New Kitchen & Bath Trends with Mosby Designers
Wednesday, April 16th, 2008See a portfolio of Mosby Kitchen projects.
See a portfolio of Mosby Bathroom projects.
Every year, the National Kitchen & Bath Association sponsors an industry-only event that makes it easy for designers to see the newest products, technologies and trends along with 4 days of educational seminars and conferences. It’s the best place to gather a lot of knowledge and ideas, and it’s the ultimate playground for those who eat, sleep and breathe kitchen and bath design.
So naturally, Adrienne and Susie went to the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show (KBIS), and they just returned from Chicago loaded up with tons of photos, samples and brochures of the very newest and innovative items for kitchens and bathrooms. They took a moment to share their photos and thoughts with us.
Adrienne is our Certified Kitchen Designer and Project Planner, so she’s the one who combines your wants and needs to create the kitchen or bathroom you’ve always longed for. Susie is our Selections & Design Coordinator, so she works with you to find and refine the items that make these spaces uniquely yours.
So what did these design pros see that excited them?
SUSIE: “Tile, tile and even more tile! So much great tile!”
ADRIENNE: “Banquettes. So many great ideas and looks. I really want to design a kitchen banquette for a client.”
NEW IDEAS FOR YOUR KITCHEN
“Induction cooktops were everywhere, and I want one!” said Susie.
Based on magnetic fields, induction technology has been around for awhile, but slow to make it into our kitchens. Along with the speed and control of cooking, Susie was impressed with the safety and ease of cleaning the cooktops themselves. “If something boils over, it falls onto a flat surface that can be wiped off with a spritz of Windex.” Electrolux has introduced the hybrid cooktop which is half electric and half induction.
Adrienne was excited about the Asko 4-rack flexible dishwasher and the hidden laundry system that allows frontload washer and dryers to blend in with the rest of your cabinetry. Ironing boards, folding tables and laundry baskets pull in and out of the system, but when not in use, no one has a clue that this section of your kitchen is anything but beautiful.
Blum displayed features that Adrienne and Susie immediately put on their mental checklist of necessities. For example, cabinet doors and drawers that open with a light touch of your hand, drawer organization systems that create a place for everything in your kitchen, and let’s no longer waste that space under the kitchen sink.
The Mosby designers were also in awe of a new product being tested by Elkay, a sharp looking utility sink with an additional spigot and drain at the bottom for filling and emptying buckets! Imagine not having to constantly lift and see the beauty of this. It also has a deep storage drawer and magnetized sink for holding up paintbrushes to dry. This item is not yet available, but the minute it is, guess who’s going to be suggesting it as indispensable for your mudroom?
Another great mudroom idea: the pet shower! Actually, the hand held sprayer can be used in countless ways, but a special bathroom for your dog is such a charming concept.
And check out this thick glass table top attached to the kitchen island. Both the material and the placement is a new spin on the breakfast nook or snack bar.
NEW IDEAS FOR YOUR BATHROOM
The coolest gadget that Adrienne and Susie saw is the Kohler DTV shower, a digital, waterproof control panel and speaker system. You program the temperature of your water, the color of your lights, the music that will play as you wash and have it all pop on for you at a specific time. Basically, it’s a one-touch spa system mounted in your shower, an amazing use of technology.
Adrienne is a Certified Aging In-Place Specialist (CAPS), so she noticed that many of Kohler’s new shower products promote the beauty of function and mobility. Below is the shower bench seat that’s part of an entire collection of integrated shelving and seats. Get the full picture on this great system by watching this video.
They also have an ingenious grab bar that blends into your wall material. Adrienne’s glad that popular vendors are using their vast resources to expand mobility design options, because it removes the unnecessary stigma attached to what is, essentially, universal design that makes life easier for everyone in the house.
Adrienne also noticed a fanciful bathroom display with a mobility-friendly counter. We may be taken with all the glamour in the shot below, but note that anyone in a chair or wheelchair can fit right under that sink.
From the same display, check out this shower and bath combo connected by storage. Just gorgeous, and mobility-expert Adrienne points out that the zero-clearance entry into the shower makes it CAPS perfect. A bathroom like this works for you now and in the future, and that’s the definition of lasting value.
Fleurco introduced some new models in their frameless glass shower door line. These doors appear to float lightly above the tub.
And this frosted glass model provides light and privacy in a sleek and minimal style.
Susie (reflected in the mirror below) was knocked out by a new line of Robern medicine cabinets that go beyond what we expect from a utilitarian object. This series is so aesthetically pleasing that she could envision it being used outside the bathroom, say as stylish storage above a wet bar.
For the smaller bathrooms, how about combining the medicine cabinet and storage into one graceful line? Yes, as long as it looks like this!
This is just a tiny sample of what Adrienne & Susie took in at the Chicago KBIS, so you can just imagine all the possibilities swimming in their heads. If something in particular inspired you, give them a call and have them show you all the latest and smartest in kitchen and bathroom concepts. Go ahead, make their day!
