Standouts From the 2014 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show
Check out the latest and greatest in sinks, ovens, countertop materials and more
Anne Higuera CGR, CAPS
February 18, 2014
An oven you can control from your smart phone. Cabinet drawers that automatically avoid collisions. Countertops that look like alligator skin.
These were some of the offerings on view in February at the Las Vegas Convention Center, where the 2014 International Builders’ Show (IBS) and the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) were held together for the first time. This confluence of builders and design professionals attracted some 1,700 exhibitors and more than 75,000 attendees, who seemed thrilled with the array of new offerings.
As remodelers we were there to get great ideas to bring back to our clients, and to talk with manufacturers of the products we already use. After three solid days of walking, we still didn’t see it all — but here’s some of what we found interesting for kitchens in 2014.
These were some of the offerings on view in February at the Las Vegas Convention Center, where the 2014 International Builders’ Show (IBS) and the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) were held together for the first time. This confluence of builders and design professionals attracted some 1,700 exhibitors and more than 75,000 attendees, who seemed thrilled with the array of new offerings.
As remodelers we were there to get great ideas to bring back to our clients, and to talk with manufacturers of the products we already use. After three solid days of walking, we still didn’t see it all — but here’s some of what we found interesting for kitchens in 2014.
Kohler’s enormous booth at the entrance to the KBIS hall featured dozens of products, many of them new. We really liked this contemporary take on the traditional farmhouse sink, with horizontal banding across the front. Called Whitehaven Hayridge, it retails for $1,899.
A new feature that will be available with several of Kohler’s faucets, including the new hands-free Sensate faucet, is something the company calls Sweep technology. Instead of the water coming out of the faucet in a circular pattern, it comes out from opposing angles, creating a “blade” of water that sweeps away debris. The Sweep spray option will be available starting March 15, 2014.
Rohl’s Waterside Apron Front Sink has a bowed front, which provides more sink space without encroaching too much on the rest of the kitchen. It’s fireclay and handmade in England; no two are exactly alike, so make sure to have it on hand when you do your cabinet and counter templates.
The other Rohl sink that turned heads was this 16-gauge copper-infused stainless steel model. It is very solid and has a sound-deadening material applied to the outside as well. It’s a nice alternative to standard stainless steel.
Exploring Caesarstone’s booth, which was a collaborative effort with Bosch and Thermador, we found this bit of kitchen eye candy: a battered and polished steel countertop that was seamed into a sink. (I’m guessing it’s a Kallista in a polished distressed finish). The booth was designed by Mick DeGiulio, who does a line of sinks for Kallista, and it was one of the most interesting uses of materials we saw in the whole show.
The Viking booth was cooking! There were so many people packed into the space, you had to muscle your way in to see the 50 new products, including a line of ovens that comes in retro colors. With minimalist details and high-tech interiors, these new ovens are on the cutting edge.
Viking’s French-Door Oven got a lot of attention for its single-hand operation. (How nice also not to have to lean over the open door to put things in!) This oven has Vari-Speed Dual Flow Convection and a host of other features, including an extremely fast preheating time, so you can get cooking faster. Not surprisingly, the French-Door Oven received the KBIS People’s Choice Award. Retail price: $7,549.
Dacor took oven technology a step further with its new Discovery IQ line of ovens (available now for $7,399). The double ovens run on Android technology, allowing control of the oven from the touchscreen.
Cooking a chicken? Program the oven, and it will stay on until the bird is cooked, then keep it warm. At the store buying food, and you want to warm up the oven? You can do it from the grocery aisle. This product earned Dacor a KBIS Best of Show Award.
We just wonder how many people will be playing Angry Birds while waiting for the lasagna to be done.
Cooking a chicken? Program the oven, and it will stay on until the bird is cooked, then keep it warm. At the store buying food, and you want to warm up the oven? You can do it from the grocery aisle. This product earned Dacor a KBIS Best of Show Award.
We just wonder how many people will be playing Angry Birds while waiting for the lasagna to be done.
Dacor displayed a prototype for their new 48-inch dual-fuel range, which also has the Discovery IQ technology. It’s expected to go into production this summer with a suggested retail price of $11,999.
At Liebherr, we were intrigued by some of the little things that make the products great. A new feature of this undercounter wine cooler: no handles. A light touch in the upper left corner opens it just a smidgen. If you meant to open it, go right ahead. If you didn’t, it will reclose automatically. The cooler will be available in May at a price to be determined.
Now if Liebherr could just get it to open the bottles, too …
Now if Liebherr could just get it to open the bottles, too …
Liebherr also has a solution for homes not plumbed for ice makers: a refillable reservoir that funnels into the freezer and, when the ice tray is full, is a convenient source for chilled water.
Liebherr has a nice variety of diminutive wine coolers, but don’t be fooled. That unit on the upper left is actually a humidor.
Think hardware is boring? Tell that to the mobs descending on Richelieu’s booth. People were busy opening and closing every piece of cabinetry in the place to see how the specialty hardware works.
This descending shelf was of particular interest. Just pull it down to grab some dishes and push it back up into the cabinet when you’re done. No more step stools!
This descending shelf was of particular interest. Just pull it down to grab some dishes and push it back up into the cabinet when you’re done. No more step stools!
This may look like an ordinary cabinet drawer, but it’s controlled by a computer, so it opens and closes in concert with adjacent drawers, so there are no collisions. The device that makes it happen is called Sensotronic.
Tucked at the back of the cabinet is a small computer that can control up to 12 drawers at a time. This extremely cool technology comes at a high price: around $700 per drawer if you max out the computer.
An interesting trend we hadn’t seen before: laser-etched solid-surface counter materials. One of Cambria‘s slabs was adorned with an elaborate design and installed vertically. Room divider? Shower wall? There are lots of opportunities for something like this.
Caesarstone covered its podium with an alligator-patterned slab. It will be interesting to see if this look becomes popular this year.
The Caesarstone booth also showed its Concetto line of materials. The line includes 15 kinds of semiprecious stones hand selected and fabricated into slabs. Many of them can be backlit to highlight the colors. Here, Concetto in Tiger Eye is installed above a stove. Since the stones are semiprecious, this puppy comes at a premium price.
This terrazzo countertop, seen at the Ultimate Kitchen exhibit at the Professional Builder’s Show Village, included something we hadn’t seen before — a slice of a bottle included in the countertop. This is simple enough to do and would be a nice touch for the top of a wet bar or in a tasting room.
Tell us: Did you attend the show? What was your favorite find there?
Tell us: Did you attend the show? What was your favorite find there?
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Update: I gave my Bosch dishwasher a bad review also but have discovered one thing I complained about was my fault, not the dishwasher. It is about cleaning. I was pre-washing all my dishes because they never came out clean anymore but one day I got to looking around the inside and found one of the arms, which is connected to the very top and spins had some little holes (where the water comes out) and they were clogged with food. Dah? After I cleaned them out, the dishwasher is working well now. Feel kinda bad giving Bosch a bad rap but even if it is cleaning better I still don't like the skinny racks on the bottom that let dishes fall though. They could have made that much better.
My mother had a refrigerator with the freezer on the bottom she must have purchased it in the 1960's or 70s'. It was extremely well made with metal drawers and shelf holders in the door. She was surprised in the 1990's when she had to replace it that everything was made of flimsy plastic.
I have a friend in her 90's who has a Philco electric stove with two ovens built in the 1950's that still works today. She also has a 30 year old refrigerator from Hotpoint. They definitely do not build them like they used to. In great part this is in part due to Americans stagnating wages. If things were built to the quality and durability standards of the 1970's ranges, dishwashers and washing machines would be in the 2,000 plus range for a basic appliance far out of the range of most Americans. We have a Whirlpool portable dishwasher that is over 30 years old and still works. When it breaks and can no longer be fixed we will be hand washing our dishes rather than wasting money on a new dishwasher as it is not a need but a want. We do need a refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, washer and dryer. It seems we should require as part of an environmental model government quality and durability standards for appliances and the option to have rotary dials instead of computerized keyboards that break down. Let's start a move on petition.
jmdrouin Hear! Hear!