If last month’s attendance during the IBS/KBIS Show in Vegas is any sort of indicator for anything, in-person trade shows are still thriving. We’re hearing that this was the most attended show of the past 15 years. According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), more than 76,000 builders, remodelers, developers and other home Read more
kitchen and bath
Running into friends while enjoying the Vegas nightlife.
If last month’s attendance during the IBS/KBIS Show in Vegas is any sort of indicator for anything, in-person trade shows are still thriving. We’re hearing that this was the most attended show of the past 15 years. According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), more than 76,000 builders, remodelers, developers and other home building professionals filled the halls, “the highest level since 2009, which reflects the bullish outlook of the residential construction industry.”
This year also marked the 11th anniversary of Design & Construction Week® (DCW), the co-location of IBS and the National Kitchen & Bath Association’s (NKBA’s) Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS). DCW drew over 117,000 attendees, and more than 2,400 exhibitors occupied over one million net square feet of indoor and outdoor exhibits.
Pfister Faucet’s Spencer Brown, the Hub’s John Mesenbrink, Tim Goff, Pfister Faucets, and Dominic Sims, ICC, talk about the importance, and popularity, of the American Plumber Stories series.
Anyone who has visited the Las Vegas convention center knows that there are basically four separate halls—North, Central, South and West. I am of the opinion that the Central Hall usually gets the influx of traffic initially—over the course of the three-day event—with crossover to the North Hall fairly fluid. The North Hall is generally reserved for big bathroom players, and Central and South are filled with construction/builder booths. The West Hall, honestly, is almost at a different location where, in order to get there most of the time, you are sent underground, blindfolded and whisked through a tunnel via a manned Tesla. Pretty cool experience, actually, but not necessarily ideal if you are exhibiting in West because that’s where the trickle or “if I have enough time” traffic goes. My opinion, of course.
Oh, I almost forgot. There are a number of exhibitors set up outside—our friends from the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), for example—right in front of Central Hall. The blue sky, 70° temps didn’t hurt those outdoor experiences either.
Dominic Sims CEO, International Code Council (ICC), talks about the partnership with American Plumber Stories for upcoming season 5 of the wildly popular docuseries.
Just a note of interest here, getting the show is getting easier with access to the monorail, which makes stops to a number of hotel locations—if it looks full, just keep nudging, you’ll find space—and hotel bus routes, which can be found in front of the Central Hall and to the side of the South Hall. Depending on when you are entering or leaving the show, Uber and taxi at your own risk.
Now, if you’ve been to the IBS/KBIS trades shows in recent past, you’ll know that the setup is pretty formulaic, but it was brought to my attention that this year they pretty much simplified the approach with similar products located near each other so you don’t have to break your Fitbit traversing the LVCC universe trying to find something.
Everything from low-flow toilets, ADA & Living in Place to the latest in bidets, KBIS had it all. From the Bemis booth.
Invariably during every trade show I attend I get asked, “what was the most interesting thing you saw on the show floor?” Well, I gotta say it was the Genesis Systems WaterCube 100, which basically creates water out of the air. I was fairly shocked when I saw the size of this unit—large—to be installed on the exterior of the home. The company contends that the product sustainably generates more than 100 gallons of fresh water daily from the air around it—enough for a household of four, and it operates in humidity ranges of >40-100% and ideal climate temperatures of >59 degrees F.
Genesis Systems WaterCube 100
In the North Hall, we saw everything from the latest in bidets, low-flow toilets, high-end kitchen and bathroom fixtures to fancy multi-colored bathtubs—a kitchen and bath designer’s fantasy space, if you will.
Moen’s 3-in-1 Water Filtration Pulldown faucets dispense filtered cold water and hot and cold tap water, including a three-function pultdown wand. 3-in-1 Water Filtration Kitchen Pulldowns pair with any Moen filtration system and are available in many styles and finish options.
“2024 marks the 60-year anniversary of KBIS—a tremendous accomplishment and an opportunity to not only celebrate our growth but to set goals for how we want to continue to elevate the show and help drive the industry forward,” said Bill Darcy, Global President & CEO of NKBA|KBIS. “We’ve had great success collaborating with NAHB and IBS and are proud to announce our continued partnership as part of this milestone year. As the kitchen, bath, and wider residential building, architect, design, and remodeling sectors continue to grow it’s more important than ever to provide a central source for inspiration and innovation.”
NAHB and NKBA announced an agreement to extend the co-location of IBS and KBIS for four years through 2030.
Next year, DCW will return to Las Vegas, Feb. 25-27.
See you next year in Vegas!
Mechanical Hub recently spoke with Danielle DeBoe Harper, senior creative style manager, Moen, regarding the latest trends in kitchen & bath. As Harper explains, as two of the highest traffic areas of the home, maintaining and upkeeping a refreshed, clean, stylish kitchen and bathroom are top priorities for consumers. It goes a step further taking Read more
Mechanical Hub recently spoke with Danielle DeBoe Harper, senior creative style manager, Moen, regarding the latest trends in kitchen & bath. As Harper explains, as two of the highest traffic areas of the home, maintaining and upkeeping a refreshed, clean, stylish kitchen and bathroom are top priorities for consumers. It goes a step further taking into consideration the desire for more personal expression and customization right now. The following is an exclusive Q&A with Moen’s Harper.
MH: I just saw a report by the NKBA that remodeling will sustain the K&B industry for 2023. Does Moen agree with this assessment? What other factors are influencing the market for 2023 K&B?
HARPER: People continue to look for unique ways to meet their own needs inside the home from design to plumbing. The expansion of Moen products over the last year and throughout 2023 emphasizes the growing demand for more options in the kitchen and bathroom. Consumers are looking for spaces and products that meet their design preferences but also offer enhanced functionality. An example of this is the Smart Faucet with Motion Control that allows consumers to elevate how they move about their kitchen with smart technology, while increasing style.
MH: Are any colors or finishes dominating the K&B landscape this year?
HARPER: Moen is seeing Matte Black finishes on fixtures in the bathroom and kitchen become increasingly more popular. With a bold, dramatic finish like Matte Black, fixtures can take a room to new depths, heightening both classic and contemporary designs. Additionally, the finish is a simple way to elevate more minimalist collections to the very on-trend industrial chic style, making it a very versatile design.
Along with Matte Black, the trend of personalizing fixtures is hitting new heights. By mixing metals and providing more options to customize your sink, adding a brushed gold escutcheon to a matte black bathroom faucet easily adds extra flair and personality to the room’s design.
In terms of color, we’re going to continue seeing both the layering of neutral and natural tones as well as the inclusion of bold pops of color like cobalt and citrus tones.
MH: Piggybacking off of that, what is trending as far as consumers looking at fixture styles? (Contemporary, modern, traditional, farmhouse, retro, etc.)
HARPER: Moen is finding a greater desire for fixture styles that can fit any room aesthetic. To encompass this idea, homeowners are looking toward fixtures that lean more transitional to meld together both traditional and modern pieces for a clean, comfortable, contemporary look.
As we go further into 2023, the kitchen and bathroom spaces are focusing on combining styles to create one unique design that helps homeowners encapsulate their own personal tastes and lifestyles. An example of this is the new TenonTM collection. This collection brings a touch of warmth to the contemporary kitchen, while offering the modern functionality consumers need and enjoy. The tall stature and the teak wood handle make these faucets an eye-catching addition to the sink, while offering the consumer a sense of customization.
MH: Can you address Moen’s sustainability initiatives?
HARPER: Moen takes pride in innovating and designing products with sustainability top of mind. This is why we have created Mission Moen. Mission Moen is our promise to protect and preserve the world’s most precious resource — water. Our goal with Mission Moen is to save one trillion gallons of water and repurposing 2,000 tons of ocean plastic by 2030, all while helping consumers enjoy water even more.
At Moen, we are driven to deliver outstanding water experiences inside and outside the home to celebrate water’s power and beauty, but also to protect the water of tomorrow. By creating products that save water effortlessly while improving how you experience it, we’re making your interactions with water even more meaningful without ever having to compromise style.
MH: Let’s talk functionality. I know Moen has some very unique offerings such as eBidets, eToilets and Workstation sinks. Can you talk about those and any other products/services coming soon?
HARPER: Moen is focused on creating the ultimate experience for consumers. This goes beyond faucets. We know how important each touch point with the water that flows through your pipes is and how that impacts daily routines. We’ve dedicated our focus streamlining tasks at the sink with Workstation Sinks, bringing comfort and cleanliness to a new level with eBidets and eToilets. With features such as water pressure, temperature control and endless instantaneous warm water, eBidets and eToilets deliver the ability for each user to customize their own experience in the bathroom.
In 2023, we’re excited to share our newest expansion to our Smart Water Network with enhanced interoperability in our products. This provides more integrated and advanced experiences when you have more than one Moen Smart Water product, such as the Flo Smart Water Monitor and Shutoff, Smart Faucet and Smart Shower. As a result, Moen is giving consumers more power over their water than ever before. The Smart Water Network is also an integral part of Mission Moen by proactively protecting the home from leaks and reducing water waste with built-in water conservation every time you turn on the faucet or shower. We’ll also be launching a new Smart Sprinkler Controller that helps automate lawn irrigation and provides even more control over your home’s water.
Along with the expansion of the Smart Water Network, Moen is excited to launch new styles and innovations, such as new laundry faucets- and water filtration faucets to improve how our customers enjoy their home, while achieving even more customized experiences.
MH: Finally, let’s talk vision of space. The kitchen has always been the heart of the home and the bathroom (master) has long been considered a place of respite and relaxation. When designing these spaces, is it still a matter of personal preference, wellness, functionality, etc.? Explain.
HARPER: As two of the most used spaces in the home, the kitchen is the hub of entertaining during family gatherings, while the bathroom is used as the ultimate escape to reset at the end of a busy day. When designing for these spaces, it’s important to carefully customize each room to meet your individual preferences and needs. This ties into the overarching trend of home holistic wellness which we see continuing through 2023 and is heavily influenced by the home embodying the lifestyles and habits of the consumer in each room. Designing a kitchen and bathroom with functionality, wellness and versatility top of mind allows homeowners to choose what their environment says about them to anyone who walks through their front door.
Fluidmaster unveils all-new Soft Spa 9500 Bidet. Designed to provide a more hygienic, clean and refreshing solution in the bathroom, the feature-rich Soft Spa 9500 Bidet leverages Fluidmaster’s 64-year history of innovation. Complete with water temperature and pressure controls, adjustable dryer speeds, an ergonomic, temperature-controlled comfort seat and more, the electronic bidet features a sleek Read more
Fluidmaster unveils all-new Soft Spa 9500 Bidet. Designed to provide a more hygienic, clean and refreshing solution in the bathroom, the feature-rich Soft Spa 9500 Bidet leverages Fluidmaster’s 64-year history of innovation. Complete with water temperature and pressure controls, adjustable dryer speeds, an ergonomic, temperature-controlled comfort seat and more, the electronic bidet features a sleek design that won’t shift under your bum. The Soft Spa 9500 Bidet is offered at $400 MSRP and available now through Fluidmaster.com.
The Soft Spa 9500 Bidet by Fluidmaster serves as a healthier, more hygienic way of cleaning up in the bathroom. Front and rear cleaning cycles help remove more bacteria and prevent the spread of germs when compared to wiping with toilet paper. The result is a fresh, “just stepped out of the shower” clean feeling made possible by a premium, fully customizable experience.
“Adding electronic bidets to the toilet has been a growing trend in the U.S. market over the last few years as more people have transformed their bathrooms into a personal spa oasis,” said Corinne AndersonSchoepe, Director, Global Brand, Fluidmaster. “COVID-19 and the recent toilet paper shortages fast-tracked our development of the Soft Spa 9500 as we responded to the widespread adoption of elevated personal hygiene standards. We’ve leveraged our trusted leadership in the toilet repair industry to offer a premium, more hygienic solution that we believe is going to be a welcomed upgrade in the bathroom.”
Features of the Soft Spa 9500 Bidet by Fluidmaster include1:
- Automatic front and rear cleaning cycles with oscillation, water temperature and pressure controls
- Adjustable dryer speeds with temperature control
- Sleek design with an ergonomic comfort bidet seat that won’t shift under your bum, featuring adjustable temperature control
- Electronic control via push button at bidet base or wireless remote
- Deodorizer and push-button quick release for easy cleaning
- Night light and soft-close bidet seat lid for round-the-clock use
The U by Moen Smart Faucet offers convenience, precision and intuitive voice-activation technology to help complete tasks in the kitchen, while also offering a myriad of style options to suit almost any design aesthetic. “Whether you’re a mom juggling packed lunches while trying to get your morning coffee, a baker requiring precise ingredient volumes for recipes, or a Read more
The U by Moen Smart Faucet offers convenience, precision and intuitive voice-activation technology to help complete tasks in the kitchen, while also offering a myriad of style options to suit almost any design aesthetic.
U by Moen in Sleek
“Whether you’re a mom juggling packed lunches while trying to get your morning coffee, a baker requiring precise ingredient volumes for recipes, or a multitasker that sometimes needs another set of hands, extra assistance in the kitchen can go a long way,” said Michael Poloha, group manager, IoT, Moen. “Our team is dedicated to developing intelligent innovations that thoughtfully integrate technology to enhance people’s everyday encounters with water, and the new U by Moen Smart Faucet delivers the connectivity and customization our consumers desire.”
Users are able to control their U by Moen Smart Faucet in four ways:
- Voice control allows users to start and stop water flow as well as perform specific tasks on command through their digital voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant.
- A Wave Sensor positioned at the front of the faucet turns water on or off with a simple hand movement.
- The handle on the side of the faucet offers manual operation, letting users adjust flow and temperature.
- Through the smartphone app, users can set unlimited personalized presets or start and stop water delivery with the push of a button.
The U by Moen Smart Faucet is the only voice- activated kitchen faucet on the commercial market to offer voice- and hands-free activation regardless of the faucet’s manual handle position. Voice service and hands-free control will start or stop the water flow, dispensing the desired temperature and amount, whether the faucet handle is in the open or closed position, and despite manual temperature selection with the handle.
To activate the U by Moen Smart Faucet, users simply ask Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant to turn the water on or off, as well as dispense precise measurements and temperatures. Once they have created personalized presets in the Moen app, homeowners only need to state the name of the preset within the command.
Voice-activated capabilities include:
- Metered dispensing in fractional metric and non-metric measurements from one tablespoon up to 15 gallons
- Exact and generic temperature commands: “105 degrees” and “hot water” or “cold water”
- Combined metered and temperature requests: “1/2 cup of 105-degree water” or “Two ounces of hot water”
- User-customized presets created within the Moen app: “Baby Bottle” or “Dog Bowl”
Additionally, preheat commands will warm or cool the water to the desired generic or specific temperature, then pause the flow of water until users re-engage the faucet. As the water temperature changes, the hands-free sensor on the faucet will evolve from blue, purple and red, indicating the system is warming up or cooling down to reach the desired water temperature. When the water is ready, the sensor lights will stop flashing and turn solid.
Users also can control their smart kitchen faucet through the Moen app, a whole home smart- water ecosystem that connects consumers to their water and allows control of their Moen Network products in one platform – including the U by Moen Smart Faucet and Smart Shower, as well as the Flo by Moen Smart Water Shutoff and Smart Water Detector.
The Moen app allows for the creation of an unlimited number of presets to simplify operation, setting both temperature and volume to make voice commands easier.
For more information about the U by Moen Smart Faucet collection, visit moen.com/smart- home.
Available nationwide, the Delta Glass Rinser functions much like one in local coffee shops but is designed to work in home kitchens. The new innovation makes it easy to rinse drink ware that can otherwise be difficult to clean. It thoroughly rinses residue in seconds with high-pressure water jets that reach where you can’t. From Read more
Available nationwide, the Delta Glass Rinser functions much like one in local coffee shops but is designed to work in home kitchens. The new innovation makes it easy to rinse drink ware that can otherwise be difficult to clean. It thoroughly rinses residue in seconds with high-pressure water jets that reach where you can’t. From baby bottles and wine glasses to travel cups and water bottles, Delta Glass Rinser conveniently rinses virtually any drinkware.
“Our market research revealed that customers are interested in a solution to more effectively rinse items at the kitchen sink, so we decided to make that concept a reality,” said Adriana Miller, Delta brand product manager. “Ideal for parents, party hosts and fitness enthusiasts alike, the Delta Glass Rinser provides a simple solution, increasing efficiency in the kitchen.”
Additional features and benefits include:
Versatile and convenient:Delta Glass Rinser is simple to use and quickly rinses hard-to-wash drink ware so you can spend less time cleaning up in the kitchen.
Powerful, yet sleek: Simply press drink ware down over the rinser and powerful jets of water shoot up for a thorough rinse that can be applied to a variety of drink ware.The sleek, low-profile design allows the Delta Glass Rinser to pair seamlessly with faucets of any style.
Effective and simple to install: It can be easily installed on sinks alongside anew or existing faucet. The design allows water to funnel directly into the sink with no concern about making a mess.
The DeltaGlass Rinser is currently available in Chrome and Spotshield® Stainless finishes at select retailers, such as The Home Depot and Lowe’s. A metallic version offered in seven finishes will be available exclusively at trade customers in summer 2020 to coordinate with Delta kitchen collections.
For additional product information, visit deltafaucet.com/glassrinser.