Inspirational Winners for NKBA Best Kitchen and Bathroom Awards for 2008

This years NKBA kitchen and bathroom awards had an incredibly high standard of entries. Winners from around the country lined up to collect their awards in recognition of their skills and design abilities. The winners of the 25th Annual Kitchen and Bathroom Awards® 2008 were announced at the Gala Dinner at the Langham Hotel Thursday September 11th 2008. 

These awards are the longest running kitchen and bathroom industry awards in NZ and are exclusive to NKBA and master joiner members. The NKBA Awards Competition recognizes brilliance in the field of design for kitchens and bathrooms. The winning designers won a trip to Atlanta USA.

The supreme award was won by New Plymouth designer Glen Johns for his kitchen transformation.

The kitchen was created from materials specifically chosen to reflect the surrounding rural Taranaki countryside. It won praise from the judges, who described it as “a stunning and unbeatable transformation.” “The crisp clear mountain water of the stony river is reflected in the white toned cabinet finish and the stone look of a Corian benchtop creates a ‘nestled in with nature’ feel.”

Runner up in the Kitchen design category was from the other side of the country, the Hawkes Bay, and was also a regional winner. Designer Leanne Larking of Quattro Uno created a kitchen that “radiates refinement and restraint, and is evidence of great attention to detail, using light timber and the abstraction-like back wall cabinets combining to create a sense of a line drawing.”

Canterbury’s John Gaynor won the Bathroom category supreme award (also a regional winner) with a sleek and sophisticated design that meets its brief perfectly, reflecting an effective zonal use of the bathroom - cleverly underlit lighting to create a lovely, subdued and calming space.

And Bathroom category runner up, Natalie DuBois of DuBois Design, Auckland created a “large, elegant and inviting bathroom with a light, airy, yet warm feel.” Judges loved the intelligent distinction of zones and playful use of symmetry creating a good organisation of space centered around the bath.

Student winner Amaneet Kaur produced a beautifully presented, functional and balanced solution that fulfilled the client brief, using elements that worked well with the proportions of the room and surrounding areas. She demonstrated “great use of colour, form and texture in an interesting, funky, but sophisticated kitchen design that captured the essence of the clients’ desires - with a look and style that enhanced the home.”

For the first time ever, the winning student kitchen was actually created in full size and displayed on the NKBA stand at the Yellow™ Auckland Home Show.

Outgoing President of the NKBA Milvia Hannah was overjoyed with the quality of entries. “A kitchen or bathroom is so important to a home and the work shouldn’t be taken lightly by the designer nor the client,” says Hannah.

“It is so pleasing to see the constantly rising standard of design and professionalism shown in these entries and by the NKBA designers,” she said.

The NKBA Kitchen & Bathroom Awards is an annual celebration of the best examples of kitchen and bathroom design in New Zealand.

The NKBA champions the highest standards of design, workmanship and professionalism in the kitchen and bathroom industry. This year the association combined its awards and conference with the Yellow™ Auckland Home Show at the ASB Showgrounds in Auckland on the 10th – 14th September.

All entries were on show on the NKBA stand at the Yellow™ Auckland Home Show.

Also on display were two superb show kitchens designed and built by NKBA members designed to show the public just how a good kitchen should look.

The full list of winners was:

Overall Kitchen Winner / also Taranaki Region /CDS Category Winner / also Best Kitchen $50k and over – Glen Johns Ckdnz – Glen Johns Design, New Plymouth
Overall Bathroom Winner / also Canterbury Region - John Gaynor of InDesign, Christchurch
Runner Up Kitchen / also Hawkes Bay - Leanne Larking of Quattro Uno, Taradale
Runner Up Bathroom - Natalie DuBois, DuBois Design, Auckland
Best Renovation Kitchen - Davinia Sutton, InDesign, Christchurch
Best Renovation Bathroom / also Wellington Region - Peter Young, Waikanae Kitchen and Joinery, Paraparaumu
Best Kitchen $15K - $50k - Suzanne Allen, Suzanne Allen Kitchen Design, Auckland
Best Kitchen Under $15K - Sheryl Stuart, Mastercraft, Tauranga
Open Category - Davinia Sutton, InDesign, Christchurch
Multi Unit - Damian Hannah, German Kitchens, Wellington
Creative Excellence / also Waikato Region - Robyn Caudwell, Designer Cabinets
Bay Of Plenty Region - Mark Bruce, Beaver Kitchens, Whakatane
Innovative Use Of Lighting - Mal Corboy, Mal Corboy Design, Auckland
Innovative Use Of Timber - Sheryl Stuart, Mastercraft, Tauranga
Runner Up Cds - Mal Corboy, Mal Corboy Design, Auckland
Student Design - Amaneet Kaur, Auckland