Fifth annual Design & Construction Week was a success
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Photo By KBIS

Both the 2018 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) and the 2018 International Builders Show (IBS), held Jan. 9-11 at the Orlando Convention Center during the 5th annual Design & Construction Week, saw large and enthusiastic crowds and an increase in attendance and exhibitors.

The co-located events, which will move to Las Vegas in 2019, drew more than 85,000 total attendees.

Highlights include:

The Best of KBIS awards recognized and honored the best of the best from the kitchen and bath industry on display during the show. One of the top winners in the Kitchen category, Tresco Lighting by Rev-A-Shelf, featured its Snap Lighting Panels.

Belwith-Keeler celebrated its 125th anniversary with the reintroduction of Vale, a decorative hardware design from its Living Products library. Vale, a design by the parent company, first appeared in the 1953 Modern Hardware catalog.

Representatives from Tresco Lighting and Belwith-Keeler will be speaking at the Cabinets & Closets Conference, March 27 in Pasadena, California. See CabinetsAndClosetsExpo.com for more details.

Artis Wall by ARTISWALL, a lightweight decorative panel, also won a Best Kitchen Product in the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Best of IBS Awards.

Lumber Liquidators’ booth showcased the latest trends in flooring, noting that hardwood remains a classic, but consumers are also looking for color variation, unique distressing and finishes for a more custom look. An example is the striking Morning Star – Crushed Indigo Bamboo collection with blues that shift in waves from dark to light, fading to areas with slight distressing and a worn-smooth denim effect.

Hardware Resources featured six new collections at the show, including organizational products for the kitchen, bath and closet, as well as a new Cottage Style bath vanity, age-friendly decorative hardware; a no-wiggle base cabinet; a new 14-inch pullout pants rack and more.

From its newly released Elite Racks and Mirror collection of sliding accessories featuring an extendable valet rod, multi-hook tie rack, belt rack, scarf rack and a sliding mirror to its popular and versatile Express Shelf line, ClosetMaid showcased a variety of storage and home organization options.

 Organized Living debuted six products from the new Simple Wood Shelf and Rod product line to new accessories for freedomRail and Classica. Organized Living also showcased its newly redesigned Online Design Tool with improvements including streamlined selections, greater functionality and more intuitive controls.

Kesseböhmer USA displayed a variety of new products and updates including iMove, an intelligent shelving system for wall cabinets; StraightLine, a drawer organization system; and the innovative LeMans Highboard, which takes the two-shelf LeMans blind corner pull-out shelving system and creates double the storage space for cabinets over 50 inches high. It can be retrofitted into existing blind corners.

Stikwood, which offers peel and stick wood planking, launched 19 new styles and introduced Splash Safe, a water-resistant wood planking that can be used as a backsplash in kitchen and bath areas.

On the show floor, NKBA presented its KBISNeXT Stage. One of the hot draws was a presentation by 90s rapper and icon Vanilla Ice, who hosts a remodeling show on DIY Network, “The Vanilla Ice Project.” He sat down with HGTV Design Director Nancy Fire for a conversation on trends and his approach to kitchen, bath, closet and outdoor living design challenges.

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About the author
Michaelle Bradford | Editor

Michaelle Bradford, CCI Media, is Editor of Closets & Organized Storage magazine and Woodworking Network editor. She has more than 20 years of experience covering the woodworking and design industry, including visits to custom cabinet shops, closet firms and design studios throughout North America. As Editor of Closets & Organized Storage magazine under the Woodworking Network brand, Michaelle’s responsibilities include writing, editing, and coordinating editorial content as well as managing annual design competitions like the Top Shelf Design Awards. She is also a contributor to FDMC and other Woodworking Network online and print media owned by CCI Media.