Can we just talk about KBIS 2023 for a second? WOW! The largest kitchen and bath conference in the world brought their A game this year.
We saw color, we saw innovation, and most of all, we had in-person connections and conversations like we haven’t in years. You could feel the excitement and energy in the crowd. Even the tired faces amongst the crowd were all so upbeat and positive. It was truly a rejuvenating experience! So much so that I’m already looking at hotels to book for next year!
KBBOnline reported, “DCW’s total attendance was comprised of 40,000 KBIS attendees and nearly 70,000 IBS attendees. Design & Construction Week 2023 attendees visited more than 1,800 exhibitors showcasing the latest housing products across about 1 million net square feet of exhibit space.”
There were some incredible exhibits this year that brought a crowd due to their innovative kitchen and bath products, or the vibrant colors we’ve all been asking for for the past decade!
There was eye candy around every corner, but here are some photos of my favorite exhibitors:
Monogram was an exquisite experience! From the architectural design to the scent and playlist, creative director Richard T. Anuszkiewicz’s attention to detail was truly a highlight of the show.
In his own words:
Thank you for the demo, Mimi Goldsmith!
Café brought the engagement with 4 “Instagram-able” displays and included a selfie camera. First of all, marketing genius! Secondly, the showcases were pretty interesting as well. They each featured bold color, shiny metals, and of course, beautiful appliances.
Signature Kitchen Suites and LG also had some new products this year that are not only beautiful, but functional in any home. I really loved the 2 different height LG Tiiun. It boasts automated watering, climate control, and air circulation for a variety of plants, flowers, herbs and greens.
As a notorious plant killer, this would be my savior for fresh herbs, starting a garden, and other spring flowers. Available in both a small and larger size, this is perfect for both city and full-size home living.
SKS refrigeration is so innovative and functional.
Thanks for showing us this stunning panel ready, 4 drawer, 2 door fridge Jamie the Cabinet Nerd!
Smeg always brings a breath of fresh air with their stunning colors and vintage look! Their retro appliances are showstoppers in any home from the refrigerators to the countertop products – choose your color and make a statement!
Claire Jefford and I went around and used the Colordata EZ color reader to gather color direction from many different things that caught our attention at market. What it does is it reads the color on a surface (cabinet, counter, appliance, wall, etc.) and on your phone you tell the app which paint collection you’d like to see similar matches to. I typically specify Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore as my collection decks. From there it makes suggestions based on the color it reads on the product’s surface. Then you can pull the color from your deck and use your professional designer eye to get a more accurate color selection – but this tool gets you right in the ballpark quickly.
We like to do this at trade shows because when you get home you may not be able to remember the color as accurately, but with this you have a picture of the item from the showroom and a few colors that you can pull from your decks at home to have a more accurate depiction of the product than from your memory. This is great with items you can get samples for, or eyes on locally when specifying for your clients.
If we don’t talk about the Kohler toilets and sinks I think I might burst! For Kohlers sesquicentennial anniversary (that’s 150 years), they brought back 3 limited edition vintage product lines and asked the design community to vote on their favorites!
The winners were Peachblow and Spring Green – GOOD choices if you ask me! I think they are the least traumatizing and can be worked into a lot of modern designs. I’m going to be honest, if Avocado won I’m sure there would have been a lot of buzz around that.
Here were the top vintage retro colors and boy did they make a pretty rainbow when displayed together!
Color was BOLD this year, but also the absence of color was just as much of a statement.
Jason Wu for Brizo’s white fixture collection would make for a stunning accent in an otherwise colorful or warm space. This really got my attention, just thinking about the possibilities!
The beautiful thing about the show this year is that everyone could finally connect in-person with colleagues and friends that we have met virtually over the past couple of years. I hope to see you all at Spring HPMKT and if not, see you at KBIS ‘24. Can’t wait to see next year’s innovations. Be sure to check out 12 Interior Design Trade Shows You Need to Attend so you don’t miss out on all the market fun this year!
*This blog may contain affiliate links. The writer of this blog may receive a small commission for referring an item that we love to our designer community.
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Jenna Gaidusek is the Director of Education & Community at Mydoma, and formally the founder of eDesign U, the largest virtual school for continued eDesign business education.
As a practicing designer herself, she believes that an educator should practice what they preach. She also believes that there is plenty of room for everyone in this industry, and has dedicated herself to lifting up designers around her – empowering them to live the life that they’ve dreamt of!
