Aspiring designers in NKBA’s Student Design Competition incorporated spectacular Colorado scenery in their winning projects.
By Dianne M. Pogoda
The dramatic landscape around Boulder, Colo., served as inspiration for the winners in NKBA’s annual Student Design Competition.
Charged with creating a kitchen and bath for a fictional couple, Olivia and Liam Taylor, the designers needed to blend Olivia’s shabby-chic style and Liam’s eclectic tastes and preference for mixed materials in their projects, while keeping consistent with the home’s contemporary exterior. Both winners emphasized sustainability and smart-home technology as well as natural elements to capture the essence of the surrounding canyons and vistas.
Judges for the competition, all returning for a third consecutive year, included Mac Junker, CKBD, a designer for CQC Home in Durham, N.C.; Danielle Burger, CMKBD, owner of Kitchen Vitality Design in Charlotte, N.C, and Mark Haddad, CMKBD, president of Interiology Design Co. in Watertown, Mass.
Morgan Jones, 21, who graduated in May from Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, Va., with a degree in Residential Environments and Design, implemented the theme “Color-ado,” using the hues of the mountains and surrounding landscape as her inspiration.
Dana Hoffman, 30, a senior who will graduate in December from Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, Colo., near Denver, earned top honors in the bath category — and she also placed third in kitchens.
“I think the winners had some exceptionally practical and executable designs this year,” said Burger. “I was really glad to see that the students were required to think about and incorporate sustainable products into their projects.”
The judges praised the functionality of the winning designs.
“Not only did both winners capture the essence of the clients’ requests, but they maximized space and function, made excellent aesthetic choices, and both projects could be realistically built,” said Haddad. “The creativity of each project was thoughtful and realistic — not over the top nor lacking detail.”
Junker observed that this year’s submissions demonstrated a strong focus on learning and implementing 3D software, and that “A large majority of the projects did a nice job explaining the careful considerations for the environment via material selections.”
In the Bathroom: Flatirons Aren’t Just for Hair
Hoffman, whose hometown is Racine, Wisc., currently designs custom furniture at Revampt Goods, a showroom in Denver, where she focuses on using reclaimed and upcycled materials in designs. She said sustainability topped her priority list throughout the design process.
“I value innovation, sustainability and social justice,” she said. “I’m truly looking forward to joining the industry full time next spring with these values top-of-mind.”
For her fictional clients, Hoffman’s goal was to create a multifunctional space that seamlessly blended the bath with the new kitchen design, the home’s exterior architecture and the culture of their new city: Boulder.
“The famous Boulder Flatirons are rugged rock formations overlooking the city, and were the main inspiration behind the concept image, painted by Colorado artist Noelle Phares,” she explained. “This was a constant reminder to support and source locally when possible. For example, the custom bi-fold laundry doors and shelving was built by Denver builder bDagitz Furniture, using reclaimed snow-fencing wood with a whitewash finish.”
She was also focused on balancing the overall space through form, color and texture to create a harmonious feeling.
The sloping rock formations inspired the angled tile flooring, the sage subway tile evokes the mountain pines, while a shabby chic rug includes almost the exact vibrant colors found in the redness of the rocks and crystal blue waters, she said. The layout provided four main zones: Vanity area for getting ready, a. large walk-in shower with spa-like soaking tub, a private toilet room, and a closet for laundry and towels.
“This layout offers the flexibility for multiple people to utilize the space without disrupting each other,” she added. “Lastly, everything is ready to be equipped for aging-in-place, including a place for future installation of grab bars, or in case a wheelchair is ever needed.”
Junker noted that the creativity of the bathroom project was a bit more subtle — which was one of its winning characteristics.
“Often times with bathrooms, I find that less is more,” she said. “Architecturally, the design was kept simple. But, with the use of well-placed selections, the aesthetic of this design came to life… The simple layout provides a spacious, free-flowing, user-intuitive bath design.”
Purpose First in the Kitchen
“Reflecting on my four years, I remember being inspired by universal design, green building, and the study of residential ergonomics,” said Jones, who hails from Fairfax Station, Va., and recently moved to Chesapeake, Va., for a position as an assistant designer at Dave’s Cabinets, where she’s learning about manufacturing custom cabinets and fabricating stone onsite.
“With ergonomics in mind, I decided to think small and work my way out. I wanted the space to feel functional first, and then look personable,” she said. “I remember my professor asking, ‘What’s the focal feature of the space?’ and me responding ‘the window,’ because I wanted to bring Colorado’s natural color inside. However, I wanted everything in the space to have purpose. So, I made sure the kitchen dueled as an entry from the garage and as a visual representation of who the clients are.”
Jones’ main objective was balancing function and personality, based on the couple’s lifestyle. With both spouses commuting to their jobs, cook was limited to weekends, so the design was centered more on practicality and less on performance, so she put the budget toward storage space and furnishings instead of top-of-the-line appliances.
She took down walls to create an open-concept space, added additional storage, expanded their preparation space, and gave guests better access to the kitchen. She also included pull-out cabinets for trash, recycling and composting and roll-out trays in the tall pantry. Aesthetically, to blend the couple’s distinct tastes, cabinets showcase two types of wood, pops of color play against neutrals, the windows have a rich bamboo detail and promote sustainability with double-pane glass and natural ventilation. Finally, custom glass cabinets continue the geometric theme throughout the space, and stacked wall cabinets help showcase Liam’s stone collection — he’s a geological technician.
Junker said creativity in the kitchen was captured in its ability to house so many appliances in a way that did not overwhelm with metal, calling it “very impressive.”
“Those two concepts, combined with the balanced material combinations, really produced a kitchen space that felt real,” she said. “The attention to detail is apparent. Additionally, this design provided clear traffic patterns for those who are working in the kitchen vs. just visiting or ‘passing though.’”
She added that the thoughtful use of cabinetry offered plenty of storage without piling in the boxes and closing in the space.
“The final winners had great presentation packages with all the guidelines followed,” said Burger. “Their design solutions checked all the boxes.”
Haddad added that the students displayed extensive research on smart home technology — “and in most cases was used correctly within the application. Additionally, the use of windows to maximize the views in Boulder was taken very seriously. Both of the winning entries had maximized storage, which is always difficult without being in the physical space. Well done!”
Career Motivations
“Designing kitchens and baths incorporates some of my favorite parts of design in such a critical way,” said Hoffman. “Space planning is one of my specialties. I enjoy the challenge of creating a functional flow with appropriate zones while also keeping the principles and elements of design in mind. This step is imperative for a kitchen/bath to stand the test of time. It all starts with a solid space plan.
“I also love highlighting and/or incorporating architectural details, and this can get really fun with kitchen and bath design,” she added.
For her part, Jones said she was encouraged by her family “always to go above and beyond” what was asked.
“Watching my mom break glass ceilings as a Colonel in the Air Force motivated me at a young age to take STEM classes and be comfortable competing against myself. Passionate about architecture and design, I loved that I could challenge myself creatively and be uniquely me. And yes, I was obsessed with “Fixer Upper” and yes, my mom and I marathon Nate and Jeremiah on HGTV — but in the beginning, it was the desire to help people showcase themselves that led me to this career.”
Junker said that experiences like the Student Design Competition are such a “nice gateway” into designing in the real world.
“That’s something that many students don’t experience until graduation,” she concluded. ““I am very grateful to all of the students who chose to invest their time and efforts creating submissions for the SDC. I hope the student involvement in the NKBA continues to grow, because our industry is rapidly expanding!”
