It started in a high school atrium.
John Rehm founded Architectural Kitchen Designs in 1975. Still in high school, he built the cabinets for his own school's atrium, then opened a shop in Stratford and made his name one custom kitchen at a time. He outgrew the first space in about five years and moved into a real manufacturing facility. No showroom gimmicks, no shortcuts, just cabinetry made well enough that the next job came by word of mouth. Fifty years on, that is still how the work arrives.
Justin and Tyler both found their own unique ways into the family business. Tyler attended Keene State College where he earned his Bachelors of Science in Safety and Occupational Health Applied Sciences. Justin came in from a different world, having scaled an events and entertainment company and spent fifteen years buying and general-contracting his own rental properties. That is where the two halves of the company come from today: a client-first instinct on one side, real construction judgment and safety sciences on the other. Now, as AKD Custom Fabrication together Justin and Tyler design, fabricate, and build across custom kitchens, whole-home millwork, and commercial work, all from one shop.
What has not changed: everything is designed, fabricated, and finished by our own team, in our own building. When you hire us, the people who sketch your project are the people who build it. That is where craftsmanship, attention to detail, integrity, and trust stop being words on a wall and start being how the work gets done. The next generation is already circling: Justin's ten-year-old turns up to help with the carpentry whenever the mood takes him.
