Luxury Appliances

What’s hot, trending, interesting and leading-edge? The NKBA Insiders reveal their picks from KBIS. By Dianne M. Pogoda

The NKBA Insiders, a group of influencers in various specialties across the spectrum of kitchen and bath design, set out to find the most interesting products at KBIS 2019 in Las Vegas. Here are some of their top picks.

Beth Dotolo and Carolina Gentry, the designers/influencers behind the Pulp Design team, with headquarters in Dallas and Seattle, focused on mixed materials and color.

• James Martin: An Eastern flair in its furniture-like vanity shows a use of mixed materials and an integration of hardware.
• Thompson Traders: A crafted metal vessel reflects the mixed-metals trend.
• Thermador: A striking mix of color and technology allows a completely customized look with these appliances in the connected home.
• Ann Sacks: A deep green tile that looks like a hand-crafted, artisan product is made from the waste from Kohler’s other production lines — a brainchild of the Kohler WasteLab.

Ryan Herd, the “Smart Home Guy,” is an integrated technology expert and owner of 1 Sound Choice in Pompton Plains, N.J., sought products that directly help the design community and the consumer.

• SKS: A wine refrigerator with an app that keeps track of inventory, monitors three cooling zones, and if something is awry, can contact the manufacturer, order a part and schedule service.
• Corian: The Charging Surface allows wireless recharging of devices to cut countertop cord clutter.
• Beko: Using energy-efficient LED technology, the blue light in the refrigerator allows the photosynthesis process to continue, prolonging the freshness of fruits and vegetables.
• Control4: Smart-home technology used to be about gadgets. Now it’s about making life easier. Control4’s networking solutions allow devices, apps and smart systems to communicate and work together seamlessly in the connected home.

Elle H-Millard, CKD, a trend forecasting consultant and editor at large for NKBA, homed in on color and texture.

• Recycled Leather: Formica is pulping leather and pressing it with a crocodile texture in many colors that can be used to wrap cabinetry, reflecting a direction of different textures in the kitchen.
• Color: The bright, CeraMax Rainbeaux colored steel or brass handles and hardware by Inox give a space a lot of personality.
• Monogram: Fellow Insider Richard Anuszkiewcz hid the column refrigeration and dishwasher behind panels and drawer-fronts — and used fur with inlaid leather belts on the countertop.
• Black and White: The black and white contrasts at the Gaggenau booth, which featured a “bier garden,” were punctuated by bold punches of color, and spoke to a global influence.

Richard Anuszkiewcz, founder of Richard A2Z and executive director of the Kitchen and Bath Division for Alt Breeding Architects, works with Monogram on special projects.

• Monogram: Pizza Hearth oven, shown in gold, is on-trend with different layers of gold — matte or brushed — reflecting a desire for warmer tones and mixed metals.
• Kallista: A hand-hammered, polished nickel sink with a contrasting metal faucet from this Kohler brand.
• Clarke Architectural Studio: The Deco with Base tub is made from OMOXO solid surface material and sits in a solid-surface base with a Macassar ebony veneer, challenging ideas of how materials should or could be used.

To read the full article at NKBA.org click below

https://nkba.org/info/2019/03/show-and-tell?utm_source=All+Members+%2B+Certified+Designers&utm_campaign=0080e47539-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_show+and+tell_3.7&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c8dd6ce663-0080e47539-76348553&fbclid=IwAR2o3b5UkpYtYy0HfeBbONhVAkNPshKBJNgxdomcBfqTpGSag_L68sDkOhM