Sharp is announcing the winners of its first-ever Insight Pro®Microwave Drawer® Kitchen Design Contest at the 2007 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show. The contest, which ran from July 2006 through March 2007, recognizes professional kitchen designers for the most creative and visually appealing kitchen designs that incorporate one of Sharp's innovative Insight Pro Microwave Drawer cooking appliances. Three top designers, along with the homeowners of the winning kitchens, each received Sharp AQUOS® Liquid Crystal Televisions, while designers awarded an honorable mention received a Sharp Insight Pro Microwave Drawer. All will be honored this evening at a cocktail reception at the Las Vegas Hilton.
"Since introducing the concept in 2004, we have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the kitchen design community on how the Insight Pro Microwave Drawer line has helped refresh and invigorate kitchen layouts with its cutting-edge design and placement flexibility," said Christine Lewis, senior director of marketing, appliances, Sharp Electronics Marketing Company of America. "Through this contest, we were able to get a more in-depth look at some of the most exciting and creative ways the Microwave Drawer has been utilized, as the kitchens inspired by our five winners exemplify."
Sharp's acclaimed line of Insight Pro Microwave Drawer products expands the options for microwave placement so that builders and kitchen designers can incorporate a Microwave Drawer into almost any design layout or configuration. Microwave Drawer products are available in a variety of configurations including new 24-inch and 30-inch standalone units (models KB-6024M and KB-6025M), a 30-inch Cooktop+Microwave Drawer combination unit (model KB-5121K) and Insight Pro Ranges (models KB-3401L, KB-3425L, and KB-4425L). All models are available in stainless, white or black finishes.
Sharp invited professional kitchen designers to submit photos and written overviews of completed residential projects incorporating an Insight Pro Microwave Drawer. The winners were chosen by a panel of professors from Virginia Tech's Center for Real Life Kitchen Design that included Dr. JoAnn Emmel, Associate Professor; Dr. Kathleen Parrott, Professor and Certified Kitchen Design Educator; and Dr. Julia Beamish, Professor and Certified Kitchen Design Educator. Entries were evaluated based on the use and visual appeal of the Microwave Drawer product, how the Microwave Drawer complemented the overall design of the kitchen and the use of general design elements and principles.
"We reviewed many beautiful kitchens and exceptional designs, and it was a challenge to select just five winners," said Dr. Emmel. "The Microwave Drawer offers as many unique placement options as there are unique homeowner needs. We at the Center for Real Life Kitchen Design feel the concept of a microwave drawer will continue to grow as more households and designers discover the many benefits of this microwave placement alternative."
The following five designers were selected as the winners of Sharp's Insight Pro Microwave Kitchen Design Contest:
-- Grand Prize: Dale Gargiulo - The Kitchen Shop, Pelham, NY Dale Gargiulo has been a kitchen designer for more than 30 years. A graduate of Parsons The New School for Design, Gargiulo is also an artist and interior designer. This multi-zone kitchen is designed for an active cook who prefers to work alone and undisturbed in preparing meals and features two work triangles - one for her to cook and one for others to make breakfast, lunch and snacks. The Sharp Microwave Drawer is the centerpiece of this work zone, positioned under the breakfast countertop and next to the eating area. -- First Place: Nancy Hugo - Nancy Hugo CKD, Glendale, AZ Nancy Hugo has 12 years of experience as a Certified Kitchen Designer and 22 years of experience in designing functional and aesthetic kitchens and baths, home offices, computer and entertainment centers and laundry areas. She currently serves as the vice president of communications and technology for the Arizona Chapter of the National Kitchen and Bath Association (AZNKBA). This remodel brightened up a dark and enclosed space by removing all of the existing soffits, so that the only available place for the microwave was an L-shaped island, where a second sink and a 24" Sharp Microwave Drawer are now installed. -- Second Place: Greg Armstrong - Genesis Innovations, Loveland, CO A Certified Kitchen Designer since 2001, Greg Armstrong has been designing and building custom cabinetry for more than twenty years. Prior to that, he managed a small, custom cabinet shop in California. This "mountain contemporary" themed kitchen featured the Sharp Microwave Drawer placed between the primary and secondary sinks in an island, for uninterrupted use of the traditional work triangle with easy access to the microwave. -- Honorable Mention: Bill Popp - Lowe's, Neptune Beach, FL Bill Popp has been a kitchen designer for Lowe's since retiring from the computer graphics business in 1995. He currently works full-time in the kitchen design center in Jacksonville, Florida. Popp is also a member of NKBA and is working toward his CKD designation. Built to accommodate the homeowner's love of entertaining while also being wheelchair-accessible, the Microwave Drawer allows her to cook and serve while still being a part of the festivities in the great room and leaves the countertop free for meal preparation or serving buffets. -- Honorable Mention: Jeremy Bauer - Bauer/Clifton Interiors, Juneau, AK Jeremy Bauer graduated from Kansas State University with degrees in Architecture and Design and Architectural Engineering. In 2004, he made design a full-time career with the opening of an interior design firm, Bauer/Clifton Interiors, whose work includes commercial (specializing in hospitality) and residential (specializing in kitchen and bath) interiors. With the overall goal of using minimalist design concepts in a kitchen with limited counter space and few upper cabinets, the Sharp Insight Pro Range is both a space-saving and multifunctional placement solution.
A grand prize of a 46" AQUOS LCD-TV, first place prize of a 37" AQUOS LCD-TV, second place prize of a 27" AQUOS LCD-TV, and two honorable mention prizes of Sharp Insight Pro Microwave Drawers will be awarded to the winning designers. In addition, one 15" AQUOS LCD-TV will be awarded to each of the homeowners of the winning kitchens.
Sharp Electronics Corporation is the U.S. subsidiary of Japan's Sharp Corporation, a worldwide developer of one-of-a-kind home entertainment products, appliances, networked multifunctional office solutions, solar energy solutions and mobile communication and information tools. Leading brands include AQUOS®Liquid Crystal Televisions, 1-Bit digital audio products, SharpVision® projection products, Insight® Microwave Drawers®, IMAGER digital multifunctional systems, and Notevision® multimedia projectors. For more information visit Sharp Electronics Corporation at www.sharpusa.com.
