KBIS 2022 with Designhounds
How did I get so lucky? In the beginning of Fall 2021, I received an email from the one and only Veronika Miller of Modenus Media welcoming me as one of the Designhounds that would be heading over to KBIS 2022! I’ve been in the design industry for quite some time now but this was my first trip to the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show. This is North America’s largest trade showcasing all things of course kitchen and bath. From what I’ve heard about 70 thousand visitors showed up and there was over a thousand booths this year at KBIS & International Builder Show (IBS) which was held together during this Design & Construction week at the beginning of February. I always try to follow the trends and product innovations virtually but there’s nothing like it when attending in person. Thanks to our sponsors Compac, Nobilia, Mr. Steam, KBIS, Signature Kitchen Suite and The NKBA we were able to have private tours & events, attend amazing talks and had the privilege to judge Design Bites. To learn more about our sponsors and their products, read on!
the designhounds
I was so honored to be chosen among 14 other very talented designers from other states. Not only was this a special inaugural trip to KBIS for me but it was my first industry show since pre pandemic times. I was excited to see my fellow designers/designhounds in person and to walk the show floor and see hundreds of exhibitors/products in person.
Kicking it off
The first evening I had the opportunity to meet the other designhounds in person and to kick off our time together at KBIS during a cocktail hour outdoors at the Hilton Orlando pool. It was a chilly evening but filled with great conversation and the excitement of finally meeting each other in real life. We had done some events with our sponsors virtually but seeing Martha of Mr. Steam just quickly put a smile on my face and I look forward to the Mr. Steam virtual Spa night coming up in March. I spent the evening chatting with my fellow designhounds by a fire pit and was enjoying the lovely and timely gift of a soft warm robe from Mr. Steam.
Mr. Steam
Mr. Steam seems to have gotten it right. It is definitely a product I would highly recommend as it’s all about Wellness. There are so many health benefits to using a steam shower. It helps to relieve stress, may relieve allergies, promotes better sleep, cleanses and hydrates skin, improves performance, improves circulation, prepares the body for relief from temporary joint pain and discomfort and much more. Click here for the many benefits of steam. It sure is a wellness product that gets the thumbs up from me.
Mr. Steam’s mission statement “Be Healthy. Live Happy. Feel Good…With Steamtherapy” says it all! What I love about their steam showers is that fact that you can also add aromatherapy as well as use chromatherapy and musictherapy to bring that healing into your body and soul. They have an amazing blog full of articles on wellness and of course all things steam therapy. Check it out!
Signature Kitchen Suite
Signature Kitchen Suite offers a full line of luxury, built-in appliances. They offer the industry’s only built-in sous vide range. And their 5 day Repair Promise is just astounding, making sure their clients don’t miss out on freshly prepared meals at home. SKS has a lot to offer in terms of beautiful appliances but the talk of the town at KBIS was the new 48” French door refrigerator. I love their True to Food™ philosophy and the pursuit of innovative tech and culinary passion that just makes me want to get up and start cooking. The gorgeous SKS kitchen appliances certainly will make an inspired chef out of any of us and provides the right tools needed to make healthy and delicious at home meals a pleasant experience.
Nobilia
Did you guys know that every time you move into a new place in Germany you have to bring your own kitchen? I’m always amazed by that when I speak to my cousins and it must be the inspiration behind the idea of Kitchen as Furniture at Nobilia. I love that the company has been family owned for 70 years and I love the concept for more movable, flexible kitchen furniture. They’re the world’s largest manufacturer of kitchen furniture but for me what’s important is that if offers ultimate flexibility and integration of features that allow more efficiency and comfort. I loved learning that it’s internationally recognized for its environmental practices as well. And the company also offers flexible solutions for all living spaces in the home with sleek modular furniture offering a modern look & feel which certainly speaks to my design taste.
Compac
Compac unveiled its new Technological Terrazzo, a material that has been reinvented to expand into all kinds of applications. Their team developed a new formula allowing to use Terrazzo for outdoor use and heavy traffic areas. What’s most important to point out is that the company has developed new technologies in regard to responsible production. The materials that are produced use 100% renewable electric energy and they reuse more than 98% of the water in their production process. And I’m loving the beautiful Technological Quartz that the company offers. It has the appearance and feel of natural quartz but has a better performance thanks to its high resistance and is suitable for kitchen countertops, floors, walls and other indoor surfaces that have to withstand intensive use. And it comes in so many beautiful colors and patterns. Truly a piece of art for the home.
NKBA Global Connect
The NKBA Global Connect is the global connector for the kitchen and bath industry. How fascinating it was to see brands from around the world presenting and sharing their products with us. I found it truly of significance to see a program devoted to making connections in the industry with companies from different parts of the globe and bringing them over to the US. I hope there will be more and more connections within the design industry allowing us the opportunity to learn about brands unfamiliar to us on this side of the globe. If we can all learn from each other and incorporate ideas from around the world then the design world can only benefit from this type of global design connectedness.
Hi. I'm Marina. I'm a NY State certified interior designer and certified Feng Shui practitioner.
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DESIGNHOUNDS
TOP TEN
So honored to have been part of this special Designhounds KBIS 10th anniversary tour. Stay tuned for my next post where I will share my top 10 product selections from KBIS. Thank you Modenus Media for selecting me as a designhound.
The New American Home
The New American Home is where we celebrated Designhounds 10th anniversary tour. From the moment we walked in we were all wowed by the product selections and the design details of this home which was created for the International Builders Show. Each year a new show home is created to show advancements in home building and to demonstrate performance and energy efficiency.
The home was not only aesthetically pleasing thanks to it’s countless eye catching details but reading about the importance of energy efficiency and air quality on The New American Home website made the home even more special “The home is expected to achieve net-zero status and Emerald-level certification from the National Green Building Standard. It will also earn certification from ENERGY STAR, Indoor airPLUS, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Home Program.”
I loved the very prevalent indoor-outdoor connection and how most of the rooms looked out into the courtyard allowing for an abundance of light as well as the outdoor roof deck allowing more connectivity to the outdoors. A job well done!
that’s a wrap
Thank you for coming along on part 1 of my KBIS journey with me. Please feel free to add comments below. Can’t wait to read them all. Head on over to part 2 where I share my Top Ten finds at KBIS.