And NKBA Summit: Luxury Defined, Renovation Angel honored designers and projects that put the environment first with the Luxury Kitchen Recycling Awards.

By Dianne M. Pogoda

Reclaiming high-end kitchens and saving them from ending up in landfills is the mission of Renovation Angel, the nation’s largest upcycler of kitchens, Steve Feldman, CEO of Renovation Angel, presented three awards for “Achievement in Luxury Recycling,” three for “Achievement in Repurposed Kitchen Design” and one “Angel Discretionary Award” at the virtual NKBA Summit: Luxury Defined.

For Achievement in Luxury Recycling

 

Wettling Architects earned the prize for the Most Valuable Kitchen Donated, at $78,415.
  • Most Valuable Kitchen Donated; Winner: Jack Wettling, Wettling Architects. Coming in at an appraised value of $78,415, the award goes to a kitchen from a penthouse in Manhattan’s West Village originally designed by Gachot Studios. The custom kitchen included cabinetry by Smallbone of Devizes, and outfitted with custom painted and mahogany cabinetry with brushed stainless steel and brass hardware from Valli and Valli. Counters were black absolute granite, while backsplash and islands were in white statuary marble. Miele appliances included a microwave convection oven, a 36-inch range and hood, a food warming drawer and a 24-inch speed oven.

    Best Ultra-Luxury Kitchen Award went to William Leeds of William Leeds Architects for this kitchen reclaimed from a Central Park West apartment in New York.
  • Best Ultra-Luxury Kitchen; Winner: William Leeds, William Leeds Architects. This stunning kitchen reclaimed from a 10,000-square-foot townhouse on Central Park West in New York was valued at $65,945, and while in excellent shape, its traditional style did not fit the clients’ minimalist taste. William Leeds of William Leeds Architects, saved the La Cornue 150 white range with nickel trim, Sub-Zero refrigerators and freezer, a Rangecraft hood, Miele paneled dishwasher, KitchenAid microwaves, plus 22 solid wood floor-to-ceiling and island cabinets, countertops, sinks and faucets.
  • Most Upcycled Kitchens from a Single Firm; Winner: Deane Inc. Headed by award-winning designer and principal Peter Deane, Deane Inc. was the clear winner, having recycled 43 kitchens since 2018 and more than 100 since 2004. Deane, based in Stamford, Conn., continues to incorporate kitchen recycling into its everyday practice.

For Achievement in Repurposed Kitchen Design

  • Small Kitchen; Winner: Chris Harmon. A small Eastern Shore farmhouse near Chincoteague Island in Virginia involved a renovation and expansion. Designer Chris Harmon used a kitchen with many elements reclaimed by Renovation Angel from different projects. These included cherry cabinets reconfigured from their original layout and painted; black leather ed granite countertops, stove, wall ovens, fridge, dishwasher and some lighting fixtures.
  • Medium Kitchen; Winner Andrew Fethes, Andrew Fethes Architects PA. This New Jersey project utilized Smallbone of Devizes cabinetry reclaimed from a New York City apartment, as well as new, unused Miele appliances.

    Martin Van De Weert Jr. of Fine Woodworking won for Achievement in Repurposed Kitchen Design, Large Kitchen
  • Large Kitchen; Winner: Martin Van De Weert Jr., Fine Woodworking. After his clients purchased used cabinets because they liked the style, Martin Van De Weert had to reconfigure the lot to work in the home’s space. The designer had to create custom end-panels refrigerator and double-oven cabinets to match, and pulled in a theme of rosettes and flutes cut into severl of the custom fillers and corners on the island. He sanded down the original finish and sprayed the cabinetry a medium blue, and reused all the original hardware.

Angel Discretionary Award; Winner: Kimball Derrick, CKD. The Angel Discretionary Award is presented to a manufacturer, designer, showroom or design or architectural firm whose efforts to be sustainable are remarkable, who go above and beyond to reclaim, recycle, purchase and repurpose kitchens. Kimball Derrick, principal of Kimball Derrick LLC, has incorporated Renovation Angel’s recycling program into his best practice for kitchen design. He was the first industry professional partner to provide guidance and a decade of pro bono consultation and support. He pioneered the long-distance business model for RA, playing an integral role in developing the cross-country removal program, creating a model for subcontracting the removal, packing and transport for kitchen recycling. In 2012, RA began reclaiming kitchens outside the New York Metropolitan area, in Chicago, then Florida, California, and ultimately nationwide.

Derrick partnered with his father to open a custom woodworking business in 1981, which evolved into KD and Steele Cabinetry in 1985. He became a Certified Kitchen Designer and opened the Kitchen Design Studio in Cincinnati in 2001, and his present company in 2013.

He served as President of Southern Ohio Chapter of the National Kitchen & Bath Association, as well as serving on the Board of the Bath and Kitchen Buying Group. Derrick is a two-time winner of the Sub-Zero/Wolf Regional Design Competition, and also served on the Judges Panel for that same competition. He has worked throughout Ohio, Florida, California, New York, Michigan, Kentucky and Indiana, and his kitchen designs have been featured in more than 100 national, regional and local magazines.