The place to find the new trends is at the annual national Kitchen and Bath trade show which just took place in Las Vegas. And while I didn’t get the chance to go, I have been following it vicariously through all my designer friends who did! Here are several trends I saw based on the images they have been posting and the buzz from the KBIS official instagram account! KBIS, by the way, stands for Kitchen and Bath Industry Show, and vendors from cabinet, appliance, plumbing and dozens of other related companies all display their latest and greatest offerings in spectacularly elaborate temporary displays.
The biggest story? COLOR
After a decade of white kitchens with a smattering of off white and now gray, cabinet and appliance companies (and magazine editors!) are craving color. While neutral kitchens will always remain a timeless classic, there are a lot of new, exciting options. This years displays saw an abundance of rich, saturated colors in cabinetry, appliances, tile, and even faucets!
One of the most prevalent colors, by all indications, seems to be green - no surprise there - green is nature’s neutral and play’s well with so many other colors. Check out THIS post we did on decorating with green.
One of the most photographed things at the show was this emerald green crackle tile.
The image below is a better shot of the saturated teal cabinet color. Notice the mix of stainless steel appliances with a brass backsplash and brass cabinet hardware, and copper and brass accessories? THIS post has more tips on successfully mixing metal finishes.
Blue was well represented too - from deep navy to bright blue to a dusty wedgewood. If you are a blue fan, you can find 10 foolproof blue paint colors and in THIS post.
Want a little Smeg artistic flair without the commitment to a major appliance? How about these Dolce and Gabbana small appliances?
Perhaps the most interesting thing with broad appeal were the new matte white and matte black appliances from the Café Applicances by GE. These appear in the images above with the kelly green cabinets and the bark navy cabinets. I predict this series is going to be a smashing success for it’s great design versatility and attainable price point. You can even choose from different metal finishes for the knobs and handles.
Not for everyone for sure, but this Medallion cabinetry is pretty in pink
Color was not confined to cabinetry and appliances either. At Grohe even the faucets come in a rainbow of colors.
Metallic finishes on faucets and plumbing fixtures ranged from the classic chrome, stainless and nickel finishes to the newer brass, brushed gold, rose gold and copper tones. Unsurprisingly, brass and gold toned plumbing fixtures were prevalent like these beautiful ones from Brizo.
In addition to the usual metallics, there was this fascinating new ombre design from Kohler. Perfect for the indecisive, or couples who need to reach a compromise?! These transition from one finish on the spout to a different finish by the time it reaches the handles.
While these are probably not a good bet for design longevity, they are a great unique design statement and one that is much easier to change down the road than say, tile!
While you can get a vibrant purple Kohler claw foot tub, apparently, that’s probably not your wisest investment unless you are planning to live in your house forever.
Classic is always in style and this bathroom with a classic claw foot tub from Kallista was a popular photo op at the show - there are a zillion pictures of different people in that tub! And shouldn’t every bathroom be big enough to bowl in and have a fireplace??
XO,
Janet
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