October 31, 2016

The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) announced the 10 winners of the 2015/2016 NKBA Student Design Competition, Schoolhouse Charm, which offers $10,000 in scholarships and prizes. Once again, the students were asked to design a kitchen and a bath for a real-life home. This year’s home was originally a small school.

The following 10 students were selected by a panel of NKBA certified kitchen and bath industry experts as winners in the 2015/2016 NKBA Student Design Competition:

Kitchen design winners:

1st Place: Sydney Melnyk, Lakeland College, Vermillion, AB, Canada

2nd Place: Brittany McQueen, Lakeland College, Vermillion, AB, Canada

3rd Place: Suzy Morris, Front Range Community College, Ft. Collins, Colo.

Honorable Mention: Sara Downing, Lakeland College, Vermillion, AB, Canada

Honorable Mention: Carol J. Reamer, Century College, White Bear Lake, Minn.

Bath design winners:

1st Place:  Tiffany Murphy, Front Range Community College, Ft. Collins, Colo.

2nd Place: Tommy Chin, Georgian College, Barrie, ON, Canada

3rd Place: Rachel Elizabeth McGinley, Front Range Community College, Fort Collins, Colo.

Honorable Mention: Irina Iseson, Palm Beach State College, Lake Worth, Fla.

Honorable Mention: Naomi Mason, Lakeland College, Vermillion, AB, Canada

The winners will attend the NKBA Design Competition awards event on Monday, January 9, 2017, during the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS). This industry event will also recognize the NKBA professional designers who created the best kitchens and baths of the past year.

Sponsored by Waypoint Living Spaces, a division and trademark of American Woodmark Corporation, the 2015/2016 NKBA Student Design Competition received hundreds of entries from NKBA student members at colleges and universities across North America. The students’ designs offer insight into fresh design trends created by the industry’s next generation of professional designers.

The first place kitchen is currently being built in the clients’ home. The installation is based on the specifications and design that the winning student submitted to the competition. Because they were designing for an actual build, students had to take into consideration restrictions such as space, colors and products, as well as a specified cabinet line. Upon completion of the kitchen, the clients will move forward with the bath installation, which will also be based on the winning student’s design.

“The quality of this year’s student entries was very competitive and sure made it tough for our judges to narrow the winners,” said Mark Kovich, VP Sales and Marketing for Waypoint Living Spaces and NKBA Student Design Competition sponsor. “The kitchen and bath designs created by students using Waypoint products were impressive. We take great pride in cultivating young designers who represent the future of our industry. I look forward to presenting the student awards at KBIS in January and jump-starting some careers!”