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$20,000 NKBA/GE Charette Competition winners announced

The US National Kitchen & Bath Association and GE announced the winners of the 2010 NKBA/GE Charette Competition, which awards students over $20,000 in scholarships. This competition recognises students who each demonstrate kitchen design skill by planning a safe, functional kitchen within a three-hour period.

"GE is committed to the emerging design community and proud to recognise the talent and creativity of students at NKBA-accredited colleges," said GE Market Development Manager Brandon Hochhalter as the winners were announce. “This year we saw a record number of students take up the challenge to use GE Monogram appliances in planning their kitchens and earn scholarships to further their educations. We congratulate all the finalists for their outstanding designs."

More than 500 students from 31 colleges participated in the challenge, which tests students’ abilities to apply their knowledge of kitchen design by producing a floorplan with specifications, a design statement, and a perspective or elevation of a kitchen featuring GE appliances—all within three hours. Each of the 31 colleges chose up to three local winners to award $50 each.

"The NKBA is grateful to GE for its continued support of this competition," said Sherylin Doyle, AKBD, Manager of Academic Relations for the NKBA. "The challenge builds students’ confidence and their skills for success, which not only helps them when taking NKBA certification exams, but also ensures that the kitchen and bath industry will continue to offer a number of very qualified professionals in the future."

Over 90 local winners advanced to the national competition. The top student designers integrated GE Monogram series appliances, which offer commercial-grade features, into the design for their clients, a young professional newlywed couple that just purchased their first home.

Their main focus was for the kitchen remodel to be favorable to future buyers since they’re planning to move within five years as they start a family.

The designers must provide seating for four, a beverage center, and storage for barware. All designs had to adhere to the NKBA Planning Guidelines, as well as to NKBA Graphic and Presentation Standards. The winning designers successfully incorporated these elements into their creations, along with special features that impressed the judges.

First-place winner Hillaree Harris said of her winning design: "My inspiration for this design was a fusion of warm neutral colours found in nature and the latest design trends that would be perfect for anyone living in the space in the future. Incorporating the latest design trends in finishes and appliances, such as sleek glass tiles, durable granite countertops, and GE stainless steal appliances, creates a beautiful contrast with the warm cherry wood floors and modern maple cabinetry.

"All of the NKBA Planning Guidelines are important to create a kitchen that functions as well as possible. I feel the most important NKBA guideline that I integrated into my design was the work triangle."

Picture shows: Winner Hillaree Harris

Winning Students
1st place - $5,000 Scholarship: Hillaree Harris, Brigham Young University—Idaho; Rexburg, ID
2nd place - $4,000 Scholarship: Sanchali Srivastava, West Valley College; Saratoga, CA
3rd place - $3,000 Scholarship: Brittany McPheters, Brigham Young University—Idaho; Rexburg, ID
4th place - $2,500 Scholarship : Miriam Frost, Cañada College; Redwood City, CA
5th place - $2,000 Scholarship: Leah Henley, Alexandria Technical College; Alexandria, MN
Honorable Mentions - $1,000 scholarships
Emily Lutgen, Alexandria Technical College; Alexandria MN
Shannon Schaeffer, Cañada College; Redwood City, CA
Kendra Stewart, Arapahoe Community College; Littleton, CO
Meg Taraska, Boston Architectural College; Boston, MA
Joseph Panzer, Virginia Tech; Blacksburg, VA
Finalists
Alexandria Technical College; Alexandria, MN: Leah Henley, Emily Lutgen, Ashley Ryks
American River College; Sacramento, CA: Anne-Marie Cronir, Sarah George, Karla Gustafson
Arapahoe Community College; Littleton, CO: Harmony Bishop, Sophia Hebener, Kendra Stewart
Baker College of Clinton Township; Clinton Twp, MI: Stacey Burnick, Abi Gittens
Boston Architectural College; Boston, MA: Ken Dang, Karen Swanson, Meg Taraska
Brigham Young University—Idaho; Rexburg, ID: Hillaree Harris, Brittany McPheters, Alissa Mortensen
Cañada College; Redwood City, CA: Miriam Frost, Shannon Schaeffer, Alisha Zahursky
Century College; Minneapolis, MN: Shelly Berg, Elizabeth Bland, Marilyn Olwell
Dakota County Technical College; Rosemount, MN: Clara Douglas, Rachel Tupy, Tasha Tyler
East Carolina University; Greenville, NC: Camellia Cuomo, Nina Giddy, Bethany Luthy
Harper College; Palatine, IL: Hanne Michelsen, Albena Raditcheva
Johnson County Technical College; Overland Park, KS: Julie Gibson, Genevieve Hamel, Janeane Pittman
Joliet Junior College; Joliet, IL: Fran Fioretti, Ana Georgeff, Kristin Lorenz
Lakeland College – Vermillion, AB Canada: Deanna Severin, Ranita Wetmore, Stephanie Wiebe
Lansing Community College; Lansing, MI: Kera Joseph, Elizabeth Kuiper, Jennifer Nash
Montana State University College of Technology—Bozeman; Bozeman, MT: Ashley Johnson, Kerri Mulholland, Jordan Skovren
Montgomery College; Rockville, MD: Stacey Mergner, Amber Nelson, Charlene Hui Ping Tan
Palm Beach Community College; Lake Worth, FL: Angelica Jimenez, Ashley McCoy, Jennifer Wilson
San Diego Mesa College; San Diego, CA: Elizabeth Bali, Mike Howard, Fiona Klerekoper
Seminole State College; Heathrow, FL: Luz Carroll, I-Ching Huang, Jennifer Patrick
University of Nebraska @ Kearney; Kearney, NE: Jenny Hamilton, Maasa Nakamura, Corinna Wright
University of North Alabama; Florence, AL: Megan Nelms. Ashlie Orsborn, Brittany Powell
University of Southern Mississippi; Hattiesburg, MS: Haleigh Smith, Kristin Smith, Kristi Wittmann
Vancouver Community College; Vancouver, BC Canada: Corey Klassen
Virginia Polytechnic Institute; Blacksburg, VA: Oluwateniola Ladipo, Joseph Panzer, Courtney Peloquin
West Valley College; Saratoga, CA: Melissa Biser, Nozomi Galloway, Sanchali Srivastava
Western Carolina University; Cullowhee, NC: Kirsten Hart, Kelly Roberson, Danielle Shaurette
To see all the winning designs, visit:

www.nkba.org/students_scholarships_2010ge.aspx

T: Sherylin Doyle 1-800-THE-NKBA (843-6522), x3793
E: sdoyle@nkba.org
T: +1 203 373 2211
W: www.ge.com