Press Room

CHICAGO

Known for its fashion-forward design, Brizo® announced the four winners of the first annual Brizo® Student Design Challenge at The 2006 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS).  The winners were announced last evening at a customer event in Chicago. The competition aims to provide architecture and design students with a valuable hands-on learning opportunity and the chance to showcase their work.  Students were required to design Brizo Impression Showroom window displays using at least two Brizo faucets. Brizo Impression Showrooms are exclusive showrooms around the country that not only carry the brand’s product, but are well-trained in supporting the brand.  

“The student teams created window displays that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but successfully combine the brand’s fashion-forward approach with Brizo break-through product innovation,” said LaManda Dorval, showroom development manager, Brizo. “Our vision is to nurture the designers of tomorrow. The winners selected exemplify this through their stylish, progressive and functional displays.”

The winners, who each were awarded cash prizes, Coach merchandise and other gifts included:  

• Brizo Award of Excellence: University of Nebraska  (Jay Anderson, Lynette
  Klein, Nathan Bicak) $2500 per student
• Brizo Award of Honor: University of Florida (Matthew Heard, Sarah Cain, Jennifer Lamar) $1500 per student
• Brizo Award of Recognition: Illinois Institute of Art (Michelle Oun, Ike Cheung) $1000 per student
• Brizo Medallion: University of Tennessee (Josh Dygert, Michelle Portier, Jill Shelton) $500 per student

The Competition

Hand-picked from their representing school, students from around the country enrolled in interior design or architecture programs as juniors, seniors or Master’s students participated in the contest.  Brizo approved four teams to participate in the Design Challenge from the initial applications.

To begin the competition, Brizo product managers flew to each school to train students on the brand and its products. After three weeks each team provided a rendering sketch for approval. Teams began their product display creations on February 8 together with a faculty sponsor and displayed them at The Student Design Challenge on March 23.

“This competition demonstrates a beneficial partnership between the brand and design and architecture students,” said Dorval. “As a relatively ‘young’ brand, we want to grow with these students who are on the edge of fashion and will create our future spaces and communities.”

Contest Criteria

Brizo customers from the top 100 showrooms in the country acted as judges for the competition.  In addition to creativity and originality, each design project was critiqued upon how it supported the Brizo platform and whether it reflected the Brizo target consumer.

Recreating a professional design scenario, contestants’ presentation skills and submitted video footage that documented the entire project from start to finish, were taken into consideration.

Brizo provided all product and parts for the displays in addition to travel expenses, hotel accommodations and small stipends for the students.  The brand will donate money to each school as well as sponsor the school’s “senior studio” educational requirement with a product and/or monetary donation. Details for the next Brizo design competition will be available this summer.
 
**Photos Available Upon Request**