What’s our favorite time of the year? KBIS! So what exactly is that you may be asking? KBIS is the “Kitchen and Bath Industry Show” hosted by the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) every year in conjunction with the “International Builders Show” (IBS) as a part of Design and Construction Week held annually. This year, our residential designer Rebecca Sutton, AKBD attended as a local NKBA Chapter Leader and stayed for the show. Keep reading to see her six trends of choice that she saw on the KBIS 2020 show floor. What is your favorite?

Texture

We see this year after year and on the KBIS 2020 floor, we were not disappointed. From faux textured laminates to hammered sinks, they had it all! Check out a few of our favorite finds. For example, Kohler showed us an apron front hammered style sink, and Lab Designs wowed us with their variety and color options!

Grid Shelving

In general, open and floating shelving was huge. However, we saw a lot of grid shelving units that we loved. Although most were black grids in either a matte black powder-coated finish or black stainless color, the grid pattern is what really grabs your attention. To illustrate, the Nobia display showed a fun planter display, the Samsung booth built a grid around their microwave hood, and check out this grid built into the end of an island cabinet run!

Outdoors

There were so many speakers and panels discussing outdoor kitchens, and we are seeing a huge spike in interest here in Dallas. Why? Because the biophilia movement is strong! In addition to moving the outdoors in, we are taking our indoor activities outside! Luckily, here in Texas, the weather is typically nice – now if we could just get rid of those pesky mosquitos… We got to see flame used directly on a Dekton surface, found out that Caesarstone now offers three UV resistant quartz colors, and our favorite outdoor kitchen cabinet line NatureKast is always a great booth to visit.

Geometric Design

We’ve seen this trend get stronger every year, but now we see some simple designs taking on a new light. Mixing color in a single design. Taking a subway tile an installing it in a slightly different way. At KBIS 2020 we also saw new ways to incorporate geometric design – in your faucet handles! Kohler really stepped up with a bold new faucet handle (that comes in many colors, and a few shapes), their bath displays all showcase geometric tiles, and this mixed neutral diamond pattern does not disappoint.

Polished Brass/Gold

For every remodel we have done in the past 15 years where we have ditched the polished brass or gold fixtures – SURPRISE! It hit the KBIS 2020 floor hard, and we are surprised to say we don’t hate it. We knew it had to come back eventually! What we do love is how it has been mixed some with other materials – like a matte black – to make it more modern. For instance, DXV paired a polished bath faucet with a stylish matching drain with a green backdrop (a famous combo), Delta showed range by offering to mix it up with a matte black handle, and Rohl proved that a traditional “telephone” shower system is back in style.

Color

The concept of maximalism is in full effect and what’s the biggest component? Color. The more color you can incorporate, the better. As a result, color was found all around the show. Victoria and Albert Baths offers colored tubs and sinks, we found some fun and colorful showerheads, and Dacor used a lot of pastels to showcase their ColorMatch option.

Want to see what we found in previous years? See our KBIS 2019 and KBIS 2018 posts to compare what really is “new” and what keeps coming back!