TAFE SA interior design student Tao Zou has won a national award for her bathroom design – a reimagining of her family home’s ensuite.

Tao’s light-filled design with subtle colour combinations and luxurious finishes was named the winner of the Student Design category at this year’s national Kitchen and Bathroom Designers Institute (KBDi) Awards.

“I’m excited and extremely happy about the award, it feels amazing. It’s nice to be acknowledged by my peers” she says.

Tao has spent nearly a decade working as a 3D visualiser in the building industry, creating immersive presentations from architectural plans and illustrations.

The experience has inspired her to study interior design and gain the skills to create physical spaces that “people can find a sense of joy in”.

Tao says she is enjoying her TAFE SA studies, especially site visits to display homes and other areas of industry, and she appreciates the expertise of her lecturers.

Her winning bathroom design (pictured below), initially prepared for a class assignment, has an emphasis on light and includes glass bricks to increase natural light while maintaining privacy and concealed LED strips to brighten dark spaces.

“The functionality of the space is essential however, colour and lighting are the first things that people notice in a room,” she explains.

Tao’s design pairs soft pink mosaic wall tiles with patterned floor tiles for warmth and visual interest. A blue door and accessories provide contrast, while vintage copper fixtures act as “jewellery for the bathroom”.

“Overall, the redesign elevates the bathroom from a functional but outdated space into a modern, airy, and visually striking interior,’ she says.

“It optimises the sense of space with frameless partitions and floating elements, and introduces textures, colours, and finishes that feel current and uplifting while improving ease of use and maintenance.

“I hope people see a level of playfulness and sophistication in my design.”

A finalist in last year’s KBDi Awards and Dulux Colour Awards, Tao says she used the experience as motivation to improve on her work for 2025 and make her submission as “perfect as I can”.

TAFE SA graduate Melanie Whittlesea was proud to have her sanctuary-style laundry design named a national finalist in the Student Design category of this year’s KBDi Awards.

Melanie created the design for a class assignment, inspired by the client brief for an open-plan space with dark opulent and jewel-like colours.

The laundry’s sanctuary feel is achieved with lots of natural light, a colour combination drawn from nature and materials that bring a sense of calm despite the function of the room.

“At one end is a floating corner seat with a hanging rail on the wall in the corner. I wanted to create a relaxation space with large floor-to-ceiling windows to integrate the inside with the outside and harness the sunlight for drying clothes,” she says.

Melanie, who is an external student based near Bordertown in the state’s upper South East, has been balancing family and work commitments while studying two qualifications at TAFE SA; the Diploma of Interior Design, which she has recently completed, and the Diploma of Building Design.

“Both courses complement each other and aspects of design overlap within the industry,” says Melanie, who was also a finalist in last year’s KBDi Awards in the Large Bathroom Design category and a student finalist in the BDAA 2024 Building Design Awards in 2024 for a residential building design.

“For me it’s important to be part of competitions such as the KBDI Awards as it is a way to see what others in the industry are designing and creating,” she says.

“I find it is a good way to benchmark my designs and to see how they are received and fit within the industry.”

TAFE SA had nine students shortlisted for the national KBDi Awards. In addition to Tao and Melanie, the finalists were:

• Vivienne Wei
• Emoke Beres
• Aishwarya Mishra
• Suzanne Phillips
• Jessica Trethewey-Beriman
• Yang Tian
• Daria Kalyna
  

Their designs can be viewed on the KBDi website.