Award-Winning Kitchens from KBIS 2013

I'm still giddy about all the great design ideas and product developments I saw at the 2013 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in New Orleans in April. The design awards for kitchens and baths were a highlight. You could call them the Oscars for kitchen and bath design.

On awards night I got to meet the designers and talk with them about the inspirations and challenges behind their winning projects. Here are my favorite kitchen contenders in each category.

First Place: Large Kitchens

This kitchen took home the 2013 NKBA (National Kitchen and Bath Association) design competition's Best Kitchen Award and earned first place in the Large Kitchens category.

Designed by Wendy F. Johnson of Designs for Living in Manchester Village, Vermont, the kitchen is more than 350 square feet of functional space.

The kitchen is a tribute to the home's expansive glass walls and sweeping views. Johnson mixed rustic and modern materials for an eclectic look that defies standard definitions.

The space blends wood, glass and concrete with metallic infusions. A soaring wood-barrel ceiling adds warmth and pulls together other wood features, including bentwood cabinetry and two Sub-Zero linear rift-cut oak-faced refrigerators.

The diamond-pattern marble tile flooring links the space with the glass wall that frames views of a private golf course.

Quality craftsmanship is evident in a Wolf cooktop and double undercounter ovens crowned by a hand-crafted metal range hood with a copper finish.

Microwave, dishwasher: Miele

A large curved center island with a raised LED-lit glass top wraps around a lower wood countertop to form the heart of the space.

Glass top: ThinkGlass; wood countertop: Grothouse Lumber

Even though the space is large, a small second island provides an intimate dining space for two. Colorful glass panels top the rift-cut oak-front refrigeration cabinets.

Second Place: Large Kitchens

This kitchen took home a People's Pick Award and second place in the Large Kitchens category. Designer Bryan Reiss of Distinctive Design in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, renovated the old, high-ceilinged Southern home.

Antiqued, hand-painted finishes give the home a timeworn appeal. Oversize white panel cabinets seamlessly blend with the white panel refrigerator and freezer, while a custom copper range hood stylishly pops against an exposed brick wall.

A large black island with a granite countertop holds a dishwasher, sink and polished nickel faucet. Pendants by Charles Edwards of London and Holophane hang above.

Refrigerator, freezer: Thermador; countertop: Matrix; dishwasher: Bosch; sink: Franke; faucet: Rohl; pendants: Charles Edwards and Holophane; range: Wolf; range hood: Abbaka

A large antique Chinese print hangs over a staircase, giving the kitchen a collected-over-time feel. A custom walk-in cooler is housed under the staircase.

The original heart pine floors, large arched windows and exposed brick and beams add to the unique character of the soaring space.

First Place: Small Kitchens

The first-place winner in the Small Kitchens category drew inspiration from a 1948 home's midcentury modern architecture, which designer Elina Katsioula-Beall of Dewitt Designer Kitchens calls a “slanted post and beam gem."

The kitchen was designed to provide “vintage comfort,” and special attention went to preserving its "tired but rarely found '40s plywood," Katsioula-Beall says, found between the post and beam bays and on the walls, dropped ceiling and some of the cabinetry.

Meanwhile, granite countertops and flat-panel custom cabinetry give the kitchen a retro vibe. Notice the custom sink's unique butcher block divider between the two Kohler Park faucets; it slides and separates prep and cleanup areas. Below is a pullout recycling center.

Granite: Matrix; cabinets: Serrao

The turquoise refrigerator frames a vintage Miele poster that's been printed on metal. Red drawer handles and red upper drawers punch up charcoal cabinetry. The kitchen floors are made of bouncy cork.

Refrigerator: Mastercool 

The snappy color palette goes even bolder with blue cabinets. The oven and coffee maker mimic early-1950s models yet provide modern digital technology. A sleek metal glass-topped refrigerator station with drawers and wine storage creates a nifty beverage station.

Above it a modernism-inspired sculpture titled “History of Architecture” ties together retro and modern elements with the fizzy color palette.

Oven: TurboChef; refrigerator: U-Line

The linear cooktop also nods to the midcentury era and allows for all-front-burner cooking with counter space behind and ample storage for cookware below. Sconces frame a slanted aluminum cabinet with sliding doors that hide spice bottles and cooking supplies.

Cooktop: Miele

Nearby an alkalizer-faucet is tucked into a slanted aluminum niche with its own mini sink.

Bowl: Nambé

Second Place: Small Kitchens

This European-inspired kitchen is all about style and function. Designer Mark T. White of Kitchen Encounters won second place in the Small Kitchens category for transforming outdated oak cabinets, tile countertops and plain white appliances into a classy, timeless space.

Glass door cabinets flank a plate rack over the sink, while white-panel cabinets below cleverly disguise a Miele dishwasher, KitchenAid refrigerator and Wolf warming drawer. The pearlescent space gets its sheen from a horizontal tiled backsplash in Jerusalem Gold and Modern Mythology.

Cabinets: Medallion; countertops: Kashmir Gold granite, Home Stone Marble & Granite; sink: Franke; faucet: Kohler

A custom-built range hood creates a classy focal point for the traditional space, which is modernized with sleek appliances.

Range vent: Best; range: Wolf

Open shelving with detailed valances and cabinets with plenty of drawer space create a kitchen that the designer says is "style and functionality at its very best."

Oven: Wolf; microwave: Monogram, GE

Third Place: Small Kitchens

The winner of the third-place award in the Small Kitchens category was designer Jonas Carnemark of Carnemark in Bethesda, Maryland. He created this kitchen for a retired couple who wanted a stylishly sleek and accessible kitchen.

Stainless steel Miele appliances, gray flat-panel cabinetry with long handles and thin slate counters provide a calming neutral palette with a color pop from the painted-glass backsplash to give the space an edge.

Cabinets, countertops: SieMatic; oven: Miele; range hood: Zephyr

Universal design served as the guiding principle for the kitchen, with features that include reduced-height counters, a Sub-Zero refrigerator with a bottom freezer, a tall pullout pantry, a wall-mounted fold-down cutting board and a double banquette.

First Place: Medium Kitchens

This all-white kitchen with lime chairs was the first-place winner in the Medium Kitchens category. Designer Karen Swanson of New England Design Works in Manchester, Massachusetts,
meticulously designed the kitchen to optimize natural lighting, storage and comfortable seating.

LED lights illuminate custom cabinets. Honed marble countertops and a sleek Sub-Zero built-in refrigerator keep the look clean and pristine. Custom planked walls elongate the space with horizontal lines.

Cabinets: Pennville; LEDs: Hafele

The dark floor is the perfect counterpoint to the white kitchen and the stainless steel dual-fuel range.

Range: Wolf; hood vent: Best

The kitchen has plenty of food prep space and seating for four.

Sink: Dawn; faucet: Rubinet

In stark contrast to the pearly white kitchen, Swanson created a deep red butler’s pantry with panels that hide the headspace in the basement stairwell.

Third Place: Medium Kitchens

Are you down with the funky vibe of this kitchen? Then you'll agree with the judges who awarded it third place in the Medium Kitchens category. It was designed by Rhonda Knoche of Rhonda Knoche Design in Portland, Oregon, as a special rendition for a client who appreciates "practical, clever solutions mixed with a sense of humor and philosophy," says Knoche.

Generous counter areas avoid bottlenecks and provide expansive prep space, along with two appliance garages. A raised bar with comfortable seating invites everyone to admire the creative surroundings.

The designer says fanciful swirling metal pulls, fun red sculptural wall elements and a copper backsplash break free of the ordinary, granting the client’s wish for wit and whimsy.

The island is the ultimate cook's assistant, with two copper sinks designed by the client. The island and kitchen countertops in basalt-texture engineered stone from Caesarstone contrast with the neutral, flat-panel cabinets by Hayes Cabinets.

Faucets: Venetian Bronze, Delta; range hood: Monogram, GE

Knoche designed the custom copper swirls throughout the kitchen, which adorn the Thermador integral front refrigerator-freezer and wine cooler.

Third Place: Large Kitchens

Inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, this third-place winner in the Large Kitchens category displays clean, simple, structured lines. Designer Brigitte C. Fabi of Drury Design Kitchen and Bath Studio in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, says, "It's reminiscent of the Rennie Mackintosh style, but with all the modern conveniences needed today."

A wraparound built-in banquette integrates with the kitchen table to comfortably seat a crowd. A Kohler Vault sink and Danze Como faucet provide two-sided access from the eating and food-prep area.

Mellow-toned quarter-sawn oak cabinetry, intermixed with black hickory cabinets by Grabill and a stainless steel Bosch cooktop, oven and dishwasher give the space visual texture with metallics.

The countertops are honed Absolute Black granite with Capolavoro granite on the island surrounded by flooring in Motawi tiles.

On the opposite side of the room, a secondary kitchen with wet bar provides additional workspace, along with a KitchenAid beverage center and floor-to-ceiling cabinetry for fine china and crystal. All the elements come together in a striking modern homage to the Arts and Crafts movement.

Budget-Friendly Kitchen

Designer Cheryl Kees Clendenon of In Detail Interiors in Pensacola, Florida, took home the Budget-Friendly Kitchen award for her simple galley-style layout that optimizes the beach-retreat space.

Bold color gave the kitchen high-end style on a $40,000 budget.

Three clear glass pendants illuminate a quartz-topped island, while undercabinet lights and recessed can lights provide even lighting. White framed glass-front cabinets custom made by In Detail Interiors feature turquoise backs that keep plates and glasses in the limelight.

Countertops: Specchio White, Hanstone; pendants: custom, In Detail Interiors; sinks: Blanco Silgranit; faucets: Talis 5, Hansgrohe; range: Jenn-Air; dishwasher, undercounter ice maker, refrigerators: KitchenAid

The designer added a black walnut wood top at the end of the island for a prep area.

High ceilings, balanced neutrals and pops of turquoise mirror the freshness of unobstructed gulf views.

The designer says the kitchen "shows how being creative can stretch a dollar." She and her team made art and shopped sales to include affordable design details, splurging on a few key elements, such as the light fixtures.

An undulating glass backsplash fosters an island-in-the-sun ambience. The whimsical window fabric is by Harlequin.

Tiles: Hirsch Glass

Porcelain floors and aluminum swivel stools make the space cool and modern; the beach house is a rental and designed for the easy navigation of a large number of guests.





source : houzz.com, nkba.org