I spent this past week in Orlando, FL for the KBIS (Kitchen & Bath Industry Show) and IBS (International Builders Show) during construction and design week! Jamie, unfortunately, had to stay home and get our jobs done, so I went with Jamie’s sister, Katie, who is a realtor and designer. It’s been fun to tag along with my sister-in-law when Jamie can’t always make it to these fantastic events. Poor guy, always working his pants off.
We had such a great time, and I wanted to recap the experience for you. It was my first time out to the show, but I’ve always heard about all the rage. It’s a good thing I’m prego, or I would have been raging!
But that didn’t stop me, we kicked off Monday night with Magic of Design, which is the opening design awards ceremony. The event was held at Disney’s Epcot Center. It was cool to network with designers and trendsetters, plus honor the winners of 2017 NKBA Design Competition. Katie is the VP of Communications for the NKBA program which stands for the National Kitchen & Bath Association. So, although I didn’t know a ton of people, she knew a handful, so it was fun to meet some new creatives in the industry.
Tuesday and Wednesday we walked the show floor and had a small number of meetings with new brands for collaborations (which we can’t wait to share with you soon!). Plus, I did a fun collaboration with Cambria, co-hosting a Twitter chat talking about home design trends in 2017, which we’ll share in a separate post this week.
We even had time to chill out for a couple of hours at the pool and soak in some sun!
Baby Molitor’s first plane ride and big event trip and, I’m proud to say, he was a trooper! Even stayed out until the parties shut down.
I couldn’t believe how big the show floor was! Here I thought it was just one massive room and not multiple buildings. I was SOOO bummed not to meet up with a handful of people that I promised I would. Next time I will for sure map out my days a little better.
There was also a ton of classes throughout the event. The only one I swung into was the color trends, well, because one of my absolute favorite people was on the panel…THE Nate Berkus. Not sure if I love him so much because he is from Minnesota (Woot, woot!) or if it is simply because his brand is bad-ass. There is nothing this guy puts out that hasn’t been on point and inspiring. He is truly someone I strive to be!
Here is what the panel description said: What’s happening with color? Are white kitchens and baths still the rage? Are black, gray and navy on the move up or out? Hear our dynamic panel of experts’ dialogue, discuss, and duke out where it’s headed.
And from what I took away…people are still loving on their white kitchens. However, trends are moving us back into the darker cabinetry. And they stressed that the Mahogany cabinetry was never in nor will come back so stop using it. Haha, it made me laugh a little too hard.
There was so much inspiration in the room for upcoming trends I can’t wait to start incorporating them in the homes of our clients. Some a little scary and some not so much! Haha! Here were a few of my favorites.
Black is Back! The Kohler display was pretty awesome! I don’t think there was a display in the booth I didn’t love!
Dark metal is another design selection I’m excited to see coming back! Black appliances to matte black finishing selections, tile, and cabinetry. I saw a lot of warm materials replacing the light and bright selections.
And the good news is I have never liked anything that matches! So seeing that’s now the trend, I was in heaven. Mixing metals, colors, and textures is all the rage.
YES! COLOR! I’m happy to say goodbye to stark white and only neutrals in home designs. What makes it so fun is that color is popping up not just in paint color and fabrics but lighting fixtures, plumbing, and countertops. I mean how fun is this display from the Kohler booth? Incorporating the “greenery” color of the year in 2017 in the tiles and wallpaper prints. A lot of people are a little scared to incorporate these bright colors into their remodels, but when you do it tastefully you’re golden. And that’s what we’re here for! We got you.
I’m still digesting all we took away from the KBIS and IBS experience! We’ll be sure to share more photos and tips we took away on Instagram and through additional blog posts. We really can’t wait until next year! We’ll be dragging a lot more of our friends in the industry out there and probably even be staying a few days longer to make it into a vacation.
