2005 Watermark Awards: these five projects bear the mark of excellence

Custom Home, April, 2005 by Leslie Ensor

The third annual Watermark Awards, jointly sponsored by CUSTOM HOME and BUILDER magazines, celebrates the fine art of kitchen and bath design. The competition is dedicated to honoring design excellence for these two most important rooms. This year's winners, selected by a panel of design experts, demonstrate kitchen and bath design of the highest order. Many thanks to the judges of this year's competition; they were Rhonda Ellisor, Miller and Smith, McLean, Va.; Ali Honarkar, DivisionOne Architects, Rockville, Md.; Janis M. Magnuson, CKD, Kitchen Classics by Custom Crafters, Annandale, Va.; and Mary Jo Peterson, Mary Jo Peterson Kitchens, Baths and Universal Design, Brookfield, Conn.

Kitchen of the Year

Palo Alto, Calif.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

All kitchens eventually outlive their usefulness, even if they are the handiwork of a revered custom home pro. Such was the case of this kitchen in a 33-year-old house built by Joseph Eichler, an esteemed builder and developer of Modern houses in the San Francisco Bay area and Southern California during the 1960s and 1970s.

The owners needed a kitchen more in sync with the realities of 21st-century life--it had to accommodate more of everything, from small and large appliances to more people gathering and cooking at once. Yet the design had to seamlessly integrate with the Modern spirit of the existing house.

Architect Doug Thornley stayed within the existing kitchen footprint, but manipulated the walls and reorganized the layout for a more efficient working arrangement. He flipped the positions of the original kitchen and eating spaces, gaining extra footage for the kitchen in a floor-to-ceiling glass alcove.

Having designed a number of commercial kitchens, Thornley knew that professional chefs organize their kitchens by task--wet, prep, cooking, and support--and that practical division of labor underpins his new scheme. The sink cabinet floats along the south-facing window wall, admitting light from above and below. It's just a step from the prep center--a walnut and limestone topped kitchen island, which is another step away from the cooking center along the east wall. The support area, on the interior north wall, includes the refrigerator and a tall tamboured cabinet that houses the owners' small appliances, all plugged in and ready for service.

Sleek walnut cabinetry set against stainless steel appliances, surfaces, and rolling table captures the appropriate Eichler style. Painted accents in red and apple green chosen from a palette of colors developed by another Modern master, Le Corbusier, add to the high Modern spirits. The result, said the judges: absolutely fabulous. * Entrant/Architect: Baum Thornley Architects, San Francisco; Builder: Johnstone McAuliffe Construction, Pacific, Calif.; Photographer: John Sutton.

Dishwasher: Fisher & Paykel, Circle 500; Fittings: KWC, Circle 501; Flooring: Ardex, Circle 502; Garbage disposer: GE, Circle 503; Hot water dispenser/sinks/water filter: Franke, Circle 504; Microwave: Sharp, Circle 505; Oven/ range/refrigerator/warming drawer: Viking, Circle 506; Pot filler: Chicago Faucets, Circle 507; Washer/dryer: Bosch, Circle 508.

Grand Award

Best Master Bath in a Custom Home Baltimore

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Leapin' lizards! The client wanted a reptile habitat in his new master bath. Now that's not a request custom home pros get everyday. Nor is a reptile expert a member of every custom home design team. But the lizard terrarium is just one of the features that make this stunning master bath addition out of the ordinary.

The project started out simply as a redo to the existing master bath, but soon evolved into an addition--a pavilion entered through two existing doors in the master suite. At the threshold of each door glass floors lit from below signal that this isn't an ordinary bathroom. Its 1,300-square-foot size alone puts the bath in the extraordinary category, and so do the room's finishes and features.

The idea was to create a Zen-like structure in the garden, explains architect Rebecca Swanston, "and that drove all the natural finishes." The bath is a study in stone and wood. Douglas fir clads the interior space that soars above the slate, floor. Light fills the room from bands of clerestory windows that run along the monitor roof and from sliding doors that open to the private garden. Glowing onyx counters, lit from behind, contrast with the stacked stone wall, embedded with fossils, that separates the dressing area from the shower. (A shelf at the top of the wall sends water cascading down the stone into the shower.) Onyx also surrounds the Sok tub.

Completing the natural setting is the walk-in terrarium. Plants growing from its stone wall provide food for lizards, and special light filters on the clerestory window panes prevent harmful rays from reaching them. For more creature comfort, a dedicated HVAC system keeps temperature and humidity at lizard-friendly levels. The panel judged this bath a great place for man and beast. * Entrant/Architect: Swanston & Associates, Baltimore; Builder: Roy Cox Remodeling, Baltimore; Photographer: Alan Gilbert.