By Donna Heiderstadt
Three exceptional interior designers have been named finalists in the Primary Bath category of the Kitchen & Bath Design + Industry Awards 2025. Which project will receive $5,000 for a first-place finish, $3,000 for second, and $2,000 for third? We won’t reveal that until the February 24 awards ceremony, the must-attend KBIS 2025 opening event in the Lafite Ballroom at Wynn Las Vegas. But here’s a preview of all three contemporary and eye-catching designs. Read on to find out what made these the top three Primary Bath projects in NKBA’s 2025 Professional Design Awards.
Elma Gardner, CMKBD; By Design Studio, Inc.; Davis, CA: “TNAH23”
As Owner and Principal Designer of Davis, CA-based By Design Studio, Inc., Elma Gardner, CMKBD, brought considerable expertise and experience to a major Primary Bath remodel in Henderson, NV. The homeowners desired a “sense of spa-like luxury teamed with a contemporary design aesthetic” that would serve as a primary suite retreat away from the rest of the house. Their wish list included a luxurious showering and bathing experience with separate vanity spaces and abundant storage, universal design considerations for the shower area, and a large zoned closet with an integrated laundry area. The main challenges included creating warmth in a massive space without compromising the contemporary edge of the architectural design and scaling the fixtures to suit such a generous space. Gardner’s solutions? She designed a glass-enclosed wet room complete with Kohler Digital showering platform, ambient rain shower, and a 32-inch frameless shower door for universal use. The design also incorporates a Veil immersion tub, two separate toilet compartments with Veil comfort-height toilets with heated seats and personalized cleansing options, and a dramatic cedar-clad soffit, bench, and inset floor as an entry to the glass-walled infrared sauna. Dual floating vanities are topped with large-scale View vessel sinks, while a suspended ceiling-mounted LED mirror, dark textured cabinetry, wet room walls in eye-catching marble, and crisp white quartz counters add drama.
Rachel Hills, Rachel Hills Design Co., Granite Bay, CA: “Tranquillo Sanctuario”
When tasked with a remodel of both a primary bath and powder room in a bright and modern home in California, Rachel Hills, Owner and Creative Director of Granite Bay, CA-based Rachel Hills Design Co., coined the name “Tranquillo Sanctuario” to create two complementary spaces that met the expectations of a husband and wife with widely divergent tastes. His preferred aesthetic was bold and modern with a love of symmetry and contrast. Hers was neutral, organic, and bohemian with a preference for warmth and coziness. To merge these distinct styles, Hills focused on cohesive materials and a strategic layout to create a balanced yet dynamic space. To meet the wife’s desire for natural light, but also privacy, she installed film on the windows, which turns opaque with the flip of a switch. She also fulfilled a request for a make-up vanity with a refrigerator, and meticulously sized the matching sink vanity so as to offer symmetry but also accommodate different functions. The couple also differed in the tech aspect, with a Lutron OS system tailored to his needs as well as traditional switches for her ease of use. A freestanding tub along with a rain shower and body sprays equipped with Kohler digital interfaces create a spa-like ambience, while honed marble, fabric-effect ceramic tiles, and satin brass hardware provide natural warmth and elegance.
Bianca Fathauer, Splendid Home Design, Stuart, FL: “Scandi Retreat”
Bianca Fathauer, Owner and Designer of Stuart, FL-based Splendid Home Design, combined contemporary and organic elements to create “Scandi Retreat,” a primary bathroom remodel for a client in Florida who sought a complete transformation of the space from traditional and drab to modern and Zen. Fathauer juxtaposed the simplicity of large-format, concreate-look tile and the warm textures of white oak in a minimalistic yet functional design that met the homeowner’s demands for ample storage paired with aesthetically pleasing design elements that reminded them of their luxury honeymoon hotel in Iceland. The designer needed to keep an existing door to the backyard and create a curbless shower while fabricating the handmade oak slats that form a tall linen closet. Because there was ample natural light, she faced a challenge in bringing in additional light while keeping the space’s look minimalistic. Solutions included swapping in an exterior door with frosted glass to let in light but offer privacy, cutting and pitching the large-format shower tiles toward the full-length linear drain for a seamless look throughout the space, and locating the white-oak linen closet to divide the room and separate the toilet area. Fathauer also installed a single glass panel in the shower for a sleek look, added LED lighting at the custom white-oak floating vanity, and used a reeded glass-and-metal pocket door to maintain a minimalist vibe.
