and interior designers across the state. Today, Richard’s sons, Warren and Les Seifer, own and operate the business together. Seifer employs 25 people, including woodworkers, a well versed sales staff and design team.

The company’s showroom and design center is one of the largest in New Jersey. “We both started working here when we were 19,” Warren notes. “When we took over, we decided to maintain the personal touch of the business by sticking with one location. We can be involved with every aspect of the business. We didn’t want to manage managers; we want to be involved in design, implementation and execution of everything. Our competition has multiple showrooms, which is fine, but we decided to leapfrog them and become the first kitchen and bath superstore. People walk in and they have never seen a kitchen showroom like this before.”

Standout business structure

Seifer has 6,000 square feet of showroom space in the 45,000-square-foot building. Customers walk in to see more than 50 full displays offering design inspiration for kitchens and bathrooms with cabinets and fixtures, fully customizable to suit any taste or budget. Even better than the layout, an experienced staff is ready to help designers, homeowners and contractors select the right products at the right price point to build the kitchen or bath the owner has always dreamed of. The company has a jarringly low turnover rate. Several current employees have been with the business since before Warren and Les began working there for their father.

The company’s outstanding experience draws in a steady flow of business. Seifer does very little advertising and relies almost exclusively on a longstanding reputation. So far, this has not presented any challenges to the business.

“We have a very strong following,” Warren explains. “Whatever it takes, we get the job done. We are busy; people call. One interesting thing is that we are now doing kitchens for customers whose parents’ kitchens we did years ago. We are serving a second generation. We also have clients who we have built kitchens for already, but they buy a new house and want us to do it again.”

The major form of marketing Seifer utilizes is networking through professional and industry organizations, its website and HOUZZ. Furthermore, the business has participated in the Atlantic Builders Conference for more than 20 years. Each year, the crew sets up a large display in the middle of the convention to showcase products and meet with new potential clients. The company also has membership with the New Jersey Builders Association, an organization that has helped Warren and his team to build relationships with contractors and developers while supporting the industry.

Providing value

The Seifer team has been busy making good on its reputation. Over the last few years, the business has been involved with a wide range of projects from multimillion dollar townhouses to affordable housing projects.

“We do everything from high end to low end,” Warren notes. “Our strength is that we can take a mid-price product, redesign it and people will perceive it as pretty high-end. The builder is happy with price, the homeowner is happy with the price and the aesthetic and there is room for the builder to get a return, so the finished product satisfies everyone.”

Recent work includes several high-end townhouses. The crew designed kitchens and bathrooms for the new occupants of two such communities in New Jersey. “We worked on Saddle River Grande, which is a community of 62 townhouses that start at around $2.8 million,” Warren recounts. “The development is in Upper Saddle River. These homes are very high-end and we did a nice job there. Some people moving in include the man who invented the inkjet printer, as well as the owner of the business that supplies products to GNC stores nationwide. We had some customers with unique specifications and we were able to keep them happy. That project won several awards.”

Warren goes on to note another project in the center of Princeton, N.J. “The Residences at Palmer Square,” he continues. “These were also townhouses. There are around 60 and they start around $2 million. They have been featured in The New York Times.”

The team is also working on a Montclair, N.J., multi-use project, CentroVerde. This combination of commercial and residential property includes high-end rentals and has been a major part of the Montclair Center Redevelopment Plan.

No matter what type of residence the team is designing for, Seifer prioritizes value. Warren, Les and the team take great pride in delivering beautiful kitchens and bathrooms without charging outrageous sums of money. Therefore, the family business has made a name for itself in New Jersey. In the coming years, the company is looking ahead to continued growth. Seifer Kitchen Design Center will continue to be a household name in household design.