Gladys Schanstra’s “Two Kitchens, One Home” Wins Gold in 2026 Master Design Awards
Another honor has arrived for a Drury Design project that continues to earn the attention of the design industry.
Gladys Schanstra’s “Two Kitchens, One Home” has earned Gold in the Kitchens More Than $200,000 category of the 2026 Qualified Remodeler Master Design Awards. Even more remarkable, the judges awarded the project a perfect score of 60 out of 60.
The recognition is especially meaningful because the unique project began, as the best ones do, with listening carefully to the homeowner.
Two Kitchens Designed Around One Family
“I had a certain vision and certain things I wanted, and Gladys worked with what I wanted and how I wanted it to be,” the homeowner says. “There were some very complicated elements, and I really appreciate that she took up the challenge. The process was really smooth. I just love it.”
The homeowner came to the project knowing that she wanted a full-fledged spice kitchen and a separate main kitchen. Throughout the design process, her ideas and Gladys’s solutions evolved together — sometimes leading the project in directions that weren’t initially envisioned.
Created for a Burr Ridge family with deep Indian culinary traditions, the home pairs two distinct but connected spaces: a light, welcoming main kitchen designed for gathering and entertaining, and a highly functional spice kitchen equipped for the heat, aromas and demands of everyday cooking. The goal was never simply to fit two kitchens into one home. It was to give each space its own purpose and personality while making them work naturally together.
A Project That Continues to Earn Recognition
Earlier this year, “Two Kitchens, One Home” earned Bronze for Best Kitchen Over $250,000 in the 2026 Kitchen & Bath Design Awards.
The project was also selected as one of just 43 professional finalists worldwide in the most recent Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove Kitchen Design Contest, chosen from approximately 1,500 entries representing 10 countries and 42 U.S. states.
Each recognition comes from a different group of industry professionals and a different judging process. For the Drury Design team, seeing the same project resonate with judges more than once makes the recognition especially meaningful.
Another Master Design Awards Finalist
The 2026 Master Design Awards brought a second honor for Gladys as well.
Her Barrington Hills Pool House was named a Finalist in the Detached Structure category.
The project may look familiar to readers of Kitchen & Bath Design News. The pool house appeared on the cover of the magazine’s May 2026 issue and was featured in a story, along with other Drury Design projects, exploring outdoor bar and entertaining spaces.
More to Come From the Burr Ridge Home
Returning to the home behind “Two Kitchens, One Home,” the award-winning kitchens aren’t the end of the story. Gladys has continued working with the homeowner and her family, designing additional spaces throughout their Burr Ridge home. We’re looking forward to photographing those rooms and sharing the ideas, details and stories behind them in the months ahead.
For now, we’re grateful to the Qualified Remodeler Master Design Awards judges for the Gold recognition and perfect score — and especially grateful to homeowner and her family for trusting Gladys and the Drury Design team to help shape a home around the way they cook, gather and live.