Five San Diego County homes are about to throw open their kitchen and bathroom doors to strangers with tape measures and Pinterest boards. The 2026 NKBA San Diego Kitchen & Bath Tour runs Saturday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., letting ticket holders wander through newly remodeled spaces in Chula Vista, La Mesa, Kensington and Scripps Ranch at their own pace.
The self-guided format and the Oct. 10 date were confirmed by the San Diego Union-Tribune, which reports that designers and participating industry partners will be on hand to talk through the design process, materials, products and the challenges each project presented. The tour showcases kitchens and bathrooms in five private residences, according to the NKBA San Diego chapter, which organizes the event and describes the lineup as featuring five exceptional homes.
Registered attendees start the day at Artisan West Appliance, where they pick up the official Kitchen & Bath Tour Magazine before heading out to the homes. Per the NKBA San Diego chapter, that guide provides details on each residence, its design vision and the products featured inside. The program and addresses themselves aren't handed out until after registration, the chapter notes.
Who Designed What, and Where
The La Mesa stop features a kitchen remodel by Madelene Ross and Kimberly Melchior of KJMDesign, while Ross also designed a separate bathroom remodel for the Chula Vista home on the tour, according to the seed facts behind the Union-Tribune's report. In Kensington, Sherrie Pantalon designed the kitchen remodel, and over in Scripps Ranch, John De Luca and Mary Jennings of Remodel Works Bath & Kitchen handled that home's kitchen project.
Across all five stops, the tour homes feature custom cabinetry, statement islands, luxury appliances, plumbing fixtures, distinctive surfaces and lighting. The NKBA San Diego chapter frames the broader project goals as spaces centered around family, accessibility, functionality and connection — the kind of language that shows up increasingly in residential design circles, not just in San Diego.
Why the Chapter Keeps Doing This
NKBA San Diego chapter president Elizabeth Leahy said the tour lets homeowners see exceptional design up close, discover new products and materials, and meet the professionals behind the work, per the Union-Tribune's report. Leahy added that walking through a finished space reveals its scale, materials and function in a way that photos can't, often sparking ideas visitors can bring home to their own projects.
The event is pitched broadly: the NKBA chapter says it's meant for homeowners planning their next project, students expanding their design knowledge, or industry professionals looking to connect with the local design and remodeling community. That mirrors the format of a similar 2023 self-guided tour presented by the San Diego chapters of ASID and NKBA, which featured 12 newly remodeled homes across the county, according to KPBS. That earlier tour charged $30 for advance tickets and $35 day-of, per the same report.
Tickets and Logistics
This year's general admission ticket costs $50, while NKBA San Diego members pay $40, with tickets sold through Zeffy, the Union-Tribune reports. The chapter pitches the day as a chance to gather inspiration for renovation planning and future projects, geared toward anyone with a genuine interest in residential design — not just those with a remodel already on the calendar.
