BlueStar Names 2026 Kitchen Design Contest Winners

By Elena Vasquez

BlueStar will hand its 2026 Kitchen Design Contest grand prize winner up to $20,000 in retail-value appliances. The award goes to Mark Schwebel, designer-builder at Big Art Building Corp in San Jose, New Mexico, for his kitchen at Calle Largo Ranch.

A curated panel of judges picked Schwebel and five regional winners. The panel included designers Garry and Suzanne Shumaker of Shumaker Design Associates, who are past contest winners and selected BlueStar's 2026 Color of the Year; Jenn Feldman of Jenn Feldman Design; and Lindsay Woolf of Woolf Architecture.

What won the judges over?

The Calle Largo Ranch kitchen is built around one anchor appliance: a custom Fawn Brown BlueStar 48-in. Dual Fuel Range. White oak cabinets and matching white oak floors frame it. The floor-to-ceiling silver travertine came from just east of Rome, Italy, and the Taj Mahal quartzite countertops got a subtle whitewash finish to prevent yellowing.

The story behind the ceiling beams is harder to fake. Schwebel milled them from white fir he personally sourced out of dead timber left by the 2021 Caldor Fire near Lake Tahoe. A friend in New York's Hudson Valley cut the white oak, which then shipped to New Mexico.

Schwebel also made a spatial trade-off. Instead of upper cabinetry that would have crowded the intentionally compact kitchen, he eliminated it in favor of a window and routed extra storage into a butler's pantry.

"This space stands out for its honest design and calm, inviting atmosphere," the Shumakers said. "The BlueStar range is thoughtfully integrated into the layout, creating a beautiful contrast against the minimalist materials. Every detail is executed with precision, proving that the cleanest lines require the highest level of craftsmanship."

Who are the regional winners?

BlueStar named five designers and architects across the country:

• Monica Villa of Foxhall Homes, Bethesda, Md.
• Erin Salimena of Gusto Design, Portland, Ore.
• Avneet Luthra of Case Architects and Remodelers, Marshall, Va.
• George Shiekh of The Cleveland Tile and Cabinet Co., Lakewood, Ohio
• Jessica Berrios of J. Berrios Design, Southlake, Texas

Regional winners receive a cookware set retailing between $400 and $600.

Why the contest matters to BlueStar

The appliance maker frames the annual competition as both recognition and research. "Each year, we're honored by the work the design community creates with BlueStar in mind," said Ann Muth, vice president of marketing at BlueStar. "These projects give us a look at the dynamic ways architects and designers are using color, creating practical layouts and enriching their clients' homes. Working with past winners as judges helps our team explore industry trends and new ways to support and recognize this community."

The contest honors kitchens built around BlueStar's professional-style appliances — ranges, wall ovens, vent hoods and premium home refrigeration. With past winners now judging, the company gets a direct read on how its appliances land in finished, client-driven work.