HACKETTSTOWN, NJ -- The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) is proud to announce that it has served as the professional resource for kitchen safety and planning in this year’s HGTV Dream Home 2012.

A 4,000-square-foot modern Western ranch house has been constructed outside of picturesque Park City, Utah, and HGTV adhered to the NKBA’s kitchen planning guidelines with access standards, in creating sound, high-functioning, and enduring spaces.

The 31 Kitchen Planning Guidelines cover all areas of the room, some of which include the work triangle traffic, seating clearance, dishwasher placement and cooking surface ventilation, to oven landing area, electrical receptacles and lighting.

“We are proud to continue our relationship with HGTV, and offer the NKBA Kitchen & Bath Planning Guidelines as a respected industry resource in the creation of functional and sound kitchen and bath spaces,” said Certified Kitchen Designer Alan W. Zielinski, 2012 NKBA President. “The NKBA is honored to be part of this exceptional project.”

Each year over the past 16 years, HGTV has selected a new location as the site for the HGTV Dream Home House Planner Jack Thomasson has headed up a team of experts that construct the home over the course of only six months. Each home is featured on HGTV.com through periodic blog updates, time lapse photos and video chronicling the exterior progress of the project.

Entrants have the opportunity to enter twice daily – once on HGTV.com and once on FrontDoor.com through February 17, 2012, at 5 p.m. ET, with the entry period having launched on December 30, 2011.

Now that the home is completed and HGTV Dream Home Interior Designer Linda Woodrum has put her finishing touches on the interior and exterior spaces, the NKBA is proud to add its seal of approval on the kitchen that was constructed with the incorporation of NKBA-generated planning and safety guidelines. Additionally, the NKBA is glad for the opportunity to continue the relationship with HGTV and House Planner Jack Thomasson, who spoke at the NKBA’s Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) in 2010, and served as a judge for the Best of KBIS Awards at KBIS 2011. “Knowing that our kitchen adhered to NKBA guidelines gave us the assurance that our kitchen was well planned, safe and accessible, in addition to being beautiful,” confirmed Thomasson.