Every year the Monarch Lane team heads to the Kitchen and Bath show (known as KBIS) put on by the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA). We feel it’s important to see what is new in technology, finishes, and style so we can come back to our clients and offer a wide variety of solutions.

We saw a lot of great new products! One of our favorite new things actually won best in show. Free Power is an integrated charging system that can work on most countertops and allow you to have no ugly plugs in your way!

Rohl recieved the best large booth and was gorgeously laid out.

Caesarstone always has great new finishes and even though the porcelain tops you can cook through was new last year, it was a hit for all that got to see it.

One booth that never disappoints is Kohler and they won best in show this year! They introduced a lot of new color and faucet collections. They have a great new collaboration with Studio McGee and they are doing a lot of good when it comes to their sustainability effort! You have to check it out on Kohler’s website. There are videos all about the wasteLAB where they are creating such beautiful things out of the manufacturing waste.

We love the new vanities with James Martin! Such great function and style with their new collections.

Moen had a lot of new workstation sinks (that most people are craving lately) and great new products.

There was a lot of outdoor kitchen cabinetry and cooking options!

Who doesn’t love a good secret room or door? We do! Check out these hidden doors from Murphy door

Kitchen and Bath Business magazine rated Zip Water one of their favorites and we thought it was pretty great too! You can have all your water: hot, cold, and sparkling – all filtered and all in one spout!

Then we thought it was fun to see the color blocking happening on different appliances. For Samsung you could choose your colors. Then with MoodUP by LG, you could change the colors right from your phone depending on your “mood”. So cool!

Lighting is one of those important elements that we pay attention to. We loved seeing the new products from some of our favorite vendors!

There are so many great appliance companies with stunning booths. I have to say, there were a couple weird booths that were feeding people inside glass rooms so the rest of us could see. That was soooo weird and made anyone who went in those booths very uncomfortable. Sure, it is great for companies to treat people – but didn’t feel appropriate. It only made us leave their booth as soon as possible. It was quite a spectacle! LOL

But, here are the ones that are inviting and really draw the crowds! Cafe by GE is not new, but they have new colors and options. They have a new smart dishwasher as well! If only it would load itself!

One of our favorite European companies, La Cornue showed a lot of color options this year. We love beautiful statement that these classic range style comes in. Now I just need a project for the powder blue one!

Two of the design trends I noticed at the show were 1. having curves everywhere! Curves on arches, islands, seating, lots of reeding and fluted materials. 2. The other trend I noticed were a lot of asymmetrical displays, but with an overall balance. It allows the eye to dance around and gives a lot of interest.

Color is back! Thank goodness! We are done with the white on white kitchens. On the lower left the muted earth tones of sage, terra cotta, and sand. On the right you will see similar colors but with more intensity and less gray. And while we rarely get someone who would want a yellow kitchen, this is just a show and not someone’s home. But we do get people wanting to infuse more color into their homes and it is refreshing to find a lot of great materials and options out there.

Lastly, The value of black, both in it’s sense that it is not a color (sorry, this is the art major in me) and the sense that it really balances and grounds the eye. We saw black everywhere, from cabinetry, to ranges, to huge marble or quartz slabs. Black can compliment saturated colors, and it makes any room feel more sophisticated.

I hope you enjoyed seeing a taste of the Kitchen and Bath show! I have only scratched the surface and given you highlights, but we have a lot of new materials and ideas for our future projects!