NKBA Announces Winners of Annual Student Design Competition

The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) announced its 2017 student design competition winners. The assignment required a remodel of a kitchen and master bathroom with the theme being “Smart Design for Active Seniors”. The homeowners of the project, King and Selina Duncan, recently downsized and moved into a single-story home. While still currently active, the couple requested an “age in place” space for the remodel. The student designers followed the principles of universal design to accommodate current and future needs of the retired couple. The design also needed to echo the surroundings of the Chattanooga, Tenn. home.

Deseray Mann, from Front Range Community College in Fort Collins, Colo., took top honors for kitchen design, and Joan Marks, from Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, Colo., won first place in the bath competition.

The Winning Kitchen Design:
A chimney-like element over the stovetop that rises to a 15-ft.-ceiling is the focal point of Mann’s kitchen design. Split-face ledger stone, a natural stacked stone that has been broken to expose a rougher surface, is used to complement the color scheme. The dining nook is at one end of the space, which is approximately 21 ft. long. The space is also complemented with white granite countertops and scalloped decorative tile.

The Winning Bath Design:
Marks was inspired by the architectural details of the landmark Veterans Bridge in Chattanooga for the master bath design. The curved ceiling details over the vanity and shower/tub areas mimic the repeating arches on the bridge, and the tile design was inspired by a garden trellis pattern on the bridge handrails. The architectural style of the bridge handrails is reflected in the Gothic mullion transom windows.

The following student designers earned runner-up honors in the 2017 competition:
Kitchen design runner up honors include 2nd Place Sarah Elizabeth Cummins and 3rd Place Jennifer Allen. Honorable Mentions include Megan Gerling and Stephany Taylor Krupke.
Bath design runner up honors include 2nd Place Hailey Kaspick and 3rd Place Brooklyn Gogowich.
Honorable Mentions include Erica Eftodie, Melissa Lamons and Natasha Chayhowski.

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