Creating an award-winning kitchen or bathroom is more than designing a stylish room. It’s about bringing out the space’s true potential while enhancing the homeowner’s lifestyle. For the NKBA members who enter the association’s annual design competition, innovation and originality are key. That combined with the designer’s ability to creatively meet their clients’ needs are what sets the winners apart. Want to prove you have what it takes? Submit your entry to the 2018 NKBA Design Competition.
“Being an NKBA Design Competition winner has given me and my business increased exposure and credibility,“ says Peter Salerno, CMKBD, president and designer for Peter Salerno Inc. in Wyckoff, New Jersey. “Because of it, I’ve been offered new projects all over the world, most recently kitchen designs in both Russia and Canada.”
The Outdoor Kitchen category is 2018’s newest addition because of its increasing popularity. According to the 2017 NKBA Design Trends report, 69 percent of the designers surveyed recently created an outdoor kitchen.
“We created the Outdoor Kitchen category to focus on outdoor kitchens that are as thoughtfully designed as their indoor counterparts,” said Elle H-Millard, CKD, NKBA manager of certification and design. “Entries will be judged on how well they complement the overall landscape and design of the home as well as the integration of safety and functionality.”
The new category joins three other specialty categories: Best Before and After, Budget Friendly and Universal Design. There are also six main award categories: Small Kitchen, Medium Kitchen and Large Kitchen; Powder Room, Small Bathroom and Large Bathroom. Category winners are considered for the top awards of Best Kitchen and Best Bathroom.
All winners will be honored at an exclusive awards event during KBIS 2018 in Orlando attended by the industry’s elite. They’ll receive national recognition, a share of over $60,000 in cash prizes and be featured in NKBA Innovation+Inspiration magazine, on NKBA.org and in the NKBA Booth at KBIS 2018. Winning projects are often published in leading industry publications and are promoted through NKBA public relations.
“Winning the NKBA Design Competition helped me build my business,” says Wendy Johnson, CMKBD, owner and designer, Designs for Living Inc., Manchester Village, Vermont. “The award gave prospective clients confidence in my abilities and talent which led to more sales. It also built my self-confidence and made me more comfortable with promoting myself.”
All entries must be submitted by Aug. 4. There’s an early bird entry fee of $75 for entries received by July 1, 2017. After that, the regular entry fee of $90 applies.
Download the official entry packet with information on the entry process, categories, prizes, guidelines and more here. You can also learn more about the competition process and expectations by watching a four-part instructional video series on “How to Enter the NKBA Design Competition,” presented by former Design Competition judge Peter Albanese, CKBD. For information on sponsoring the 2018 NKBA Design Competition, contact Mauri Bailey at mbailey@nkba.org.
