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By Donna Heiderstadt

The three finalists have been revealed for the Large Kitchen category of the Kitchen & Bath Design + Industry Awards 2024. We won’t reveal which project will receive $5,000 for a first-place finish, $3,000 for second and $2,000 for third at the February 26 gala awards event in Las Vegas at KBIS 2024,  but we’re previewing all three innovative designs here.

Read on for a look at the top three Large Kitchen projects (over 300 square feet) for NKBA’s 2024 Professional Design Awards.

Hannah Hacker, Adapt Interior Design, Beaverton, OR: “Tranquil Terra Cotta”

When Hannah Hacker, Owner and Lead Designer of Beaverton, OR-based Adapt Interior Design, first saw this kitchen in a custom luxury home she noticed two things. The space felt small for the size of the house, functional but lacking the level of attention that had clearly been paid to the rest of the home. There was also an existing terra cotta floor — hence the name of this ambitious project. To give the homeowners the grand kitchen they desired, one that would be a showpiece but also provide functional space to prepare meals for large gatherings of family and friends, Hacker opted to expand the space with a 20-foot addition featuring a large working pantry and French doors leading to the patio. She also seamlessly matched the terra cotta flooring, installed a focal-point custom range hood, created an arched doorway to the formal dining room that mirrored other arched doorways in the home, and installed a full wall of windows to flood the space with light and minimize heavy cabinetry. “Mixed metal finishes, medium-tone woods, warm-tone quartzite countertops and warm white cabinets tie in with the finishes in the rest of the home,” said Hacker.. “The coffered ceiling detail was perfectly matched from the formal dining room, creating another element of connection, but also softening the large, high-ceilinged space.”

Reserve your tickets for NKBA’s Design & Industry Awards and KBIS Opening Party  on Monday, February 26 in Las Vegas.>>

Bahar Zaeem and Co-Designer Shima Radfar, RZ Interiors, Toronto: “Ultra Modern Kitchen”

With a client who desired a clutter-free, open-concept main floor ideal for hosting both family and corporate gatherings, Bahar Zaeem and Shima Radfar, Principals at RZ Interiors in Toronto, set out to create a kitchen with a sleek, modern aesthetic and abundant storage. The resulting design, “Ultra Modern Kitchen,” took a central challenge — the space’s asymmetry created by a bay window — and ran with it. “Our solution embraced this asymmetry, ingeniously channeling it into a distinctively positioned breakfast table,” said Zaeem. “To seamlessly integrate with the rest of the living space, we strategically established a focal hood at the heart of the kitchen.” The space also has 11-foot ceilings, which were designed with intricate details that draw the eye upward and harmonize the composition. Working from “a design philosophy that celebrates the timeless allure of enduring interiors,” Zaeem and Radfar juxtaposed full-height, graphite-hued cabinetry against white-oak base cabinets for a deliberate contrast, accented by a dramatic island and cantilevered breakfast table covered in porcelain slab. Other design elements included reverse shaker detailing on the cabinetry to echo the ceiling and accent cabinetry positioned behind closed doors and featuring drawers and adjustable shelves for personalized organization. The designers note how the cantilevered breakfast table, the guiding ceiling design and the meticulous spatial arrangement have all become defining elements of this unique design, culminating in a space that resonates with both visual allure and practicality.

James E. Howard, Glen Alspaugh Kitchen & Bath, St. Louis: “Somerset”

While the space for this kitchen remodel was expansive and featured 12-foot ceilings, James E. Howard, a Designer at St. Louis-based Glen Alspaugh Kitchen & Bath, needed a design that could work around one central issue: limited wall space. His solution was a symphony of design elements intended to enhance both exterior and adjacent interior views and maximize functionality and storage while balancing proportion and symmetry. Standalone cabinet forms compensate for the scarcity of walls and address the needs of daily family life — while also serving as pieces of functional art. The commanding Cooking Hearth featuring a 60-inch range, microwave and convection steam oven is enveloped in beveled Black oak paneling. The Cleanup/Prep Island features a workstation-style sink, dishwasher and trash cabinet, while an outer island houses a warming drawer and seats five for family meals. The crown jewel, said Howard, is the tall Hutch Island, which bridges the divide between the kitchen and living room, offering butler pantry storage on one side and a refreshment bar facing the living room. Glass-front cabinets with metal doors mimic door and window styles throughout the home and the chosen materials and finishes create synergy between modern aesthetics and the more rustic ceiling beams. The Rift White Oak cabinetry in a “Malt” stain and contrasting matte black paint lends a contemporary edge, complemented by countertops in Dumont quartzite and honed Absolute Black granite. The resulting space, noted Howard, “defies conventional boundaries” and is “a celebration of space, light, materiality and innovation.”