This article was originally published on October 6, 2023; it was updated on October 16, 2023.
BlueStar 2023 Kitchen Design Contest Winners
BlueStar, the manufacturer of professional-performance kitchen appliances for the home, is excited to announce the 2023 Kitchen Design Contest winners. Six kitchens have been chosen for their exceptional design using BlueStar appliances, showcasing the brand’s limitless customization options and restaurant-quality performance.
Entries were judged by three previous winners of the BlueStar contest: Noz Nozawa of Noz Design in San Francisco, Jenni Vetter of Vetter Architects in Milwaukee and Nancy Barnett of Nancy Lane Interiors in Houston.
“We are honored to foster creative kitchen design and share how BlueStar can be personalized and designed for any kitchen from coast to coast. Our design contest is an excellent showcase of the versatile points of view designers, architects and creators hold,” said Eliza Sheffield, president of BlueStar.
Grand Prize Winner
Charla Ray, Charla Ray Interior Design, Portland, Ore.
Designer’s Statement: This kitchen is the heart of a lakefront home which was a total rebuild. My approach to a whole-home design is to begin with the kitchen, which in turn will inform the design throughout. Having landed on a neutral palette of black, white, natural oak and copper, we started talking about an awesome range feature wall. The BlueStar range was the first selection made, not only for its performance, but we loved the ability to bring in the black and copper accents. Wanting the range to really be the focal pint of the space, I paneled all the other appliances. I designed an oak range alcove accent as well as a stone leg accent (within the base cabinets flanking the range) to further develop the focal point. I also designed the custom hood with copper band to play off of the accents in the range. Copper is repeated in the prep sink and as an accent on the faucets. One of our main goals was for the kitchen to have a unique look and feel since the client had requested “not just another white kitchen.” With the customization opportunities of BlueStar, we were able to personalize the space to their tastes in a unique way.
Regional Winner
Jennifer Chipman, Bond Design Company, Park City, Utah
Designer’s Statement: This speakeasy-inspired kitchen pulls design concepts from the industrial manufacturing factories of the early 1920s. I had a very distinct vision and direction for this kitchen from the beginning and knew that I wanted to combine the industrial and historical look of steel with something unexpected. When I came across BlueStar’s brushed copper trim option, everything clicked and the design really began falling into place. The kitchen now features many copper details, from the range and the faucet to the kitchen accessories and cookware.
Regional Winner
Kristina Curtis, Kristina Curtis Interiors, Nashville, Tenn.
Designer’s Statement: In this Nashville kitchen, we blended old-world charm with modern functionality. This timeless design got a twist with our ability to mix metals seamlessly. Every aspect has been thoughtfully curated to give our client a kitchen that functions beautifully whether she’s cooking for 20 people or just showing it off during cocktail hour.
Regional Winner
Meredith Gullion, Cooper Pacific Kitchens, Los Angeles
Designer’s Statement: My approach was to go for it with color and mood. The kitchen is so large and can certainly handle a bold statement. Balancing the negative space of the ceiling and floor allows for a bold statement to have its place here. Dark-painted cabinetry, along with the matching butler’s pantry, anchors the space in a nod to the home’s English design. The light oak island and breakfast hutch, adorned with aged brass hardware, continue the traditional materials but bring it into modern time with the light-washed hues of the wood.
Kitchens this big need statement pieces, and the custom BlueStar range, along with matching custom hood, really dazzle. That focal point brings a bit of modern pop to a more traditional kitchen, but keeping the range and hood a color to meld with the cabinetry also keeps it from taking over the room.
Regional Winner
Amy Storm, Amy Storm & Company, Glen Ellyn, Ill.
Designer’s Statement: This home was built from the ground up with good health in mind. All materials to construct the home and fabrics and furnishings to decorate the home were run through an expert, to guarantee they had minimal off-gassing and met the strictest health standards in home construction. In addition to this, appliances that would allow for healthy cooking and food storage were selected and then placed strategically in the kitchen, so that the environment was as healthy as possible. We fell madly in love with the copper details on the BlueStar range and used them as the impetus for our kitchen design, bringing in copper in custom shelving and other decorative elements to enhance the star of the kitchen, the BlueStar range.
Regional Winner
Kendall Wilkinson, Kendall Wilkinson, San Francisco
Designer’s Statement: A ground-up construction with acres of property, the California ranch-meets-Craftsman represents typical Northern California architecture. The home was designed to be family-friendly, functioning equally well when occupied only by the immediate members or opened up to guests for events.
No fewer than 30 paint colors, eight with the word “blue” in their names, dress the walls of this vivacious home. The kitchen, a part of the complete home build, levels out the multi-colored home with black-enameled appliances from BlueStar and crisp white walls. Warm floors and walnut cabinets ground the space against the black BlueStar range and refrigerators. An extended farm table and teak Janus at Cie lounge chairs draw the family to the outdoor terrace off the kitchen where they can take in the views of the hills and guest house and enjoy the abundant light.
Entries are now being accepted for the BlueStar 2024 Kitchen Design Contest. Click here for entry guidelines and details.
—By Leslie Clagett, KBB managing editor
Photo credit: Courtesy BlueStar
