K&B and the City
By Dianne M. Pogoda
The week of Oct. 9 celebrated K&B and the City — Kitchen & Bath week in New York.
NKBA partnered with Kohler and Interior Design magazine on Oct. 10 for an event at the new Kohler Experience Center in Manhattan, drawing more than 100 designers, dealers and other professionals for an engaging evening of mingling and exploring.
As part of the festivities, Interior Design publisher Carol Cisco introduced NKBA Industry Relations Manager and resident design expert Elle H-Millard, CKD, who presented her take on the key trends she discovered at London Design Week in September.
“London’s design aesthetic is a mix of historical and edgy,” Millard said. “It differs from the American design ethos, which tends to be more traditional and less experimental.”
Millard touched upon several key directions and innovations for the year ahead and beyond.
• Pods. “These are sound-proof or intimate spaces in a noisy environment,” she said. “We saw them all over London — in showrooms as well as in use in restaurants.” The pods are particularly welcome in the open floorplans that are prevalent in architectural design today. “They’re designed for a sense of privacy and relate to the at-home lifestyle. It could be an egg-shaped bathroom pod, an elevated or suspended dining area in a big loft space, a quiet room to take a phone call or for kids to do homework, or even a home office space. They all serve different functional purposes, and design-wise, they are like sculptures within the space.”
• Animals. “In the U.S., we still see mostly birds and they’re mainly on walls and wallpapers,” Millard explained. “In Europe, there are some big animals — livestock — represented in prints or blends of fur, acrylic, polypropylene and other materials, in realistic and abstract form. There, the animals are more a part of the setting. For instance, instead of a print of a ram, an ottoman might be designed to look like an actual ram.”
• Finishes. “There are a lot of natural, organic, wood tones in Europe,” Millard said, “whereas in the U.S., the trend is more toward high-gloss, lacquered surfaces. The problem is that the lacquered surfaces scratch easily.” To battle that issue, Barn in the City, a Dutch firm, has developed a surface technology that self-repairs minor scratches. The company reclaims aged wood (often from barns) and refinishes the surfaces with its inventive technology to create modern furniture.
• Refurbishing. One London-based company, The Water Monopoly, specializes in restoring antique bathroom fixtures like claw-foot tubs, resurfacing and modernizing them to conform to current plumbing code and standards. “This is a great example of mixing the historic with the modern,” Millard said.
• Pattern on pattern. This trend represents a mélange of patterns — the busier, the better — that works best when two busy patterns are juxtaposed against one another, such as upholstery against wallpaper, punctuated by a bold, solid element.
• Neon colors. Fall 2019 will also be a mix of tones. For that season, the palette pairs neon brights with neutral pastels, such as a subtle mint green matched with an electric yellow or vibrant orange. “Again, it’s an example of a study in contrasts that works together,” Millard concluded.
NKBA’s full 2018 design trend study, along with a plethora of directional information, will be revealed at the Kitchen & Batch Industry Show (KBIS) in Orlando, Jan. 9 to 11.
Interior Design’s editor in chief, Cindy Allen, will deliver a compelling keynote address at KBIS, on Jan. 9 at 1:30 at the Orange County Convention Center, S210A.
In a wide-ranging address headlined “Pop Goes the Future: Top Trends Bursting onto the K&B Scene,” Allen will cover topics of critical interest to the kitchen and bath remodeling industry and key design and business directions likely to have an impact in the year ahead.
The 10,000-square-foot KEC opened in May in the Flatiron District, showcasing a comprehensive array of plumbing, fixtures and surfaces from Kohler and sister brand Kallista, as well as the company’s Robern brand of cabinetry, vanities and lighted mirrors, and Ann Sacks tile and stone. The KEC offers a new global specification service, which provides architects and designers working on international projects instant access to products across the brands’ global portfolios. Kohler experts are available to help source and resolve complex plumbing projects, keeping in adherence to codes and requirements in domestic and international markets.
In addition to design and specification services, the KEC, which is operated in partnership with leading Kohler distributor Best Plumbing Supply, also has fully functional shower, sink and toilet rooms to test the products’ operation on the spot.
There are six KECs open. Besides New York, centers are operating in London, Singapore, Bangkok, New Delhi and Taipei. A center is expected to open in West Hollywood/Los Angeles in November.
HALL OF FAME NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN
What do Cooperstown, N.Y.; Canton, Ohio, and Hackettstown, N.J., have in common? They’re each home to a Hall of Fame.
At our NKBA Headquarters in Hackettstown, we maintain the Kitchen & Bath Industry Hall of Fame, which honors individuals who have contributed in a significant way to the growth and professionalism of the industry at large, as well as the Association. The Hall was established in 1989. Each year, NKBA seeks to recognize professionals whose enduring contributions include discovering or creating a “game-changing” product or process that significantly advanced the industry. As voting members of the NKBA, you may nominate someone who has made a key difference in the business, who might be considered a visionary leader and proponent of the industry as a whole.
Nominees are evaluated based on industry contributions, leadership, corporate citizenship, and other criteria. Individuals selected for induction will join other honored members — inventors, business leaders, designers and educators — some of the most outstanding people in our field.
Nominations are open through Oct. 31. For full details and to nominate an individual for this honor, visit the Hall of Fame page on www.NKBA.org and complete the online form.
