The kitchen and bath industry show, known as KBIS, just ended in beautiful New Orleans. I take this annual pilgrimage each year (maybe this was my 22nd or 23rd annual show) to see new products, learn new things, see friends and otherwise, just immerse myself in the world of kitchens for 4 days.
While the kitchen show has decreased in size, there are always fantastic products to discover as well as trend dots to connect. After all, kitchen design IS fashion for the home! It's not work for me, it's all about discovery.
I sat down after the show, this week, and went through my images (over 500) and put together a comprehensive slideshow on what I believe to be the coming trends this year and beyond. You can flip through the slideshow below, but to see it full screen, follow this link on KBIS 2013 Top Kitchen Trends.
I have a list of trends I spotted in slide #11, but the big takeaway for me was this: We are moving toward "The Practical Kitchen". Practical is good - it's efficient, it's easy access, it's simple, it makes sense.
So many products were designed around a practical point of view. This also means easy to use and easy to clean. Of course, this design concept can be said to be closely connected to Universal Design, and in fact, it is, but for those who may not be familiar with that term, they will surely see a pleasant and sort of, people/ergonomic-centric focus in new products from many brands, large and small.
Consumers may not even realize some of the products were made to make life easier, as so many products were also so good looking, and that's just fine. When you consider that knobs are back (what could be easier than turning a knob), matte finishes are emerging, storage aids inside cabinetry are being designed to enable even easier access than ever before, with lighting in the kitchen designed to illuminate anything at all that needs to be lit, I can report that life in the kitchen just got BETTER.
There were some stand out products for me, which I will put together in a post in the near future, but trust me, this slideshow gives you as comprehensive a look at KBIS as I think you can find!
Here's an image I took while in New Orleans, and I'll have to do a post with some of my images. Talk about design inspiration? Just take a walk in New Orleans!
