Kent Tsui Earns Universal Design Certification
We’re excited to share that Kent Tsui of Quality Cut Design | Remodel has earned his Universal Design Certified Professional designation through the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.
That’s a very official sentence, so let’s say it another way too: Kent has completed additional training to help homeowners create spaces that are safer, more comfortable, more accessible, and easier to use through every stage of life.
At Quality Cut Design | Remodel, we believe a beautiful home should also work beautifully. It should support the way you move, gather, cook, rest, welcome people in, and live your everyday life. Universal design helps us think about all of that more intentionally.
What Is Universal Design?
Universal design is a thoughtful approach to creating homes that work well for as many people as possible, regardless of age, ability, or stage of life. Sometimes people hear “accessible design” and picture something cold, clinical, or institutional. That is not what we are talking about.
Universal design can be warm, beautiful, seamless, and personal. It can look like a curbless shower that feels spa-like. A wider doorway that makes a room feel more open. Better lighting that makes a kitchen safer and more inviting. A zero-step entry that is helpful for someone using a walker, someone carrying groceries, or someone welcoming grandkids through the door with muddy boots and armloads of chaos.
Why This Certification Matters
The Universal Design Certified Professional designation recognizes remodeling professionals who have demonstrated experience in the industry, completed continuing education, agreed to follow NARI’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, and passed an exam covering key areas of universal design. That includes client needs assessments, design, construction techniques, electrical systems, assistive technology, plumbing systems, and exterior universal design considerations. In other words, this certification is about more than knowing which grab bar goes where. It is about understanding how people actually live in their homes and how design decisions can support safety, independence, comfort, and dignity. “Universal design is about making homes work better for the people who live in them,” Kent said. “It is not only about accessibility. It is about thoughtful design, safety, comfort, and creating spaces that feel beautiful and easy to use through every stage of life.”
Designing for Real Life
A home is not a showroom. It is where people recover from surgeries, host holidays, chase pets, make coffee half-awake, help aging parents, raise kids, welcome friends, and move through life as their needs change. Universal design gives us a way to plan for that real life.
Some universal design features might include:
Wider doorways and better pathways through the home.
Curbless showers and safer bathroom layouts.
Lever-style door handles and easier-to-use fixtures.
Improved lighting in kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, and entries.
Main-level living options.
Zero-step or low-step entries.
Kitchens designed with better reach, storage, and circulation.
Exterior spaces that are easier and safer to navigate.
These choices can make a home more accessible, but they can also make it more comfortable and functional for everyone. That is the little design goblin at the heart of universal design: when done well, it helps more people without making the home feel less personal.
Future-Focused, But Still Beautiful
Many homeowners are thinking ahead. They want to stay in their homes longer. They want to make room for visiting family members. They want to avoid rushed decisions later. They want beautiful spaces that can adapt as life changes. In fact, some of our favorite projects are the ones where function and beauty are braided together so well that you can’t pull them apart. A bathroom can be safer and more elegant. A kitchen can be easier to use and more beautiful. An addition can create more space now while supporting long-term living later.
Universal design is not a single product or checklist. It is a way of asking better questions.
How do you use this space now?
What feels frustrating?
What feels unsafe?
What might change in the next five, ten, or fifteen years?
Who do you want to welcome into your home?
What would make daily life feel easier?
Those questions help us design with more care.
What This Means for Quality Cut Clients
Kent’s certification adds another layer of knowledge to the work Quality Cut Design | Remodel is already known for: thoughtful planning, quality craftsmanship, and remodels designed around the people who live in the home. Whether you are planning a bathroom remodel, kitchen update, addition, or whole-home renovation, universal design can be part of the conversation from the beginning. Sometimes that means making major accessibility improvements. Sometimes it means making small, strategic choices that will serve you well for years. Either way, the goal is the same: a home that feels like you, works for your life, and is ready for whatever comes next. “People do not want their homes to feel clinical,” Kent said. “They want homes that feel like them, while also being safer, easier to move through, and ready for whatever life brings next. That is where universal design can be so powerful.”
Ready to Talk About Your Home?
If you are thinking about a remodel and wondering how your home can better support the way you live now and in the future, we would love to talk with you. Universal design does not have to feel overwhelming. It can start with one room, one entry, one bathroom, or one conversation.