Students from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) were challenged to use one or more Delta Faucets in a residential environment other than the typical uses found in kitchens or bathrooms.

Winning designs are being published in the June / July issues of Better Homes and Gardens, Traditional Home, Midwest Living, and Readymade. Grand prize winner Alysse Filipek will receive a $5,000 scholarship from Meredith Corporation.  Two runners-up, Jamie Sandy (Readers’ Choice Winner) and Zhe Zhang (Students’ Choice Winner), will each receive a $2,500 scholarship.

Entries were judged according to the most innovative use of Delta products, overall creativity of the design and prominence of Delta products.

The contest’s moderating jury included: Susan Fredman of Susan Fredman Design Group; Martin Horner of Soucie Horner Ltd.; Kathy Manzella of de Giulio Kitchen Design; Missi Tate of Delta Faucet Company; Judd Lord of Delta Faucet Company; George Aye of School of the Art Institute of Chicago; Liz Armstrong of ReadyMade; Carol Schalla of Midwest Living; Amy Elbert of Traditional Home; and Kit Selzer of Better Homes and Gardens.

Alysse Filipek’s grand prize winning submission entitled “Revive” is a lamp designed to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression or “the blues.” The condition affects adults during the coldest months of the year when the amount of daylight received is decreased. Alysse’s design pairs the Delta Pilar® pull-down kitchen faucet with the DrydenTM showerhead. 

The Students’ Choice Winner is Zhe Zhang, who brought Delta products into nature with the “Umbrella Pot” design. The design was inspired by the idea of using the form of an umbrella as a flowerpot. The handle of the pot is a Delta faucet that can actually water the plants. The canvas of the umbrella is made of aquatic fabric, allowing water to flow in and out.

Jamie Sandy, the Readers’ Choice Winner, used the Delta Vero® showerheads to create sculptural fountains in a bamboo water garden for a residential courtyard. The showerheads symbolize the leaves of the bamboo and the long pipes represent stems.

“It’s an honor to support the Designers of Tomorrow contest,” said Steve Levinson, group publisher, Meredith Corporation.  “Meredith Corporation is proud to feature these talented young designers in the pages of our publications, which reach millions of consumers each month.”

“Delta Faucet is committed to supporting smart design and promoting innovative thinking, so this is a great opportunity for us to get involved with the next generation of designers,” said Judd Lord, director of industrial design, Delta Faucet Company. “Our hope with this contest is that our products inspire the students to be creative and unconventional with the development of their designs.”