By Donna Heiderstadt
Three talented interior designers have been named finalists in the Secondary 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 innovative and eye-catching designs. Read on to find out what made these the top three Secondary Bath projects in NKBA’s 2025 Professional Design Awards.
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Trish Knight & Nicole Varga, Knight Varga Interiors, Vancouver: “ Sharing Is Caring”
The scenario: Two teens, a brother and sister, need to share a bathroom and get ready for school at the same time while avoiding the typical morning conflicts. The solution offered by Trish Knight and Nicole Varga, Principals of Vancouver-based Knight Varga Interiors: Have the bathroom do double duty by installing two separate shower stalls — each with obscured glass doors for privacy and towel/robe hooks right outside — with an enclosed water closet located in between behind the same door style. An extra-large vanity features two sinks and a separate hair/make-up station and a sliding barn door maximize space and prevent lock-outs. The white-and-natural-wood décor is jazzed up with black-and-white striped hexagonal floor tile, while double-sided storage provides access to towels from both the hall and the bathroom. Just outside, a litter-box niche — “an unusual request,” say the designers — lets the siblings’ cat simultaneously do its morning business.
Bethany Reilly, Bethany Reilly Interior Design, Indianola, WA: “Midsummer Night”
As its name implies, this “Midsummer Night” bathroom was designed for local clients who wanted an “enchanting retreat for guests with a focus on a relaxing escape from the everyday.” The problem was that the space was small and dark, with an interior location (so no windows) on the basement level (meaning low ceilings). Bethany Reilly, Founder and Lead Designer of Indianola, WA-based Bethany Reilly Interior Design, conjured a solution with the requested ambience by creating an elevated and inviting space that goes beyond the typical guest bath experience. “Guests are greeted by a soft, enveloping darkness, punctuated by the warm glow of architectural lighting,” she explains, while a richly textured waterproof wallcovering in a large-scale print invites touch as does a floating vanity handcrafted out of veined marble and paired with an elegant faucet. The clients also requested accessibility features that include a walk-in shower with a low curb and layered lighting with ambient, task, and accent features, all of which ensure ease of use for guests of all ages.
Anu Kurup, Persimmon Design, Sammamish, WA: “Cenote Bathroom”
When aiming to fulfil a client’s desire to transform a modest home office nook in a bedroom into a serene and luxurious bathroom, Anu Kurup, Founder of Persimmon Design in Sammamish, WA, knew the result needed to feel like a personal retreat that offered a spa-like atmosphere for relaxation. “We envisioned an immersive experience, inspired by nature, that would evoke the tranquil beauty of a shimmering underground pool,” says Kurup of the project she dubbed “Cenote Bathroom.” The main challenges were a limited footprint and a lack of existing plumbing, but with invisible structural brackets precisely placed into existing studs, Kurup was able to install a key element: a dramatic floating vanity with a wall-mounted faucet. Expansive textured porcelain tiles that mimic rock formations help to visually enlarge the space, while a moon-like, backlit mirror casts a soft glow above a pebble-shaped vessel sink and a wooden vanity that adds organic warmth. A sleek, seamless shower with an infinity drain, massaging body jets, and a rain shower completes the uncluttered aesthetic, and candles and plants enhance the feeling of a modern nature retreat.
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