ABOUT KBIS
I recently returned from KBIS, the Kitchen and Bath trade show which runs in conjunction with the International Builders Show and features, between the two shows, 800,000 sq feet of exhibit space spread over the sprawling Orlando convention center and 1000+ vendors including 85 global brands. Attendees numbered around 70,000, so I had a lot of company!
My hotel room did not spark joy. When will I learn? I chose it for the convenient location, not for the amenities.
I *may* have set off the smoke detector in the room when I turned on the heater to get the temperature up from arctic levels. Apparently no one has ever turned on the heater before, or maybe only penguins have stayed here…it is close to Sea World….
Advertised as including a fully equipped kitchen…and we use all of those terms loosely….If by fully equipped they meant a fluorescent light illuminating the barf colored speckled laminate counter, okay maybe. Choices were made… It was very much NOT like the inspiring kitchens at KBIS!
And the promised ‘equipment’ required a call and a trek to the front desk to retrieve a pan and a mug and spoon before I could make a cup of tea. At least it was clean.
It also came with in-room entertainment in the form of a cranky toddler in the next room that had a bedtime tantrum on schedule every evening with a round of screaming and slamming into the wall for what seemed like an eternity…I’m sure it seemed like a lot longer to the poor parent on duty.
Aside from the interesting accommodations, it was a very busy week with a LOT of walking - I clocked between 5 and 6 miles a day just navigating the show! But cooking demos that shared the tasty proceeds at the appliance vendors, seminars and celebrations with treats and cocktails, and even a whole barista set-up at one vendor (thank you Pfister!) kept us fed and happily caffeinated!
EMERGING TRENDS
Here are the 4 things that I saw trending
Color and Finishes
Just like at High Point Furniture Market, color was everywhere! From pastel candy colored toilets (the 60’s and 70’s called and they want their toilets back?!…) and colorful bathtubs and sinks,
Gorgeous botanical sinks at Kohler
to colorful options in appliances,
Fun retro fridge at Smeg
as well as cabinetry, and cabinet hardware, it is easy to add some personalization with color and pattern.
The ultimate grand millennial kitchen is pretty in pink in this GE appliance display
Saturated cabinet colors in everything from pastel green to bright fuchsia to deep navy were in evidence, along with a strong showing of natural wood toned cabinets paired with moody colors and warmer stone surfaces edging out the historically popular white.
Natural wood upper cabinets with hammered copper inserts paired with dark painted lower cabinets at Wellborn
Dramatic black was a BIG theme. It showed up in cabinets, plumbing fixtures, porcelain and stone surfacing, and hardware. And it was often paired with gold. Matte black was popular for faucets from nearly every vendor and showed up in appliance finishes and hardware as well.
matte black and gold faucet at Pfister
Gorgeous custom metal fabrications in countless colors and textures are available for tubs, sinks, and range hoods.
Gorgeous nickel and brass console sink from the new Quintana collection at Thompson Traders
Stunning marble mosaic tile patterns incorporated mirror or metal for a touch of glamour.
Personalization
Inspiration and creativity abounded at the iconic displays at Monogram featuring refrigerators clad in wood slices, cabinetry with cane and mirror panels, doors wrapped in suede and nailheads and wood and leather wrapped appliance handles. Practical? Maybe not, but totally unique and a reflection of the increased consumer demand for personalized spaces.
Cabinets faced in cane and mirror give the illusion of an island with legs in this Monogram Appliance display
And at Cafe, hanging disco ball pendants, colorful wall coverings and, in probably the most photographed space at the show, dramatic black cabinetry paired with vivid tile in multi-green hues.
Cafe appliances disco fun kitchen
Open shelving continues to be popular with fabulous bistro shelving options in traditional brass and chrome as well as gorgeous iron options. Shelf and peg brackets range from contemporary streamlined systems to more decorative forged metals.
Cafe Appliances display in a black and green kitchen
A variety of surfacing options, cabinet/furniture legs, magnificent and creative hardware, and a lot of different textures in metal, wood, woven woods, and glass make completely personalized details possible.
Cooking Innovations
We saw counters with ingenious built in gas burners from Pitt for a beautiful seamless cooktop,
gas burners integrated into any counter from Pitt
and new completely smooth countertops that double as induction cooking surfaces from Cooking Surface Prime at ABKStone. This creates an invisible cooktop that is simply more uninterrupted counter surface when not in use! I expect this idea will take off, especially for smaller, city kitchens where space is at a premium.
Induction cooking is gaining in popularity for both safety - the cooking surface never heats up - and for the precise control formerly only available in gas. Induction is extremely efficient and nearly every manufacturer is now offering induction cooking options.
Wellness and Sustainability
At Beko, We saw a refrigerator that keeps your food fresher and maintains nutrients longer - with produce drawers that expel the ethylene gas that speeds decay - lettuce can apparently live here for 30 day without turning into a scary science experiment - better nutrition and less waste!
Cleaning advances have made for more efficient and effective dishwasher configurations at Beko with a system that gets water to all the corners and a power zone for higher pressure cleaning. And truly touchless (you don’t even need to tap them) faucets at Kohler eliminate surface germs.
Kohler touchless faucet in gold and black
Hydroponic garden systems for the kitchen, both freestanding and built-in options, are available so you can grow many of your own herbs and vegetables (or flowers) year round in these foolproof appliances - all automated so even I could grow them! Okay, you can buy a LOT of lettuce for the price of some of these, but the cost has been coming down and the options are on the rise. And what a luxury to have the deliciousness and nutrition of fresh picked produce available on demand!
There are SO many choices when it comes to kitchen and bath design! Don’t default to same-old, same-old…choose innovation and personalization that will bring you joy for years to come!
The MOST fun drink cooler from Smeg
