Kitchen & Bath Business - February/March 2020 - 6

February/March 2020

e d i t o r ' s

n o t e

CELEBRATING THE WINNERS

I had the opportunity to judge the Innovative
Showroom Awards for the fifth year in a row,
which is always a great experience. It's exciting to
be able to applaud those kitchen and bath spaces
that are truly engaging with their customers and
creating a great experience - be it a one-brand
showroom, a showroom with multiple brands or a
designer's own showroom.This year's winner displayed its team's creative direction with a beautiful
open-concept design. (Be sure to catch our April
issue when we feature the winning showroom in
much more detail.)
Our managing editor, Erinn Loucks, judged
the DesignBites competition for the first time
at KBIS this year and helped choose the brand
with the "biggest bite." You can read more about
the winner in the post-KBIS section in this issue,
but whether you like red or white, this could be a
definite product for your household.
ONE-OF-A-KIND OPPORTUNITIES

KBIS 2020 - OVER BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

f you missed KBIS 2020 last month - or if you didn't get to see everything you wanted to in just three days - this issue is for you. The KBB
editors covered every nook and cranny of the exhibit halls, participated
in panels on the KBISNeXT Stage and at the DMM Talks Lounge,
were interviewed by Business of Home and even served as judges for
the Innovative Showroom Awards and the DesignBites competitions.
The trends we noticed at the 2020 show included:
The abundance of smart technology. Everywhere we looked, there was
another brand on the connected home bandwagon.
Specialized spaces. We saw coffee and wine stations in the master suite,
small appliances in home offices and pet areas for our beloved cats and dogs.
Bold uses of color. And this was not just for appliances and cabinets -
sinks, faucets and tubs were huge this year, and orange and blue prevailed.
(Go Gators!)
Several brands are developing indoor offerings that can function outside
as well.
Convenient products included self-cleaning toilets and leak detection
outside of the pipes.
Design for wellness.This now spans all generations, as people are becoming
more aware of the health and wellbeing of their homes.

06
06_KBB_0220_EditorsNote.indd 6

 Matthew Quinn and I discussing his industry beginnings and
what is in store for the future

A KBIS veteran, Erinn was also pivotal as a panelist during a session in the Design Milk X Modenus Talks Lounge geared toward helping newcomers navigate the show. For me, those three days
went by in the blink of an eye, and it's important
to make sure you cover all your bases.
My favorite part of KBIS 2020 was interviewing KBB's 2019 Person of the Year, designer Matthew Quinn. I have followed his career during
my several years with the magazine, and I was
truly honored to be able to get to know how he
got into the industry and what makes him tick. I
am excited to see what the future holds for Matthew and can't wait until the opening of his new
Nashville showroom later on this year.
We hope you enjoyed your KBIS 2020, and
we are already beginning plans for next year
in Orlando!


CHELSIE BUTLER
Executive Editor
chelsie.butler@emeraldexpo.com
Twitter: @kbbchelsie

/ FEB.-MARCH 2020 / KBBONLINE.COM / The official publication of NKBA (NKBA.org) and KBIS (KBIS.com)

2/12/20 5:24 PM

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Kitchen & Bath Business - February/March 2020

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