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| Cindy Dufour |
CARIBOU — Officials with S.W. Collins have announced that employees Cindy Dufour and Barb Michaud have won awards in the Maine Chapter of the National Kitchen and Bath Association design contest. Dufour is a veteran of the design contest, having received several awards in the past; this year, she swept the New Construction-Kitchen category receiving both first- and second-place awards for two different projects, as well as a second-place award in the Before and After-Small Kitchen category. This was the first time Michaud submitted a project and she was ecstatic to bring home second-place in the New Construction-Bath category.
The first place New Construction-Kitchen award Dufour received was for the kitchen she designed in a new family home. The owners, Phil Lebeouf and Sonya Dechene, wanted an open and inviting area where they could enjoy cooking for family and friends. The space was particularly long and Dufour was able to design a kitchen with an “Old Tuscany” look that featured lots of countertop and storage.
“Phil and I feel so lucky to have found Cindy and have no regrets with any of the decisions we made. We love our kitchen,” Dechene said of the new design.
Dufour created a new kitchen space for a busy couple with adult children that resulted in a second-place award in the New Construction-Kitchen category. Frank And Hollie McPartland sold the home they had raised their family in and built a retirement home on a lake; they wanted a large kitchen with room to cook and serve their extended family as well as friends while still being part of the fun in their lakeside home. Dufour designed the McParland’s a semi-rustic, open kitchen with a large island and lots of windows to take in the views of the lake as well as keep an eye on the activities.
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| Barb Michaud |
Dufour’s third award was second-place in the Before and After-Small Kitchen category. She was challenged to create a functional kitchen design from a small area that had many doorways and very little work space. The old kitchen lacked storage, forcing homeowners, Jeff and Carla Kitchen, to store some of their cooking supplies in their basement. Dufour utilized one doorway by closing it off and recessing a large refrigerator in the space. Moving the refrigerator allowed Dufour to create better countertop workflow and maximize storage. New lighting, flooring, and paint completed the renovation.
Entering the design contest for the first time, Michaud was delightfully surprised to take home second place in the New Construction-Bath category. She was challenged with designing a long-awaited master bath which was part of a second-story addition for owners whose children have grown and moved out on their own. The new master suite was added to the couple’s existing single-story ranch home. Plumbing access and a few structural limitations determined the placement of the master bath which resulted in a long narrow area. To soften the shape of the room, Michaud added an arch top to the window and carried the theme throughout the space by adding an arch with recessed, accent lights over each of the room’s three work areas. Michaud also added an abundance of storage solutions creating a unique oasis for the homeowners.
S.W. Collins officials offered their congratulations to both designers on their awards; for photos of the award-winning designs, visit www.swcollins.com/design-center/design-awards-2012.html.
