WOW! It was truly quite the honor and thrill for this new #designhounds’ rookie recruit to travel to the worlds largest Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) in Orlando, Florida with the Modenus team last month. What a blessing to be one of 24 hand-selected esteemed designers, bloggers and influencers charged with a mission to discover and experience new products, expand Four Point’s knowledge base and industry relationships, make new friends and celebrate our eight incredibly generous premier sponsors – American Standard, DXV, Grohe, Mohawk, Wellborn, Wilsonart, Thermador and Metrie. Wowza, what a week!
So, after four very focused and activity-packed days with the fabulous Modenus DesignHounds, and with an inspired spirit, glorious talented new friends, hundreds of pictures, notes, and walked what felt like hundreds of miles, we are excited to share this inaugural post on our NEW BLOG, #The4ptReport with you today!
M O H A W K
As if it wasn’t fabulous enough to feast our eyes on the beautiful new color palettes and quality material selections presented by Mohawk Flooring, it was the SmartStrand Silk Reserve carpet that won my heart. Not only is this carpet gorgeous, but “SmartStrand Silk Reserve stands up to common household wear…In their testing, Mohawk’s SmartStrand Silk Reserve endured 60,000 steps – the equivalent of SEVEN YEARS of foot traffic” – That’s A LOT of every day life, puppies, and beautiful memories! Durability to the Max!!!
Another truly innovative product presented by Mohawk was the SolidTech waterproof vinyl plank flooring. I can’t wait to specify this flooring in our next Four Point custom home design build project.
What a great display too! Putting the product to the test in real time. Now THAT’s smart!
I must say though, as great as all the new products were (and they were SO great), it was the spectacular hospitality and magical night spent in bare feet on the luxurious new SmartStrand Silk Reserve carpet that sold me. THANK YOU to the entire Mohawk team for a wonderful night to remember!
W I L S O N A R T
Tons of colors, beautiful finishes, so much inspiration, and so many perfect solutions by sponsors Wilsonart. We’re pretty crazy about the new super smooth luxurious ultra matte laminate finish and can’t wait to work with it!
Baby, this is definitely not your mama’s laminate!
Wilsonart’s new Ultra Matte Laminate Finish “provides an on-trend low-sheen option for stone [that] rivals natural materials”. And “rival” it does! Embracing this material in new and innovative ways is a great option for some clients trying to achieve the look of stone, but having a different type of durability and function! One inspiring highlight for me was to see they way it was presented in the booth’s giant wall clock! What a great reminder to keep thinking outside the box when it comes to beautiful materials.
BRAVO and THANK YOU to #BlogTourKBIS sponsor Wilsonart for the over-the-top inspiration and product presentation. Excited to think about surface finishing options in a whole new way!
T H E R M A D O R
How about a little sexy glamour and sparkle for YOUR kitchen! Well, we say, YES! We’re crazy about the beautiful new kitchen appliances from the fabulous team at Thermador.
Wonderful diversity and fabulous new options presented in refrigeration with healthy and mindful living fulfilling a wide variety of needs and styles.
For over 100 years, Thermador has been designing and delivering high-quality beautiful ranges, ovens, cooktops, refrigerators, dishwashers and microwave options to customers worldwide. Never “settling for the status quo”, Thermador continues to redefine the kitchen.
One 4pt Favorite, the 60” Pro Grand Steam Range with Professional Grill and Griddle, was certainly one for any distinguished chef and entertainer’s wish list! Check out this beauty and all the Thermador options here!
D X V | A M E R I C A N S T A N D A R D | G R O H E | L I X I L A M E R I C A S
One of this year’s biggest show-stopping WOW presentations came from the extraordinary LIXIL Americas family of brands American Standard, Grohe and the wildly successful (and very popular with designers) DXV.
“Minimalism meets European Urbanism, resulting in simple yet functional spaces you want to TOUCH!”
Yes, indeed. Another 4pt favorite of the show was the stunningly smooth and perfectly designed sink in the new DXV Modulus Collection. What is even more wonderful about the new line, is that it is clear that DXV is thinking and developing kitchen and bath fixtures that appeal to not only the luxury client, but the diverse client.
“Celebrated heritage, luxe aesthetic and state-of-the-art technology are fused into one, enhancing our relationship with daily life.”
It is also clear that it is NOT “one sink fits all”, and for this design team, it is the matching removable side tray detail that puts this genius sexy innovative design on the top of my favorites list. These gorgeous sinks are the perfect answer to our small-space-loft-loving-luxury-living-retail-owning, residential and commercial clients that yearn for that super cool, deliciously smooth, perfectly imperfect “special something” in the bathroom!
American Standard and Grohe remains a Four Point standard for kitchen and bath for both our commercial and residential clients alike. However, the trends for beautiful modern design, smart home innovation, and water/energy saving fixtures are strong. Their response? The ActiClean Self Cleaning Toilet, K7 Foot Control Faucet and SmartControl System featuring a “push-and-turn” button for shower settings. The ActiClean Self Cleaning Toilet with revolutionalry VorMax flushing technology with a fully integrated self-cleaning system was fabulous and one of my personal favorite moments was the innovation of the removable toilet seat for cleaning. Now, if you’ve raised boys and have a husband you will LOVE this feature and will be as excited as I am!
Grohe’s scene stealing Essence New Semi-Pro Faucet in a rainbow of colors was probably the most photographed item of the entire show. I loved ALL the beautiful colors, but for me, the light grey, dark grey and white (well, DUH) are my favorites.
Always such consistent and spot on responses to the great needs for healthy living and aging in place designs. High function, decades of quality, and beautiful for the home.
The LIXIL Americas family continues to honor the interior design community, and leads the way in innovation and new trends in kitchen and bath design build. THANK YOU for the all-inclusive approach you take with Designers. I, for one, truly appreciate that you are listening and loving us!
M E T R I E
It is absolutely and always ALL in the details, and with options like the ones that Metrie offers, you cannot go wrong.
Blending modern and classic design elements, Metrie’s Then & Now Finishing Collections of “professionally designed and coordinated trim and interior doors are inspired by different architectural style” were another bold highlight of the show.
The presentation of stunning and inspiring “Pinterest-style” vignettes and gorgeous moulding and trim sample boards were spot on with today’s trends! Oh, the endless possibilities. When I think of layers, details, interior design and custom built homes, I think of Metrie!
W E L L B O R N
Why Wellborn?
Heirloom Quality | Made in the USA | Whole Home Design Solution
Storage, function, and style. From kitchens to closets, and from traditional to modern, Wellborn’s diverse and thoughtful approach to designing diverse products was very clear. Debuting their sleek, sexy new Full Access Frameless line, Aspire cabinetry’s distinctive characteristics of frameless cabinetry is an “innovative and leading edge style product line”. With over 40 door profiles and over 100,000 species and finish combinations being offered, this design trend for kitchen, bath and home is clearly here to stay.
Photography credit Felix O.B. | FXO Photography
What an honor to have been a part of the 2017 #BlogTourKBIS hunt for the best of the best in products, tips, trends, innovation and inspiration with this incredible group of brilliant designers!
In closing, I want to give a HUGE heartfelt THANK YOU to the incredible Modenus – The Design Directory team, Veronika Miller and beautiful Flo Von Pelet, for this wonderful dynamic opportunity and your warm generosity; And A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU to the enthusiastic premier #sponsors for their over-the-top gracious hospitality and time!
So, as we look to the future of kitchen and bath design and construction, we can be sure that our 2017 sponsors will always be one step ahead of the curve! I look forward over the next few weeks to continue to share all our design finds, tips, trends, and design-build solutions with YOU, and I say CHEERS to KBIS 2017. Another fantastic show is in the books!
Thanks for joining us here today!
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Blessings,
Laura
