IDT student winner marks 17 years of design awards

An interior design technology (IDT) graduate is Lakeland College’s 36th National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) Student Design Competition winner.

Brea Holt’s kitchen design placed second in the 2021-2022 competition from nearly 200 designs submitted from across North America.

“For 17 years, our students have made an international impression on the design industry. They continue to validate the quality of our program and school. It goes to show why we’ve been named NKBA College of the Year twice, in 2017 and 2019,” says Dave King, dean of the School of Trades and Technology.

Rochelle Horne, program head of Lakeland’s IDT program, says, “Our students’ experience includes real-world learning opportunities that set them up to excel by graduation, so we’re very proud when their designs are industry recognized.”

According to the NKBA, Holt’s design satisfied all the requirements and added a unique touch, making her submission stand out from the rest. The NKBA’s official publication, KBB Magazine, will feature Holt’s design.

“This award has reassured me that hard work pays off. The time and effort required to design this kitchen was worth it,” says Holt, a Class of 2022 graduate.

Read more about Holt’s design and her Lakeland experience here.

The NKBA also awarded Holt a $2,500 USD scholarship, airfare and accommodations to attend the KBIS 2022 Expo in Las Vegas, NV, and admission to the 2023 Design Awards Ceremony.

Lakeland students have been recognized by the NKBA since 2004. Lakeland earned full NKBA accreditation in 2000 and is one of 32 schools with founding member status in North America. There are 139 NKBA-accredited post-secondary institutions.

Lakeland’s award-winning two-year IDT diploma program is offered at the Vermilion campus.

Photo: Top - Brea Holt. Bottom - rendering of her kitchen design.