Design Line Kitchens:

Matthew Joseph Egan, founder of Design Line Kitchens, began in Ireland serving a seven-year apprenticeship learning the wood working trade. Matt came to the U.S. in 1963 and began working in New York City with antique furniture reproductions. After a brief return to Ireland to marry, Matt returned with his new family in 1968. Matt found work in several areas including as a night watchman before finding a position at an office furniture manufacturer in Roselle, New Jersey.

Soon, Matt began a series of side-jobs involving cabinet refacing. Working at night and on weekends, Matt eventually began renovating entire kitchens for friends. Soon after, these friends were referring Matt to their friends... and those friends began referring to their friends. In 1974, Matt decided to take a chance and ventured out on his own forming Matt Egan's Kitchens.

By 1979, Matt's business had grown so much that he needed an entire shop. Matt moved his business, now called Design Line Kitchens, to the Jersey shore and operated out of a showroom on Brighton Ave. in Spring Lake Heights. In 1986, as word of mouth continued to spread, Design Line was relocated for the final time to its current 10,000 square foot facility on Route 35 in Sea Girt, NJ.

Matt, now 72, is still very active in the business. As of today, it is estimated that Matt has been a part of some 5000 kitchen projects.

From a young age of around 7 Steve Egan started hanging around the shop watching his father work. His father, Matt, worked long hours in those early days. As time went by, Steve started taking more of an interest in his father's work. Steve became driven to show his father what he could do, even when his father thought he was not yet ready.

One day, when Matt was not around, Steve belt sanded a complete set of doors that were in line to be laminated. Concerned for his son's safety, Matt didn't allow him to use the heavy sander at that time. Upon his return, Matt was proud of Steve's fine work and started to allow him to do much more in the shop than he had previously permitted. In his drive to show his father the quality of his workmanship, Steve hadn't realized he was not only working for his father but for a customer as well.

To this day Steve applies that same standard of craftsmanship onto every job he works on or oversees, all with the same keen intuition his father instilled upon him over 30 years ago.