Newest Innovations at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show 2020

With the recent technology study, more people are opting for smarter homes. Though there are already smart products available in the market, we are anticipating that there will be more introduced home products and appliances with an emphasis on smart technology applications. Looking ahead, the new decade has a lot to offer. With the people being tech-savvy, who cannot live without smartphones in their hands, it’s no surprise that technology is one of the most desired features in every home. Imagine your homes with devices that could connect to the internet. Every part of your kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, or even when you are outside your homes, you can automate, activate, and send commands to control your home. With the styles and technology trends that we’ve seen already, the question is, are we ready for new kitchen and bath trends that will shape the years to come? We need to keep an eye on the biggest, newest, and hottest trends that will largely bullish this new decade. As we continuously seek for technology innovation, more than 600 leading companies and suppliers flocked to Las Vegas to showcase their most innovative kitchen, bath, smart home, and outdoor living products in the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) 2020. KBIS is North America’s largest trade show devoted to kitchen and bath design and serves as the voice of the kitchen and bath industry for 50 years. KBIS, in conjunction with the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), is an inspiring, interactive platform that showcases the latest industry products, technologies, and trends. Attended by over 31,000 interior designers, architects, contractors, and manufacturers, we were able to explore the top productsand brands displayed under one roof, while connecting with the global product suppliers to build network and exchange ideas for business. Here’s what I’ve exploredthrough the wide range of product technology solutions at the KBIS 2020.

Avoir One-Piece Tankless Toilet

Kohler, a global leader in kitchen and bath products, introduced a new platform in the tankless space with an enhanced design aesthetic to blend seamlessly into any space: Avoir, a battery-powered one-piece tankless toilet. It does not require access to an electrical outlet, needing only 4 AA batteries to power the toilet for a full year. Avoir is an excellent solution for those who want an intelligent toilet with a Quiet Close Seat and Cover hinge mechanism feature. It is equipped with ReadyLock installation system, and an optional remote single-button actuator, a back-up actuator in case of battery failure, and optional wireless flush remote.

Graze Touchless Faucet

Graze, a touchless pull-down kitchen sink faucet comes with a three-function sprayhead. Three-function pull-down sprayhead allows you to switch between Stream, Sweep, and BerrySoft spray. From the standard stream spray, the sweep spray transforms into a wide, powerful blade of water that sweeps your dishes and sinks clean with a single push of a button, while BerrySoft is a light spray ideal for washing hands, rinsing delicate dishware, and preparing fruits and vegetables. Graze is a bold statement piece that uses a state-ofthe-art motion sensor for reliable touchless activation. It also features a temperature memory that allows the faucet to be turned on and off at the temperature set during its prior usage. In delivering superior performance, the Graze touchless faucet collection has voice capability through Kohler Konnect that will simplify turning the water on and off and dispense a measured amount of water. At the KBIS, I was able to meet and have an interview with Kohler’s President and Chief Executive Officer David Kohler. Kohler is a global leader in kitchen and bath products offering a wide range of designer bathroom and kitchen products including luxury toilets, showers, taps, baths, and enclosures. Sharing the company’s goals and values, I get excited about how the brand will thrive in the industry in a big way after introducingits newest kitchen and bath products with cutting-edge design, style, and innovation. As one of America’s oldest and largest privately held companies, Kohler is making a major impact on its goal in terms of sustainability. “In 2008, we decided to really dig deeper and recommit to a more aggressive sustainability strategy. Since that time, we started to reduce our environmental footprint of over 25%. We’ve driven significant progress to more environmentally friendly and innovative products,” David on sharing Kohler’s sustainability goal is a net-zero carbon and solid waste footprint. On that note, the company believes that an enterprise can be very successful and sustainable at the same time and that two factors come hand in hand. As an early mover in sustainability, Kohler commits to reduce 3% environmental footprint per year to help achieve its objective of net-zero in terms of environmental impact in 2035. Looking through a great risk of climate change, the company aims to continually drive more and more product solutions that can conserve water or energy consumption. “We’re going to be the best manufacturer, environmental citizen as much as we can in terms of driving down our use of energy, use of water, reducing our waste to the landfill, and try to manufacture in the most sustainable way possible,” he added. With a lot happening in the innovation front, the technology, electronics, digital technology, the whole movement around a smart home and bringing electronics in their kitchen and bath products, the convenience it offers is not the major trend. In looking closely at our industry, he stated, “Personalization is also now a big product trend. There’s a big trend now on personalization in terms of Kohler’s materials and finishes, so you’ll be able to personalize your bathroom environment with the designs, colors, and finishes to reflect exactly what you care about and your personal design as an individual because our homes are the reflection of us. It reflects what we care about, our personality, our passion, so we want to make the biggest and the best palette of colors, materials, finishes, designs, and textures for the designers and architects around the world that create beautiful spaces.” With his 28 years of experience in the company and being passionate about the values, culture, vision, and mission of Kohler company, we ended the conversation as David Kohler shared his guiding principles from an English philosopher John Ruskin, which states, “A life without labor is guilt. Labor without art is brutality.” —