Mary Fisher Knott, whose innovative approach to kitchen and bath design anticipated modern accessibility principles decades before they gained widespread recognition, died on September 15 at age 85 after a short illness. As the founder of Mary Fisher Designs in 1963, she established a practice centered on residential space planning in California, Arizona, and Oregon. Her early focus on practical questions, such as optimal counter heights, intuitive storage solutions, and minimizing physical strain, later formed the bedrock of contemporary ergonomic and wellness-focused design.
Before launching her own firm, Knott spent 12 years with public utility companies, where she oversaw home modernization and energy efficiency initiatives. From 1968 to 1974, she led Pacific Power’s home modernization program before transitioning to independent consulting in 1974. For nearly seven decades, she worked with both residential and commercial clients nationwide until her recent health decline.
During her career, she designed over 5,000 kitchens, earned eight professional awards, and held multiple industry credentials, including CID, Allied ASID, CLIPP, and CAPS. Her methodology integrated nutrition, physical activity, and spatial efficiency, treating ergonomics as a fundamental element rather than an optional consideration. This holistic perspective distinguished her work from conventional design approaches.
Beyond her professional achievements, Knott was a dedicated educator, conducting seminars across the western United States and authoring two key publications: the textbook “Kitchen and Bath Basics” and the ebook “The Ergonomic Home”. Her emphasis on adaptable, human-centered spaces positioned her as a trailblazer in wellness design, advocating for environments that evolve with occupants’ needs instead of following temporary trends.
She was a longtime member of the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) and a fixture at the KBIS show for decades, only missing the event the past few years. Colleagues across the industry remember Fisher Knott as one of the field’s earliest voices for designing around a client’s body, routines and life stage rather than trend alone, an approach that anticipated much of what the industry now calls wellness design and living-in-place practice. She was a symbol of positivity, bringing joy and cheer to everyone she encountered.
Knott is survived by her sister, Liz; brothers, George and Chuck; and her children, Melissa, Jeffrey, Jason, and Melody. She was preceded in death by her brother Bob and her husband, Webb.
