I recently returned from the annual Kitchen and Bath trade show.  In addition to visiting the New American Home showhouse (which you can see here), I learned about all the latest trends in kitchen and bath design and got a preview of the new products coming to market from all the manufacturers.

KBIS runs concurrently with the International Builder Show each year and the two are intermixed so it is a huuuuuge show with 117,000 attendees, more than 2400 exhibitors, and over one million square feet of indoor and outdoor exhibit space to explore (that is the equivalent of 17+ football fields?!). 

That is a LOT to see!  Of course some of the booths are so creative and beautifully designed they are an art form all by themselves.  But several trends stood out to me.

Grab a cup of your favorite beverage and join me on a tour of some of the trends I observed!

Color and Texture

Vibrant color was an obvious element at many many of the exhibits.  And not just the cabinetry, though there were plenty of colors in that - appliances, too, appeared in any number of patterns and colors, and appliance hardware options have even jumped on the color bandwagon.

Plumbing fixtures have branched out with some colorful options in addition to a broad range of metallics and neutrals

You can truly “choose your own adventure” and express your personality.

Cafe appliances always has one of the most intriguing exhibits and this year was no exception with it’s eye-popping colors and patterns.  

GE Monogram had personalization on display with appliances masquerading as art

LG is offering a line of appliances with colorful choices for handles, and a refrigerator with programmable color changing panels that cycle to create whatever mood you want.

And Smeg has a line of novelty appliances large and small, from refrigerators to drink coolers shaped like a car hood!

High end appliances are available in all sorts of colors!

Luxury backyard grilling appliances were realized in fun colors too!

Colorful plumbing fixtures were everywhere too

Green green and more green at Kohler…

…pretty sure I threw away a toilet this sage color back in the 80’s 😂, but as they say, everything cycles back (please God, keep harvest gold out of circulation in my lifetime…)

Artistry and personality is always evident in the beautiful Thompson vessel sinks

Reeding and fluting are still a popular motif too. 

Metals have been transformed into interesting textures like these fabulous brass mesh door panel inserts that come in a variety of finishes and designs, and this stunning geometric textured copper backsplash at Thompson Traders

Matte finishes

While color has been coming on for a while in the higher end appliances, matte finishes is a newer trend that I saw in both appliances and plumbing fixtures.

These matte finish refrigerators are available in several colors

Matte tubs are a quieter alternative to the shiny porcelain finishes

Matte white faucets are a new introduction at Kohler

Even matte white hardware is emerging with this trend

And matte white finishes in lighting, which may have been the catalyst for this trend as they’ve been around a few years now, have been gaining momentum as well.

Technology is always trending

Nearly all lines are offering induction cooking options.

New efficient all-in-one washer/dryer makes it possible to squeeze a laundry into almost any space.  A great addition to a primary bedroom walk-in closet or a butlers pantry. 

Home robot helpers like LG’s Q9 AI robot can operate as a smart home hub, mobile sentry, and companion doing everything from mopping floors to suggesting recipes.  It can learn and converse.  It’s also quite cute.  And if it can do tech support and taxes I might marry it. 😂

The freepower wireless counter charging station won best of show and can be embedded under natural stone, engineered stone, or wood countertops.  

A 5.5” x 9” halo of light shines through to show you the charging window (it can be turned off too) and you can charge multiple Qi enabled devices at a time with it.  When it’s off, it’s just countertop, when it’s on, you can charge your phone or AirPods.

I’m not generally a new technology gadgets ‘early adopter’ - I like to wait a few product cycles to see what sticks and what improves before investing, but I love this direction for technology. A world without charging cables? Sign me up!

LED technology is improving every day with flexible color temperature lights that more accurately mimic incandescent bulbs.  Lutron was demoing their Ketra Circadian rhythm programmable lighting that subtly shifts to match the quality and temperature of the outdoor light throughout the day in a tiny home tour.

In addition to this, they offer industry leading fixtures with tunable white light to control for vibrancy or different colors …an instagram filter for your home IRL.  Lighting technology is so fascinating!

Integrated LED’s allow for far more flexibility in lighting design as this cascading acrylic chandelier light shows. The bars holding each freeform fabric-like sheet of acrylic house tiny integrated light bulbs that softly illuminate each whole sheet for an indirect luminous effect.

Natural materials and organic shapes

There is something so life-giving about organic materials and that connection to nature.

There are now so many choices for light fixtures featuring wood or wicker elements

Unexpected uses of wood are a nice way to soften traditionally metal items - like the ebony wood elements in this chandelier or these wooden faucet handles.

Another trend? Gorgeous metals in organic shapes like this AILA sink that debuted at KBIS.  This beautiful solid copper vessel sink was designed by Leslie Carothers using AI on the midjourney platform and created by the artisans at Thompson Traders

There was so much more at KBIS and I still have hundred of photos to go through, so I’m sure I’ll be sharing more discoveries in the coming weeks!

Other posts from Design Construction Week:

The New American Home 2024 Showhouse Tour

Trending tile designs 2024