Bunz, from Lakeland College, won first place in the bath category for her design that blends historical charm with modern luxury.
By NKBA Staff
Emma Bunz, a student at Lakeland College in Vermilion, Alberta, won the top prize for a bath design and a $5,000 scholarship for her project, “Bringing It Back,” in NKBA’s prestigious 2024-2025 Student Design Competition.
NKBA | KBIS honors six outstanding Student Design Competition winners — three kitchen winners and three bath winners — in the annual contest, which is generously sponsored by Fisher & Paykel. First-place winners earn a $5,000 scholarship, $2,500 to second place, and third-place winners earn a $1,000 prize. Winners will be recognized on Monday, Feb. 16, during the Design & Industry Awards at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando during KBIS 2026.
In the 2024-2025 competition, aspiring designers were tasked with renovating a kitchen and/or bathroom using floor plans and a client profile that described specific lifestyle needs. Their fictitious client was Lydia Bachman, an anthropology professor who recently retired to Colorado Springs. Lydia wanted to make the kitchen and bath areas more accommodating for frequent overnight guests, and the renovation needed to consider her two Labrador retrievers as well. A history buff, the homeowner wanted the space to be simultaneously modern, luxurious, and charming, updated but respectful of the 1895 Craftsman-style bungalow’s heritage.
Judges included Rebecca Sutton, CMKBD, CKBR, senior designer at Kitchen Design Concepts in Dallas; Jenni Russell, CMKBD, of Design in Perspective in Colorado Springs, CO; and Paula Kennedy, CMKBD, owner of Timeless Kitchen Design in Seattle and an educator at the Heritage School of Interior Design.
Bunz said the main challenge in her winning bathroom design was ensuring it was fully accessible for all without sacrificing aesthetics or luxury. Accessibility features include wide doorways, a roll-in shower with a comfortable bench, strategically placed grab bars, an open vanity for easy use by guests with mobility issues, and a hand-held adjustable shower for either bathing pets or to enhance a seated user’s ability to access the water and bathe independently.
Luxury was also a must in this design, so Bunz added a multi-function bidet toilet, a heated
floor controlled by a touch-screen thermostat, dimmer lights, a Fisher & Paykel warming drawer for towels, and a sunlight above the shower that offers a direct view of the expansive Colorado sky and bathes the space in natural light. The color scheme of green, light oak wood, and beige with gold finishes reflects a connection to nature, and durable, easy-to-clean materials keep maintenance simple.
“Balancing safety, comfort, and beauty was both complex and rewarding,” she said. “I learned how important it is to balance creativity with practicality. The process taught me to refine details carefully and adapt my design to meet accessibility standards, while keeping the space warm and inviting.”
About the NKBA | KBIS Student Design Competition
The NKBA Student Design Competition allows emerging designers to showcase their talent on an industry-wide stage and gain invaluable visibility. Winning entries are recognized at KBIS, featured in NKBA editorial content, and awarded scholarships.
How to Enter
The competition is open exclusively to NKBA Student Members enrolled in an educational institution at the time of submission. Students may enter the kitchen competition, the bath competition, or both.
Entries must follow NKBA Graphics & Presentation Standards and include dimensioned drawings, renderings, a concept board, and a design statement between 500 and 1,000 words. Incomplete entries will be disqualified.
Projects must be submitted through Award Force, where students can upload, edit, and finalize materials, and the submission deadline is June 5, 2026, at 5:00 PM ET.
Winners also receive complimentary registration, airfare, hotel accommodations, and access to KBIS 2027 in Las Vegas.
Competition Scenario: 2025–2026 — “The Great Indoors: Texas Edition”
This year’s participants are tasked with reimagining the kitchen and primary bath of the Williams-Garcia family home in Dallas’s Preston Hollow neighborhood. The challenge invites students to design for a bustling household of five that values hospitality, family connection, and high-functioning spaces for cooking, gathering, and retreat.
Students must balance bold style, functionality, accessibility, and clever space-planning to create environments that support the family today — and adapt gracefully for years to come.
For more information, visit the Student Design Competition page at nkba.org.
