JASPER, IN —
One kitchen features a crisp, polished and detailed look. One kitchen gives off a feeling of coziness. Yet another kitchen boasts sophisticated organization in a small space while still another showcases a layout ideal for entertaining. All four have received top honors in Aristokraft Cabinetry’s inaugural “Living in Style” Design Contest.

“Recognizing that our customers work hard every day to bring their clients’ kitchen design dreams to reality, we launched the ‘Living in Style’ design contest to showcase their great work and show our gratitude for recommending Aristokraft Cabinetry to their clients,” says Cathy Hitz, senior brand manager for Jasper, IN-based Aristokraft Cabinetry, a div. of MasterBrand Cabinets, Inc. “[We wanted] to shine a public spotlight on some of our customers’ best-in-class kitchen designs.”

Indeed, Aristokraft’s first “Living in Style” contest offered builders and designers of new-construction homes the chance to submit new-build kitchens they designed using Aristokraft Cabinetry. All projects submitted were completed between September 1, 2005 and September 30, 2006.

“We received several strong entries from around the country – each using Aristokraft Cabinetry with a different style to achieve the needs of the builders and homeowners – and were extremely pleased with the quality of designs,” adds Hitz.

A panel of industry professionals and kitchen design experts then judged each entry on two major criteria: aesthetics and functionality of the overall room design. The panel also considered how they addressed challenges and capitalized on assets.

They chose one winner in each of four categories: Luxury Home, Move-Up Home, Entry-Level Home and Model Home. Winners in each received a $5,000 prize. They will also have their winning designs featured at the 2007 International Builders’ Show, February 7 to 10, 2007, in Orlando, FL, and they’ll be published in Aristokraft’s “Living in Style” newsletter and on www.aristokraft.com.

Here Kitchen & Bath Design News spotlights each of the four winnings designs.

DESIGN DETAILS

Details are what made this traditional-style kitchen stand out in the Luxury Home category – so much so that it took top honors.

Designed by Ruth Westra of Starlite Kitchens and Baths, it features Aristokraft’s Nantucket cabinetry with Antique finish. Westra, design specialist with the Byron Center, MI-based firm, used a combination of standard cabinetry with custom details.

“I was able to accomplish the elegant custom look that the homeowner was after…. It made the design stand out,” believes Westra, who worked with Doug Bakker, co-owner of Starlite, on this project. “This polished and detailed kitchen truly meets the needs of the homeowner.”
The biggest challenge for Westra was finding available sizes that would work in the space she had, which was actually approximately 320 sq. ft.