In 1998, Mary Bell pursued her lifelong dream of starting
her own luxury kitchen and bath design firm. She opened CC
Designs and began designing what she called “magazine
style” rooms for her upscale clients. Originally, the
shop was located on Kirby Drive in the affluent Houston neighborhood
of West University. It was a 4,000-square-foot showroom, displaying
every style of kitchen and bath, large tile selections, cabinetry,
plumbing selections – everything a client could want
in their custom designed room. But Mary thought the large showroom
lacked the personalized style and cozy atmosphere of a small
boutique. So, in 2002, she moved the business into a quaint
3-story house on Sunset Boulevard. The smaller showroom, featuring
only a few room displays and a sampling of design elements,
made for an environment in which total attention could be given
to the needs and desires of each individual client. Mary’s
vision was beginning to be realized, but she believed changes
still needed to be made.
When the company began, it was only going to specialize in
design and products. There were no plans to offer construction
or installation. However, the client demand for installation
services was high, so the company began offering installation
of tile, plumbing and cabinets. After a time, the company realized
that the success of the final product was dependent upon all
aspects of production, including construction. They decided
to make CC Designs a one-stop shop where clients could receive
design and construction services, as well as top quality products
and appliances. So they partnered with a general contractor
who helped build their designs. The puzzle, however, still
did not seem complete. Because they were using a contractor,
the construction piece of the puzzle was not entirely within
the control of the company. This prevented Mary and CC Designs
from achieving the level of individualized service for which
they were striving.
In 2006, Mary asked her son Troy Reed to become a partner
and the company was renamed BellReed Designs. Troy had worked
on the construction side of Mary’s business for 13 years
and was more than a little familiar with her designs and goals.
With Troy coming on as Construction Manager, the company now
had an in-house construction team and was able to control all
aspects of a project, from conception to completion.
Finally, Mary’s vision was accomplished, and today BellReed
Designs is thriving. The clients are receiving the personalized
service they deserve, projects are being completed in a more
timely manner and Mary Bell is seeing her “magazine style” designs
transformed into beautiful, luxurious kitchens and baths.
