KBIS 2023

Woooooweeee! We are back from KBIS and we are feeling inspired, a little tired but mostly excited for what is to come in the design world!

What is KBIS?

KBIS is North America’s largest trade show for kitchen and bath design professionals. The show brings together thousands of qualified designers, dealers, architects, showrooms, custom builders and remodelers under one roof. It also co-locates with the NAHB International Builders Show (IBS), which makes up Design & Construction Week and draws over 90,000 design & construction professionals between both events.

This year’s KBIS 2023 featured many new design solutions and products. The National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) released their Design Trends research report to give designers insight into the styles, colors, product features, materials and technology that will dominate the industry over the next two to three years.

KBIS 2023 Design Trends:

If you’ve been following along our stories, you’ve probably seen the main theme this year was COLOR. And companies were not afraid of showing it!

This year, the booths did not hold back when it came to color. From jewel tones at the Cafe Appliances booth, to heritage pastel tones at the Kohler booth, color was IN. After a few years of very monochromatic looks, it was such a nice change of pace. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good monochromatic look! But it was so refreshing to see color used in such a bold and engaging way. OK, now who wants a pink kitchen?!?

Next up was lots of blue and green tones. Natural tones, particularly blues and greens, are expected to be big in kitchen and bathroom designs for 2023. They’re a reflection of how homeowners are reconnecting with the outdoors and nature-inspired lifestyles. I didn’t get a ton of pics of this but found this beautiful pedestal sink made of fusion granite that I loved!

Surfacing: Porcelain will remain the surface of choice for countertops, floors and backsplashes. It’s a durable, low-maintenance material that looks great and is easy to clean. Porcelain was EVERYWHERE and all of the big name brands are getting on board, including Caesarstone. They debuted their 21 piece collection this year and I loved everything about them! The only downside I see is that fabricators have to be trained in cutting porcelain and the fabrication costs are still pricey. Hopefully with more demand and education around it, fabrication costs will drop.

Perhaps the coolest thing I saw was Invisacook’s cooktop in action. This thing is really what James Bond dreams are made of! The cooking surface is completely covered by the porcelain slab. SO SO cool! The demonstrator said you could etch the surface slighting to show where the burners are located or use the special silicone hot plates that you can remove.

Don’t know if it’d do it in my own house, but very cool for the right client

I was also invited to the New American Home that was built in Henderson, NV. It was a stunning modern masterpiece located in the upscale luxury home market of the Ascaya subdivision. The exhibition home presents two levels with a spa, game room, private office and plenty of outdoor fire features. The views of Las Vegas at night were STUNNING. The home achieved the National Green Building Standard “Emerald” Certification, Energy star certification and net-zero status. My favorite parts was this amazing staircase with LED lighting and this super clean powder bathroom!

Aside from the Design Trends, our team had an amazing time bonding and building connections with all of our representatives! We went to a beautiful red carpet party hosted by Dura Supreme and had a blast!

I also ran into some familiar faces at the show! The ladies from Chic Interiors came to our panel talk with Design Milk and Modenus and I appreciated the support!

It was a packed house!

I also participated in a Voices From The Industry talk with the NKBA. Mine was about growing a business and mostly sharing the mistakes I made early on. It was a really nice chance to meet some new people and also help people earn CEU’s!

Lastly, I got to connect with my fellow 30 Under 30 Alumni and always love seeing them!