Georgian’s Kitchen and Bath Design students are award winning

Oct. 4, 2016

Georgian College’s Kitchen and Bath Design program is relatively new but already it has made a big impact. In the past two years, students in the program have won a prize in every contest they have entered, bringing home more than $5,000 in cash and awards.

Tommy Chin is the latest award winner. He won second prize for his bathroom design in the National Kitchen Bath Association (NKBA) Waypoint design competition. The competition is open to all kitchen and bath students in North American schools that are accredited or supported by NKBA. Chin won $1,500 and a trip to the gala awards presentation in Orlando, Florida on Jan. 9. He graduated from the graduate certificate program this June and is following his dream of opening his own business.

“Our Kitchen and Bath program is relatively new but we are making an impact,” says Mary Dobson, co-ordinator of the program. “In the past two years our students have walked away with prizes in every design competition that they have entered. It is great inspiration for our current class who have every intention for keeping that record going.”

Leslie Jennings, another June graduate, won $1,000 and honourable mention in the NKBA GE Monogram Charette competition held in May. The unique event was a “blind” competition in which participants began with a sealed package, instructions, and only three hours to complete their design. The submissions were then submitted to a panel of judges. Jennings is another budding entrepreneur and is very active doing a lot of freelance design work.

Mary is very proud of her students and excited about an upcoming venture between the program and Blanco Canada. Georgian’s Kitchen and Bath program is going to be the exclusive partner with Blanco’s kitchen display at the Interior Design Show in Toronto in January.

“This is the premier interior design event in Canada,” says Mary. “Our students will all be asked to create a kitchen space that includes a new and innovative sink and faucet from Blanco. Then Blanco will pick the design they want to use and the student’s conceptual design will be brought to life on the show floor.”

The winning student will receive $1,000 as well as accommodations in Toronto to attend the opening night gala for the show. Student presentations to Blanco will take place on Dec. 7 with judging taking place the next day. Cash prizes will also be awarded for second and third place.

“Through these design competitions, our students get to work with some pretty big names in the kitchen and bath design industry,” says Mary. “It offers them so many benefits: working with real client requirements, real deadlines and real rewards.”

Read more about Georgian’s Kitchen and Bath Design graduate certificate program.