A Cut Above the Rest

A kitchen fit for a Cordon Bleu chef, a master bath that looked as if it were plucked from a five-star resort and a bath design centered on the tenets of Universal Design. What do all of these have in common? They were among the winning projects in the 2005 Master Design Awards.

These projects, as well as a host of others, took top honors in the 27th annual MDA contest, which is sponsored by Qualified Remodeler, a sister publication of Kitchen & Bath Design News. Both are owned by Cygnus Business Media.

Each year, through these awards, QR is able “to recognize kitchen and bath specialists, remodelers, architects, builders and other professionals for outstanding project design, remodeling and construction,” notes Patrick O’Toole, QR’s editor in chief.
Continuing the tradition of the MDAs, QR has put a call out for remodeling projects completed by a professional contracting firm between January 1, 2005 and May 28, 2006 for the 2006 competition.

To submit a project, a completed form and the entry fee must be received by May 26, with full binders due June 9. Questions about the competition should be directed to Patrick O’Toole at 847-454-2712 or Heidi Riedl at 800-547-7377, ext. 1316.
The 2006 awards will be presented at a special reception October 18 in Chicago, the evening before the Remodeling Show.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

Determining the current crop of winners, which were revealed in the October 2005 issue of QR, was a panel of remodeling professionals.

This year the panel included Robert Bell, CGR, CAPS, of Bell’s Remodeling in Duluth, MN; Michael Menn, AIA, CGR, CAPS, of Design Construction Concepts in Northbrook, IL; Mike Weiss, CGR, CGB, GMB, CAPS, of Weiss RCMI in Indianapolis, IN; Randy Ricciotti, CGR, of Custom Design & Construction in Los Angeles, CA, and Dan Klappa, CR, of JDJ Builders in Mukwanago, WI.

The judging took place last June at the Michigan Shores Club near Chicago to decide the winners in each of the 21 categories, which included Kitchens above $100,000, Kitchens $50,000-$100,000, Kitchens below $50,000, Baths over $50,000, Baths $30,000-$50,000, Baths under $30,000 and Universal Design, a new category for the 2005 competition.

Each entry was evaluated on “meeting project objectives, overall impression, aesthetic appeal, construction techniques, handling of unusual situations, attention to detail, functionality of space and financial value of the project,” notes O’Toole.

Here, and on the next six pages, KBDN spotlights the stunning kitchen and bath designs that won awards in the 2005 MDAs.

Kitchens above $100,000

Redesigned Kitchen, Now Fit for Cordon Bleu Chef, Radiates Period Charm

1st

The circa-1800s, Second Empire Victorian charm of this Massachusetts home can be seen on the exterior, but when Arlington, MA-based Feinmann, Inc. looked a little deeper, it saw that the charm was not translating to the inside – particularly, not to the kitchen. Years of ad hoc shelving, misguided painting and inefficient use of space were its major problems.

Feinmann Inc. was presented with a multitude of challenges, including designing a kitchen around already-chosen, high-style Italian cabinetry, meeting a Cordon Bleu chef’s needs and linking the outdoor garden to the kitchen itself.

“We renovated and extended the house to the rear, recreating a slightly extended mudroom,” notes the firm, further stating that the link to the garden is established by a high indoor-outdoor space along the north end of the kitchen with skylights at close intervals along the roof of the extension. This space, dubbed “Skylight Lane,” ends at an 8-ft.-high, framed glass door that opens to the garden path.

The wall running along Skylight Lane has a large, six-shelf, built-in bookcase.