Greens, woods and personality: When it comes to kitchens and bathrooms in Ottawa, we’re getting adventurous, entries in the 2024 NKBA awards show.
The National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) Ottawa Chapter’s Design Excellence Awards earlier this month saw lots of colour (especially green), a more prominent use of wood (especially walnut) and an infusion of personal style in these well-used spaces.
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“It’s the connection to nature,” says chapter president and gala chair Natalia Pierce. “People are still doing the blended work day … so I think the requirement that we have of our homes is greater. We need our homes to perform better to meet our needs.”
But we also want them to be more personal, says designer Benjamin John Ouellette of BJOID Inc., who was one of six industry experts across the continent who judged entries in this year’s awards. That means we’re adding more of “the fundamentals of our living space” to our kitchens.
“We’re seeing wallpaper, drapes, rugs, patterns and textures that we’ve never seen before … Seeing that represented in these design awards was very cool.”
This year’s awards saw just shy of 100 entries, which was a record, in 16 categories ranging from classic and contemporary kitchens and bathrooms to best transformations, bonus rooms and getting the look on a budget. In most categories, trophies were awarded for first and second place.
The awards were presented May 4 at a galaxy-themed gala at the National Arts Centre that was emceed by former CBC anchor Lucy van Oldenbarneveld. Just over 160 attended. The theme was inspired by the event date, which is informally known as Star Wars Day.
“It was partially because of the day but without going costume-y,” says Pierce. “We saw a lot of sparkle.”
Trophies were also given out for the people’s choice bathroom and kitchen. All kitchen and bathroom entries were eligible and were voted on by the public over three weeks in March. For the second year in a row, the winning bathroom was one by Vida Kiani of Kari Design & Build, which also took 2nd place in its bathroom category. The people’s choice kitchen, meanwhile, was won by Lavanya Devi Gurumoorthy of Deslaurier Custom Cabinets.
A final award was given to industry representative Mark Smith of the cabinet and furniture hardware company Berenson for his longstanding and extensive support of the association and the industry. Called the Doris Lacroix Award, it is named after Ottawa kitchen design pioneer Doris Lacroix and awarded to a person or company in the association who makes an extra effort to give back.
“Mark is just an amazing individual,” says Pierce. “He was a perfect fit for the award.”
Recurring themes
Asked what design elements repeatedly showed up in the entries, judges noted the following:
Colour: “There was a real interesting and fun use of colour this year,” says Ouellette. Blues, greens, using multiple colours in designs, even a return of black popped up. Blue has been trending for some time, while green and black pair well with the natural wood tones that are also trending.
Wood: Cabinets in natural wood are also coming back, particularly walnut and mid-tone stains. “Walnut is huge, because it’s just such a beautiful wood,” says Pierce.
Tile: While there were several examples of slab tiling in both kitchens and bathrooms, there was also a lot of Zellige-styled tile, which has a handmade, textured look, says the only local judge, Anne-Marie Brunet of Sheridan Interiors. “It worked really well with the traditional designs as well as the contemporary ones … I thought that was really well done this year.”
Wellness: In the bathroom, it’s becoming less about the look and more about the feel, says Ouellette, which means we’re seeing more heated floors and towel bars, adjustable shower seats and lighting, flexible shower systems and incorporating scent. Brunet is also seeing more interest in steam showers, air drying systems for the shower (no more squeegeeing!) and cooled drawers or cabinets for makeup and medications.
Despite the recurring themes, judge Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design appreciated the individuality of the designs. “Each project has some sort of unique quality, which as designers we love … The vast majority of designs were really quite well thought out.”
A surprise announcement
Caroline Castrucci of Laurysen Kitchens, who presented the Doris Lacroix trophy to this year’s winner, also announced a special donation by Laurysen to an NKBA Ottawa initiative that will see a new kitchen built for the Chrysalis House women’s shelter. The chapter has been raising funds and donations for the past two years and aims to build the kitchen later this year. Castrucci announced that Laurysen will donate all the cabinetry, “which is just utterly amazing,” says Pierce.
2024 NKBA awards in pictures
Here are the winning projects from this year’s awards:
