From big to small, the winning rooms of this years Design Awards are more than just stunners; they each are an example of exceptional taste used effectively within a given space. Read on to learn about the challenges the designers faced, the resulting vision that earned them a gold star from the National Kitchen and Bath Association’s Susquehanna Valley Chapter, and our own pick for Best Overall Design.
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Large Kitchen Winner
Chateau of Dreams
Sandra L. Steiner-Houck, CKD with Candis J. Warren
Steiner-Houck & Associates, LLC
Photography by Peter Leach
With eyes closed, a bite of food has the ability to send us to another time, another place. With eyes open, where we dine should evoke that same transportative feeling. Designers Sandra Steiner-Houck and Candis Warren handed their clients a virtual passport to France with their jaw-dropping kitchen design, which won this space Best Overall Design.
The homeowners had one particular goal in mind: to provide their friends and family with the most memorable dining experience possible. They envisioned a space that seamlessly blended Old World design elements with modern cooking and entertainment features, such as a hibachi-style grilling island and fire vortexes.
Space must match vision, so the original kitchen footprint grew significantly with an addition to the existing room. Venetian plaster was used across all walls and ceilings, ranging from 8 to 16 feet high, to mask lines between the old and new kitchens and to provide a sense of cohesiveness.
The hibachi grilling island and a fondue island—both with seating for five—are clearly showstoppers. On either end of the fondue island, the designers placed the pièce de résistance, two specially-designed fire vortexes. The fire towers were engineered for interior use and command your attention like sentries. A beverage station, located within the footprint of the original kitchen, offers the benefit of keeping drinks and food separate when entertaining large groups of people.
The designers’ attention to detail is where the essence of Old Europe shines through. The fireplace mantel was cast from an original 13th-century French mantel. Flanking pantries were crafted to look like antique armoires, as was the Sub-Zero refrigerator furniture piece with gorgeous burl inlays. At the foot of the fireplace is a custom-made mosaic laid within Spanish limestone floor tiles. The Wolf range is capped by an impressive cast stone hood with pewter fleur-de-lis. Collectively, these details make you wonder if you indeed have walked into a castle. A vaulted ceiling, white Carrara marble tiles, pewter countertops by Francois & Co., a mosaic backsplash and leather inlays within cabinetry crafted by Premier Custom-Built, Inc., only serve to convince you it’s true.
It’s okay…pinch yourself.
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Medium-Sized Kitchen Winner
Welcome Home
Stacey Kocevar, AKBD
Mother Hubbard’s Custom Cabinetry
Photography by Bob Skalkowski
Sometimes it’s not a case of too many cooks in the kitchen, but of creating the right space for passionate home cooks to do their thing. For designer Stacey Kocevar’s clients, who love to cook together, their old kitchen wasn’t the “right space.” With a long and narrow footprint, the room felt tight, and countertop clutter took up precious real estate.
At the top of her clients’ priority list was making the kitchen more work-friendly for two people while also creating the possibility for entertaining up to 20 people. This would require a little ingenuity.
For the cooks, Kocevar created a prep island with a utility sink, storage drawers and bar- and table-height seating. A second sink with an apron-front from Kohler’s Whitehaven collection is positioned at an angle in the kitchen’s corner, softening the otherwise sharp corners of the space. A Thermador cooktop with hood is an addition that even a professional chef would appreciate.
With the cooks happily coexisting in their work space, the second challenge was where to seat everyone. In a stroke of genius, the new plan added a table-height window bench with dual purposes: a place for storage and additional seating. Kocevar designed a mobile glass-top table that she tucked into the inner “L-shape” of a bar-height seating and storage island. As more dinner guests join, the homeowners simply move the table over to the window bench for seating on all four sides.
More storage solutions were realized with cabinetry, crafted by Signature Custom Cabinetry and stained in Hickory Driftwood with black glaze. Upper cabinets now extend to the ceiling. Countertops are white persa granite from Classic Rock Fabrication, while the white subway tile backsplash with decorative listello from the Jeffrey Court Crossroads and Vintage collections was sourced from Conestoga Tile. Helpful hint: to keep your backsplash looking clean and uncluttered, switches and outlets can be located on the underside of cabinets, as the designer did in this stunning space.
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BEFORE
Small Kitchen and Before and After Winner
Open and Inviting
elizaBeth Marcocci, CKD
Mother Hubbard’s Custom Cabinetry
Photography by Bob Skalkowski
There’s an art to making a small space feel larger than it is. Inches matter. Colors mask things we can’t otherwise hide. Lighting tricks the eye. Designer elizaBeth Marcocci adeptly employed all these strategies when transforming the homeowners’ dated, dark kitchen into a refreshingly uncluttered, contemporary space.
The design challenge of this remodel was, with a limited footprint, to fit all the major appliances into the ideal “work triangle” that every efficient cook loves, while also adding more counter surfaces. By removing the wall that separated the kitchen and dining room, the kitchen grew from 105 to 145 square feet…and opened up new possibilities. A slender Bosch refrigerator, a mere 24 inches wide and sourced from L.H. Brubaker, allowed Marcocci to relocate the previously estranged appliance to the work triangle. Custom cabinetry with inset Shaker-style doors makes room for appliances.
In place of the wall, a small island was added, which not only offers wine storage and an inviting place to serve snacks, but also creates a subtle delineation between the kitchen and dining areas. The new design plan removed the upper cabinets flanking the kitchen window—resulting in more natural light throughout the space—and storage was regained with a pantry piece that straddles the transition between the two rooms.
The kitchen’s industrial vibe is led by its BEST stainless steel range hood. Supporting elements include Benjamin Moore’s Metropolitan Gray from the Affinity collection, sleek quartz counter surfaces in Lyra from Silestone, Berenson hardware, and glass-front upper cabinets.
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Powder Room Winner
Black Beauty
Sandra L. Steiner-Houck, CKD with Candis J. Warren
Steiner-Houck & Associates, LLC
Photography by Peter Leach
There are no half measures with stellar design ambitions, which is why the homeowners of this powder room remodel wanted the same “wow factor” of their winning Best Large Kitchen design brought into this 19-square-foot space.
Designers Sandra Steiner-Houck and Candis Warren carried the Old World grandeur of their French Creek Chateau work (from the same house as the overall winning project on p. 21) right into a room that often gets overlooked. With an eye toward making the space seem larger than it really is, the designers chose pieces and materials that would trick the eye in this transitional French powder room. A console-style vanity was selected to extend the visible floor space. And you really want to see this floor. Made from a single slab of black obsidian stone with gold leaf veining, the floor boasts a polished brass fleur-de-lis medallion inlay—the clients’ favorite motif, also found throughout the kitchen.
The obsidian stone was also used for the vanity countertop, supported by glossy black legs that are crowned by clear crystal spheres and capped in chrome. Gold-plated fixtures and faucet from Sherle Wagner highlight the veining in the stone. You may decide to tear your eyes from the room to gaze at your reflection in the custom oval mirror with lamb’s tongue moulding in antique gold finish. It is hung on a white Thassos marble mosaic, sourced from Artistic Tile, that runs from floor to ceiling to expand the space.
The walls and ceiling join in efforts to shimmer and shine. Steiner-Houck and Warren created wall panels that they covered with a glossy white paint and a reflective Gianti wallcovering. Nella Vetrina wall sconces and ceiling light, handmade with Swarovsky crystals, throw light on all reflective surfaces and add a touch of elegance.
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BEFORE
Small Bathroom Winner
Hosts with the Most
Jim Mirando, Jr., CMKBD
Excel Interior Concepts & Construction
Photography by Robert D. Benton
Designer Jim Mirando was asked create a home away from home. His clients, immigrants from the Philippines, often host their parents for month-long stays from their Southeast Asian home country. Mirando rolled out the welcome mat through interior design.
In addition to the transformation of a family room to a guest bedroom, the project entailed turning a powder room into a full bath. To begin, this required finding more space. The additional square footage was pulled from an adjacent small hallway and the garage.
Mirando considered styles and colors that are popular in the Philippines when drawing up his plan. With this in mind, he selected a Vox rectangle vessel sink and Persuade Circ toilet, both from Kohler. Corian, known for its durability and stain resistance, was chosen as the countertop to sit atop a vanity cabinet base crafted by Bertch Cabinet Manufacturing.
White tile from Garden State Tile covers the walls and floor, accented by a shimmery gray listello. The clean look and lustre of the tile brightens and expands the space. The upper wall color is a cheery aqua shade called Seascape Green, from Pittsburgh Paints.
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Large or Master Bath Winner
His and Hers
Sandra L. Steiner-Houck, CKD with Candis J. Warren
Steiner-Houck & Associates, LLC
Photos taken by Steiner-Houck & Associates
If one was looking for a place to wash away life’s cares, this winning elegant bathroom might just be it. The homeowners of this early 19th-century farmhouse wanted a master bath suite that offered luxury while meeting more practical needs for storage. Keeping the home’s history in mind, designers Sandra Steiner-Houck and Candis Warren drew up a plan to fuse rustic with refined.
French doors open into the vanity hall, a long, narrow space that was designed to give the entrant a memorable first impression. Iron chandeliers and wall sconces from Arte de Mexico illuminate the room and bounce light from large mirrors. Premier Custom-Built cabinets line the walls and offer an abundance of storage options. A pair of Linkasink sinks with Kohler faucets sit opposite each other and are surrounded by Splendor Gold Granite countertops. The distressed finish of the cabinetry and reclaimed wood flooring complement the home’s original architecture.
His-and-hers dressing rooms provide two paths off the hall. The she-room boasts feminine touches in the mother of pearl hardware, crystal chandelier and magnificent glass display cases for shoes. His dressing room shows its masculine side by way of black leather inlay, walnut accents and warm fabrics. Like the vanity hall, the dressing rooms take a walk on the wild side with animal print fabrics and artwork.
The tiled walk-in shower has a station for each homeowner tailored to their individual heights and preferences. A Cheviot Regency bathtub with lion feet and canopied by a tray ceiling offers a luxurious way to get clean. The powder room is adorned with a mosaic of marble tile that serves as background to a polished nickel Sherle Wagner console vanity topped with Carrara Michelangelo marble. Tile throughout the suite was sourced from Encore Ceramics and TileBar.
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Other Areas Winner
The Family Fun Zone
Valerie S.B. Kissinger, CKD
Dimensional Designs Unlimited, LLC
Photos taken by Valerie S. B. Kissinger
With so much available space on their home’s lower level, Valerie Kissinger’s clients wanted to transform their basement into the ultimate entertainment space, minus the underground feel. Her resulting design offers something for everyone: A pub, TV room, full bathroom, home office, pool table area, and, perhaps best of all, a secret hide-a-room for the kids.
There is a place for everyone at the pub’s bi-level bar, featuring a leather-textured granite countertop, sourced from Natural Stoneworks in Lancaster, and a Native Trails hammered copper bar sink, found at Thomas Sommerville. Unique details, like a custom shelf for the homeowners’ shot glass collection and copper football and helmet cabinet pulls by Emenee, make the room feel like the ideal spot for game day. Additional seating was created by removing part of the wall that stood between the pub and pool table room. Guests find great sight lines to the large flat-screen TV over the bar from any angle in the room.
Of course, every good host needs to entertain efficiently; the pub is outfitted with the essential appliances from Martin Appliance—a full-sized Frigidaire refrigerator, Bosch dishwasher, Frigidaire microwave, and U-Line ice-maker. Extra storage for wine can be found in a custom rack built into the underside of the staircase, which descends into the basement with new decorative wood railings and wrought iron balusters.
And about that hide-a-room…while grownups are cheering on their teams, children can scurry in and out of a secret play space located behind a built-in bookshelf. A motion sensor flicks the interior light on and off. The bookshelf and other cabinets throughout the space were sourced from Jemson Cabinetry in Ephrata.