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Top 10 Design Trends Seen at KBIS 2023

Thumb - Top Trends - KBIS 2023

Just last week my team and I were in fabulous Las Vegas, NV. No, we weren’t there to play in the World Series of Poker, we were in town to attend Construction + Design Week 2023. Our team attended Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS), the International Builders Show (IBS), the National Hardware Show (NHS), The International Surfaces Event (TISE) where we saw amazing building materials.

01 - Alex Wendy KBIS(Alex & Wendy of Bay Cities Construction in Las Vegas, NV)

Companies like Kohler, Toto, Moen, Brizo, Miele, GE Café and GE Monogram had amazing booths to showcase their products. There we saw so many innovative products that will be coming to the market this year and some that just completely blew us away. In this blog article, we will discuss some of the top design trends we saw throughout the show, and trends that you should expect to see more of in 2023.

Top Trends Seen at KBIS & Surfaces 2023

Gold Hardware & Fixtures
Workstation Sinks
Long Cabinet Pulls
Matching Appliance Hardware
Smart Faucets
More Appliance Colors
Single (Hole) Faucets
Antibacterial Tile
Engineered Wood Floors
Tile with Gold Accents

Best of KBIS Day One

 

1. Gold is Back

02 - Gold Brass trend(We saw plenty of gold hardware and brass plumbing fixtures)

Booth after booth, companies like House of Rohl and Kohler had gold-colored faucets on display. Specifically, Brushed Bronze & Brushed Brass were everywhere. There was an abundance of kitchen faucets, bathroom faucets, shower heads, tub filler faucets, and even cabinet hardware in some type of gold-tone finish. When we spoke to industry reps they confirmed that there were only a few faucet collections being introduced at KBIS in 2023, instead manufacturers focused on expanding on popular lines by introducing new colors and finishes. Brizo, Kohler, TOTO, Delta, and Moen prominently displayed gold-tone hardware throughout their booths.

Expect to see more products offered in this finish in 2023. Just recently we installed Hansgrohe faucets and showerheads in Brushed Bronze, a spectacular finish.

2. Workstation Sinks

003 - Workstation sink trend(More companies are introducing work station sinks, like this one from House of Rohl)

Another ever-present trend we saw at KBIS were Workstation Sinks. These utility-focused kitchen sinks, like the one pictured above from Rohl, make it easy to organize tasks like straining or chopping into distinct stations. Kavita Khatri, Director of Marketing and Product Innovation at House of Rohl, tells us that their Rohl Alliah chef station sink is designed with the home cook in mind. Pictured above is the Allia 'Fireclay' sink by Rohl is their flagship workstation sink. The station sink is meant to free up valuable counter space, allowing you to do different tasks within reach, and without having to walk to another station. Workstation sinks come with different inserts and accessories that allow you to wash, rinse, dice, chop, and prep meals all without leaving the sink. The majority of sinks come in stainless steel, but companies like Kohler, Rohl, and Shaws are introducing materials like composites and glazed fireclay for heavy-duty use. If you love to cook and are thinking of remodeling your kitchen this year, consider a workstation sink.

3. Longer Cabinet Pulls

04 - long pull trend(Top Knobs & Atlas Hardware had plenty of 'long' pulls to choose from)

Over at the Top Knobs booth, we saw a resurgence of long pulls and handles for cabinets, the longer the better. Top Knobs allocated over 80% of their display space to pulls across all their brands including Atlas Homewares, Du Verre, and Vesta Fine Hardware. Knobs will always have a place, but cabinet pulls in statement finishes like brass, gold, black, and even copper are in vogue. Hardware makers like Atlas Homewares even make complimentary pulls that you can install on appliances to match the rest of your kitchen. Expect to see more long cabinet pulls, and less knob hardware in 2023.

4. Matching Appliance Handles

005 - Matching hardware trend(Dave McCalpin shows us a CAFÉ™ refrigerator)

At the GE Café booth, we had the pleasure of speaking with Dave McCalpin, VP of Refrigeration, at GE Appliances, a Haier Company. Dave broke the news that GE Appliances has partnered with Kohler to offer matching finishes for their appliance handles, these Kohler finish handles will be available exclusively in their Monogram™ and CAFÉ™ lines of products. That means you can buy a Monogram™ wall oven or CAFÉ™ refrigerator with handles that will match your Kohler faucet. This is perfect for homeowners that want a cohesive or uniform look for their kitchen. Expect to see more of matching finishes and collaborations between manufacturers like these in the future.

5. Smart & Touchless Faucets

06 - smart moen faucet trend(Dan DeCost of Moen Inc. shows us their 'motion control' technology )

Another design trend we noticed was ‘Smart Faucets’. This year Moen made a steadfast effort to showcase their ‘smart’ & ‘touchless’ products, powered by their ‘Smart Water Network™ ‘ technology. Dan DeCost, Chief Network Architect at Moen Inc, showed us the new ‘Moen Handle-Free Smart Faucet with Motion Control. The sleek modern faucet comes without any type of handle, you turn it on and off by simply waving your hand in front of a sensor or with your favorite voice assistant. Smart faucets are nothing new, but we really expect their popularity to grow in 2023. Its worth pointing out that Moen won a “Best of KBIS: Connected Tech Gold” award in 2023 for their ‘Smart Sprinkler Controller & Smart Wireless Soil Sensors’. 

07 - smart kohler faucet trend(The Kohler 'Purist' faucet on full display)

Over at the Kohler booth they showcased a touchless, ceiling-mounted faucet. Yes, you read that right, the faucet is hung from the ceiling. The Kohler Purist faucet is suspended off the ceiling on a rotating base. This statement piece allows you to create the epitome of a minimalist kitchen, it's the perfect faucet for island sinks. It's controlled wirelessly through a Kohler branded remote control that can sit on your countertop or anywhere else as you see fit. 

6. Appliance Colors Aplenty 

08 - appliance colors trend(Left: True Refrigeration with bright colors., Right: CAFÉ™ gas range in a spectacular green)

Up until the 90s, black and white refrigerators were the most popular colors for refrigerators and home appliances. In the 2000s stainless steel took over, and since then, manufacturers have occasionally introduced options like slate or even black stainless steel. But at KBIS 2023 we saw major players like GE CAFÉ™, Samsung, and True Refrigeration offer more than 10 different color options in some of their flagship models. At the True Refrigeration booth, they proudly displayed eleven (11) different powder coat colors to choose from, and even offer an additional three (3) color options in automotive grade paint.

009 - true refrigeration colors trend(True Refrigeration offers 14 different colors, 3 of them in automotive grade paint)

GE CAFÉ™ has already introduced flat white and flat black colors for all their major appliances including built-in refrigerators, wall ovens, ranges, and dishwashers. At the same booth, we were captivated by a 6-burner range in a luscious deep green that we hope to see introduced this year. The demand for appliance colors and customization has compelled Samsung to introduce a ‘bespoke’ line of products where buyers can personalize their fridges by purchasing individually colored panels to mix and match as they see fit. Samsung currently offers glass panels in seven (7) different color options, and five (5) different steel colors to choose from. We think that 2023 will be the year of brightly colored appliances, so expect to see more of this design trend this year.

7. Single Hole Faucets

10 - single faucet trend(Single faucets were seen all throughout KBIS this year)

Widespread vs Centerset, the age-old question homeowners have had to choose between when selecting a new kitchen or bath faucet. But all across the show floor manufacturers like Karran USA, Kohler, Delta. Brizo and Toto showcased their single (hole) faucets for both kitchens & bathrooms. Single-hole faucets are a good fit for modern minimalist looks and are usually paired with vessel sinks in bathrooms. But this is the first year we have noticed this design trend in kitchen faucets. At the Kohler booth, we saw an entire wall display full of single-hole kitchen faucets in a wide variety of finishes. At the same booth we saw Kohler pair their single faucets with undermount sinks, contributing to the uncluttered and streamlined look of the display. Are single faucets right for you? If you have a spectacular natural stone countertop and want to show it off consider a minimalist single-hole faucet. We believe the single-hole faucet trend for kitchens will continue to grow in popularity in 2023.

8. Antimicrobial Tile with Microban®

11 - microban daltile trend(Tony Wright shows us their exclusive 'Defend' technology)

Over at The International Surfaces Event (Surfaces), we saw several manufacturers displaying their new products for flooring in wood, stone, and porcelain. But one product we saw completely blew us away, tile with antimicrobial properties. Tony Wright, Director of Dealer Sales at Daltile, a Mohawk company, introduced us to their exclusive line of tiles that can help prevent bacterial, mold, and mildew growth. Daltile offers different tile products with what they call ‘DEFEND™ Technology powered by Microban®’. A special glaze is embedded with Microban® additives during the kiln process to create tile that is resistant to bacterial growth. This feature is available in over 10 different tile lines offered by Daltile. Including mosaics, wall and floor tile, and even wood look tile or marble look tile. You can also pair this tile with antimicrobial grout with Microban® (available from other manufacturers) to help prevent any type of growth on the tile and grout. We can easily see this trend be adopted by other manufacturers and especially by homeowners who hate having to constantly scrub shower floors. Do you hate scrubbing your shower floors and walls? Do you despise having to clean grout from mildew? Consider a tile with ‘DEFEND™ Technology powered by Microban®’ from Daltile and say goodbye to your scrub brush.

9. Engineered Wood Floors

012 - urbanfloor engineered wood trend(Urbanfloor had a spectacular booth with plenty of engineered hardwood floors)

Over the last few years rigid core flooring products like Stone Polymer Composite (SPC) floors gained popularity because they are very affordable and came in a wide variety of colors and lengths. But manufacturers like Urbanfloor, Provenza Floors, and Shaw Floors are betting big on engineered wood floors. You could even say engineered wood floors are having a renaissance. We saw several booths with engineered wood floors trending at Surfaces 2023. Engineered wood floors can give you the natural look of hardwood without the hardwood price tag. With engineered floors, you’ll enjoy the durability of laminate flooring, without the bulging or lifting that can occur when SPC floors are not installed correctly.

012.5 - herringbone engineered wood trend(Urbanfloor has introduced new engineered floors in herringbone & chevron)

Urbanfloor is elevating the game by introducing its Timbertop™ line of engineered hardwood in both chevron and herringbone configurations. This is a high-end look that is normally found in expensive hardwood floors. Ditch SPC and consider engineered floors for your next flooring project. We saw so many manufacturers showcasing their engineered wood floor products that we expect this interior design trend to keep gaining popularity in 2023. You should expect to see more engineered wood floors at your local showroom.

10. Tile with Gold Accents

12 - msi gold tile trend(Alex viewing the 'Golden Hour Collection' by MS International)

The last design trend we saw at Surfaces really impressed us, tile with gold accents. We saw this trend prominently displayed at the MS International (MSI) booth and we were blown away. Their Golden Hour collection includes five (5) different options with metallic gold accents that are perfect for backsplashes and accent walls. We really love this design trend, we really hope homeowners explore this option because it can truly be spectacular when implemented correctly.


Best of KBIS - Day One

 

Wendy & Alex walk us through the show floor to check out the best products at KBIS & IBS 2023. In this video you'll see products and displays from TOTO USA, HieBar Design, Sudio Design, Top Knobs USA, Atlas Hardware, Delta Faucet Co, House of Rohl, and Lanai Doors. Considering a kitchen or bath remodel this year? You'll want to watch this video to see some of the hottest design trends for 2023.


Final Thoughts

13 - alex wendy trend closing(Alex & Wendy enjoying conversation with other NKBA members)

In closing, we were impressed by all the products we saw at KBIS, but we could only pick 10 for our article. So these were the top 10 design trends we saw at KBIS and Surfaces in 2023, which one was your favorite? Our team had a great time in Las Vegas, and we are so glad we came this year, we saw several products that we really want to incorporate into future projects. We’ve been remodeling kitchens & bathrooms for over 20 years and I was honestly surprised by all the upcoming trends we saw at Design+Construction Week 2023. All of the kitchen & bath trends we mentioned are worth taking a look at. Ditch the boring subway tile backsplash and choose a backsplash tile with gold accents. Get rid of the chrome faucet and choose a single-hole faucet in brass or bronze. Forget the stainless-steel appliances and choose a colorful refrigerator from GE CAFÉ™ or True Refrigeration. All the design interior trends we saw at KBIS & Surfaces 2023 were incredible, and we can't wait to see what trends KBIS will have to offer in 2024. 

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