Crowds roam the halls at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show 2010.

Despite the sluggish economy, crowds appeared at the April Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) in Chicago. KBIS trade show officials reported that attendance was up 30 percent over last year’s event, with more than 37,000 people on hand for
one of the industry’s premiere events.

“It was an excellent show and you could really sense the extraordinary energy at KBIS this year,” said Nicolas Grohe, director of marketing and product development of Hansgrohe. “Perhaps it’s a sign that the economy is picking up, which is good news for all kitchen and bath manufacturers.”

Closets on display
Many cabinet companies were showing their diverse product lines, which included everything from kitchen storage to closet systems and Murphy Beds.

Wellborn Cabinets, located in Ashland, AL, displayed a melamine closet system from its Distinctive Closets line. Angela O’Neill, director of marketing and advertising, said that last fall the company launched nearly 200 items, which are featured in its spec catalog, for its closets program.


Cabinets by Showplace Wood Products

Showplace Wood Products, Harrisburg, SD, displayed a closet system made of solid wood, as well as its line of Murphy Beds, which were introduced last fall. According to company representative Ron Machunski, Showplace received good feedback about the line, which he says is gaining popularity in regions such as vacation spots and areas with large populations of baby boomers.

A new item on display that could add a bit of spice to laundry rooms was BreezeDry, an eco-friendly clothes dryer from Grimm Brothers Plastic, located in Wapello, IA. Clothes are either laid on racks or hung inside a cabinet and a touch screen allows the user to either filter in outside air or ambient indoor air to dry the clothes. The company used KBIS to introduce its new wood doors for the unit.

Of the new products and styles on display, white finishes appear to still be a favorite with designers, however the blending of light and dark tones is another trend that seems to be picking up steam. Several companies exhibited vignettes with some version of this trend. For example, Quality Cabinets, a division of Masco Corp., featured a kitchen with light upper cabinets and dark lower cabinets.

Machunski said that the blending trend started initially with kitchen islands being a separate color than the cabinets and that contrasting style eventually migrated to the cabinet units themselves.

David Alderman, incoming president of the National Kitchen & Bath Assn., agreed, noting the increased number of exhibiting companies that were showing light colored cabinets complemented by darker tones, both in paints and stains.

One benefit of blending light and dark colors is that it allows designers to have the best of both worlds with the popular white and off-white finishes, contrasting with darker hues for a new aesthetic look.

KBIS outtakes
Among the energized attendees were a few celebrities including Chef Curtis Stone, formerly of ‘The Apprentice,’ who kept things cooking at the Merillat booth. Also, Bob Villa was roaming the trade show and blogging about hot items that
caught his eye, including Rev-A-Shelf’s new product, “Curve,” a blind corner pull-out storage system featuring tempered safety glass with Stylinox, an anti-skid transparent coating. The system was displayed in clear glass cabinets.