Kitchen & Bath Business - April 2019 - 21

"You never really know what your design will look like until it's built," she
said."This experience made me realize it was great that I went back to school
- you have to do what you love even if it takes a while to get there!"
As a mother, Writer drew on personal experience to design Banfield's
bathroom. She understands the value of a large space for children to get ready
but also the need for a more private area that serves as an oasis for mom. As
such, she designed a bath-and-a-half and still remained in the budget.
MATERIAL SPONSORS

Wilsonart, the event sponsor that made the NKBA Student Design Competition possible, supplied the material for the countertops in the spaces. Karen
Kuranda, sales and business development manager for sponsor Eastern Surfaces Inc., represented the company on build day. Eastern Surfaces fabricated
Wilsonart's solid surface material into countertops.
"We're always happy to participate in community projects,"said Kuranda.
"I've loved meeting this deserving family."
The third sponsor, Green Forest Cabinetry, donated cabinets for the
kitchen and the bath. Mark Stapperfenne and past NKBA president David
Alderman represented the company, and they installed the kitchen cabinets.
"It's always a privilege to work with the NKBA," said Alderman. "We are
honored to help these student designs come to life."
Alderman, who served as NKBA's president in 2011, founded Green Forest with another NKBA past president, John Morgan, who served in 2013.
Alderman also owns Dave's Cabinet Inc., and Morgan is a consultant and
principal of the Morgan Pinnacle Agency.
Stapperfenne also has deep roots within the NKBA after being immersed in the industry most of his life. His mother, Maria Stapperfenne,
was the 2015 NKBA president and is an active member in NKBA's Northern New Jersey Chapter. He joined Green Forest Cabinetry in Chesapeake,
Va., last spring.
"We're excited to be a part of this project because of its values," said Stapperfenne. "It's been awesome to see our products making a difference in
someone's life."

ABOVE RIGHT Standing, left to

right: NKBA Student Design
Competition winners Jasmine
Dorman Galle and Kelly Writer
kick off the day with the Banfield family - Nicole, Giovanni
and Sage - and NKBA CEO
Bill Darcy. In front are celebrity
designers Chip Wade and
Jennifer Bertrand.

ABOVE LEFT David Alderman
hangs a kitchen cabinet with
Mark Stapperfenne.

FEEDBACK FROM THE TEAM

While sponsors and volunteers were bustling
through the home, Wade and Bertrand were
covering the action on social media. Wade is a
seasoned carpenter who has appeared on shows
such as HGTV's "Designed to Sell" and "Curb
Appeal," and he owns the company Wade Works
Creative LLC.
"This opportunity provides a platform that
shows these students the design process from start
to finish,"he said."Having their designs chosen is
an honor, and all of these ingredients are a recipe
for progress."
Bertrand is also a practicing designer and winner of her season of "Design Star"on HGTV. Her
work has appeared in many media outlets, including The New York Post and USA Today, and she
works on the Lifetime Channel show "Military
Makeover."Bertrand offered advice to the aspiring
designers during her time on site.
"Find your voice, and don't be afraid to be a risk
taker,"she said."Know that you are great, and find
a mentor through your local NKBA chapter."
Ben Eskow, executive director of WCHFH,
and J.J. Norment, resource development manager
for the organization, praised the partnership.
"It's been great working with these students,"
said Eskow. "They're integral in the industry, and
to see their dreams become reality is special."
WCHFH volunteers will complete and dedicate the home later this year.
"This," she said, "is the luckiest I'll be in my
entire life."


Kitchen & Bath Business - April 2019

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