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SHOWROOM STYLE
Innovative new and hot Kitchen & Bath products in 2011
T
he Kitchen and Bath Industry Show was held from April 26– 28 in Las Vegas. There were
approximately 34,000 people in at- tendance and 575 exhibitor booths. While the number of exhibitors and the attendance was down from the boom years, this K/BIS was spectac- ular. Why? The attendees were fo- cused on the bath, plumbing and kitchen business, through thick and thin; attendees and manufacturers spoke to each other at length, rather than the “scan my badge and run” routine of the best years; and there was an extraordinary amount of ex- citing new products. I want to apologize in advance and acknowledge that many great bath and kitchen manufacturers are not in- cluded this article, because it would
be impossible to feature all the inno- vations in this limited space. I have tried to select the highlights of K/BIS 2011 from my viewpoint. I walked the show at 7 a.m. each day and vis- ited most of the 575 booths.
The BEST of K/BIS 2011 awards The eight winning products, se-
lected for their functionality, qual- ity/durability, flexibility, aesthetics/ style and innovation, were each intro- duced in the past 12 months. The products were judged by editors from nine different magazines. It leaves a lot to be desired that there were only two “Best of Bath Awards,” when there are so many categories in the bath sector. Following are the Best of KBIS
2011 winners: Best of Kitchen
• Gold Award —True Prof. Series undercounter refrigerator drawers (
www.true-residential.com) • Silver Award — Dacor distinc-
tive 30-inch dual-fuel range (
www.dacor.com)
Best of Bath • Gold Award — EGR Lustrolite
acrylic shower panels (
www.lustro-
lite.com) • Silver Award — Moen Flush-
mount body sprays (
www.moen.com) Best Universal Design Product • Healthcraft Products Invisia col-
lection SerenaSeat (www.healthcraft-
products.com) Best Green Product • Hafele America L00X LED light- ing system (
www.hafele.com/us) Best of Show
• WarmlyYours innovative infrared
glass heating systems (www.warm-
lyyours.com) People’s Choice Award
• Penguin Toilets Model 524 with
overflow protection (
www.penguin-
toilets.com)
Many “clear winners” for today’s showrooms
Showering and steam bathing, bringing the spa experience inside the shower, was big. (Turn to The best... page 38.)
BY PETER SCHOR Showroom specialist
•THE WHOLESALER® — JUNE 2011
The beauty of porcelain. The strength of steel.
MAUI DEEP SOAKER
The New Depth of Luxury. Introducing the Maui - 60" x 30" x 16 5/8"
At last ... a 15" deep tub with the practical elegance of porcelain enamel steel. The Maui is a generous 2" deeper than a standard recess bath, just perfect for soaking. The advanced thermal and sound insulation mean a quieter, more serene bathing experience than ever before. Made exclusively by Bootz in the U.S.A. Complies with ASME A112.19.1-2008/CSA B45.2-2008
Call us today at 812-423-5401
Bootz Industries P.O. Box 18010 Evansville, IN 47719-1010 (812) 423-5401 (812) 429-2254
http://www.bootz.com E-mail:
webmaster@bootz.com
Also available in Mauicast. See contact information on page 86 • Be sure to visit
www.thewholesaler.com for web exclusive articles and videos! •
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