Aesthetic and Efficient

Efficient and airy, yet warm and sophisticated. These are the characteristics of the kitchen design that won Sangeeta Lodha the second place in the National Kitchen and Bath Association’s 2004 Student Design Competition, which drew 127 entries from 26 different schools across the country. Lodha is currently a student at West Valley College, Saratoga, Calif.

Lodha says that even as a child she was particularly drawn to beautiful architecture and interiors. She moved to London after marriage and “life in Europe further nourished my passion. … I want to design homes with an international flair, something unique …,” she says.

Her prize-winning entry combined a play of contrasting textures and colors. Equipped with a multilevel island cooking area, the kitchen design offered an efficient working triangle that allows free movement within the kitchen area.
Kitchen designs were judged not only for functional use of space and innovative design, but also for safety and overall aesthetic statement.

Lodha receives a $1,500 scholarship and a free trip to NKBA’s Kitchen/Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas this month. Lodha’s plans for the future include setting up her own interior design firm where she can design one-of-a-kind homes for her clients. “Houses that are truly their homes in spirit and practice,” she says.