Episode 347: Chuck Wheelock

Million Dollar Decorating

A twenty-eight year Kitchen industry veteran with experience in design, project management, sales and marketing direction for Wood-Mode, Poggenpohl, Smallbone, Christopher Peacock, Johnny Grey Studios, Wheelock Maidique and introducing Wheelock Design Associates. His grandfather an iceman in upstate New York, opened the first Refrigerator sales showroom in Herkimer County. Chuck’s father was an organic chemist, inventor, world traveler and humorist. His mother is a member of the Delaware tribe and a noted storyteller in the Western tradition. Chuck attended Dartmouth College, and holds a BA in Environmental Design from the University of Colorado. He has architectural design experience in the US and Middle East including corporate, educational and residential projects. He began his Kitchen design career with his cousin Norman Fay in Narragansett, RI; representing Wood-Mode and Poggenpohl. In 1989, he walked into the NY showroom of British company Smallbone, with drawings and no interview appointment. He was hired as a designer and became a sales-volume leader. In 1992, he was a co-founder of a new company Christopher Peacock Kitchens. The company earned national fame with framed construction and white hand-painted cabinetry. Chuck met Johnny Grey, renowned British kitchen designer, in the Madison Avenue offices of Metropolitan Home magazine, and started US operations in 1998. Johnny introduced the pioneering idea of the Unfitted Kitchen, a more sociable design with freestanding furniture. Their work culminated in the cable network Showtime ShowHouse kitchen, a modernist masterpiece inspired by the character ‘Dexter’. In 2006, a fortuitous meeting aligned Chuck with his former partner and together they formed Wheelock Maidique, LLC. They opened their doors to a new showroom in the village of Old Greenwich, CT, where he is still currently located. Recognizing a need for a superior full-service client experience, he rebranded his business in June 2015. Wheelock Design Associates creates one-of-a-kind kitchen, bath and home designs that stand out with unique characteristics that exude a client’s lifestyle and personality. Updated all new displays feature new fresh design concepts, such as the Three Color Kitchen and the Texture Kitchen. Now a full-service firm vertically-integrated to offer clients appliances brands like Wolf/ SubZero, Miele, Dacor, BlueStar and Bertazzoni. The workshop has expanded to accommodate our new Private Label cabinetry designs, with the inclusion of countertops/backsplash materials and plumbing fixtures and fittings to round out a unified design package for clients. Explore Chuck's Website here