Kitchens From KBIS09

I always love to look at kitchen displays at KBIS, naturally. It's a study in trends and an attempt to interpret where the looks are coming from, what is the message of the style. 

The message this year was one of diversity, appreciation of wood, deep, rich browns, the occasional black, but neutrals as a rule. Soft modern design, yes, and where traditional design was seen, the lines are ever cleaner than in recent years. 

The shift is toward simple, classic, classic modern, or a green theme as seen in the Jenn Air booth, designed by Fu Tung Cheng, always an inspiration. The name of the exhibitor can be seen when the mouse hovers over the small image. Is an Asian theme creeping into the 2009 design consciousness? I did get that sense.

But diversity and choice is king, that's for sure. I've witnessed THAT concept, as more and more manufacturers are widening their product lines to incorporate modern styling, if they were previously traditional, to cover more bases. One example, is the introduction of numerous Rohl products in a modern theme.

KBIS Product Sightings

Here are more (and no quick 1-2-3 roundup for me-too much to show you) truly fabulous finds that I'd like to share with you.

And, for the uninitiated...here's how I handle the products from KBIS. I'm not in a rush. Over several weeks' time, maybe months, I'll be bringing you products that I have found at KBIS that need to be noticed. Some will be newly introduced, some will already be in a product line for some time but deserve to be brought to the forefront. It is not only new products that should be mentioned!

First up is Texas Lightsmith, a little booth way at the end of the convention center in no man's land (that's where many of the best exhibitors are, scrunched together in a bunch of aisles).

Texas Lightsmith manufacturers lots of things - sinks, hoods, metal panels for cabinet door inserts, lighting, and more. I loved this display for apron sinks, but I'm sure these patterns can be used for other purposes.

Being a bit more of a modern girl myself, I particularly like the third up from the bottom.

Kohler's new stunning (I've been using that word quite a bit during this show) finish, Vibrant Moderne Gold, really took my breath away. You can find it on a variety of products, even on the very sexy Karbon faucet.

Blanco, one of my favorite "no brainer" sink recommendations, has just come out with Silgranite II. What you are looking at in the image is a Blanco representative simply wiping off the metal shavings from the fork that I used to try to sratch (VERY hard) the surface. The material already had one whole day of people taking out their frustrations ahead of me. I saw zero wear. Get this sink.

It's funny because my husband and I also talked about a motorized flat panel TV lift...and there it was at KBIS by Hafele! It holds up to a 27" tv and disappears via remote control. Our use for something like that was going to be in our otherwise lovely breakfast room which my husband, anyway (I don't care) wanted this type of mechanism, which would take the tv up into the attic.

Funny ha-ha or funny hmmm?

I was REALLY surprised when I saw this new remote-controlled prototype mechanism at the Rev-A-Shelf booth on Saturday. In fact, I couldn't believe it!

I wrote to Rev-A-Shelf in December 2007 to ask if my idea for a strictly vertical shelf-lowering mechanism was something they could think of putting into their line, as I thought it would be very useful for everyone, not just me.

Here's an email I sent a month or two later, after Rev-A-Shelf asked me for more details, and I think I must have sent my original email into their website comment box.

From:Susan Serra, CKD [mailto:sserrackd@gmail.com]
Sent:Wednesday, January 16, 2008 3:49 PM
To:Ward, Kevin
Subject:Re:
Kevin, I believe I gave some information on dimensions, but if I didn't, I will again. First, take a look at my blog:http://www.thekitchendesigner.org/journal/2008/1/14/the-kitchen-walls-came-down-my-apartment-remodel.html Look at the oven/refrigerator wall since it's been opened up. I will be getting a smaller refrigerator, a sub zero, built in. The microwave will go away from that spot. I'll be getting high end appliances. I'll have about 54" in width between the wall and the refrigerator. I want that 54" to be perfectly flat, one material, no cabinet doors, just something decorative. The hood I will get will be like this, very minimalistic to keep this sleek theme:http://www.faberonline.com/cristalhc.html I'll end up having around 24" in width between the new refrigerator and the hood. Since I'll have no doors, I'd like some sort of storage solution that will sit up in that area, able to be pulled STRAIGHT down and back up again, of course, as easily as possible. I think this could be a very innovative design and storage solution.

The response I received from the Product Development Manager was that they currently do not make anything like this. I knew that. And, here is what I saw at the show. I mean, I can't help but wonder!

 

First Product Roundup at Kbis 09

There are always neat discoveries to make at KBIS, always. Without further ado, take a look at some images of some wonderful new finds. These are the first of a bunch of products I'm going to share with you, outside of products I've already showcased on Twitter: 

Distressed copper hood by J.Tribble below:

Terra Aqua, fabulous sinks, below:

Look at these appliance handles by Vincenza, below: 

New to the industry! Lansen sinks flush edge with solid surface material, below:

KBIS 09 Impressions

Just back from KBIS and I'd like to share a few impressions. I've gone to KBIS for 18 or 19 years (I'll assume 18) which gives me an interesting perspective.

My first observation was "hmmm", when I asked the hotel clerk at the Omni, across from the Atlanta convention center, on Friday, if I could add a night if we wanted and he said, sure, they have rooms available. I thought that was odd for that hotel in that location to have rooms available.

My first stop on Saturday was the press room. Here, I was very surprised at what I saw. There were many empty boxes (freestanding shelving with square openings on both sides for press kits.) There were far fewer press kits than at previous shows. Strikingly so.

The difference was felt on the show floor too. Far fewer attendees. Perhaps by close to half. Far fewer exhibitors. No question. The exhibits were smaller. There were fewer events, cooking demonstrations, fewer fabulous exhibits. The whole show was a huge step backward, at least in regard to glamour and excitement, which, after all is fun to be around. The high energy in the air was gone. It felt like a Monday morning rather than a Saturday night! It was a vastly different show than last year or any recent year.

I think the party's over. I think one must take one's medicine, keep a stiff upper lip, carry on and all that.

That was my next feeling after absorbing the contrast of last year vs. this year. So what? This year's show should be considered an anomaly, and that's ok.

The companies who were not there made the right decision for their company, since I'm sure finances were the reason they were not at the show. That's being responsible, and hopefully, when they recover, they will again come to KBIS in a stronger position all around, having cut the fat from their expenses, product lines, whatever. That's a good thing.

It's also good for the companies who exhibited at the show. With less people at the show, there was more time to form relationships and explain their products, which probably meant a better show than in years past. And, it was easier to get their products noticed by attendees and media.

It also made the show much more manageable for attendees. I certainly did not see a shortage of innovation or creativity, and I'll talk more about that this week.

But, I sure did miss the "glam" part of KBIS. Such a pity...