KBIS 2017 was the national gathering of thousands of industry professionals 2 weeks ago in Orlando at the Orange County Convention Center! Row upon row of design, construction and vendor displays that could make your head spin! It is, by far, the best place to see new technology and trends for the year ahead.

One of the most interesting panel discussions was held at the KBIS next stage where Nate Berkus headed up a group of specialists talking about color trends. The whole group, unanimously agreed, that “cherry” needs to go away completely! Amen

It was a different experience this year as I had the honor of attending as the VP of Communications for the Minnesota chapter of the NKBA(national kitchen & bath association). We spent Monday with our national NKBA board colleagues listening to speakers and participating in break out groups where we were able to collaborate with other board members in different states. The first night consisted of the largest event of the week, The Magic of Design Party at Epcot. The national NKBA design awards were presented at this event and some of our local students placed in the tiny house competition! Way to go guys!

The top trends seen at KBIS 2017:
1. Sand tones are back. But not the full on brown rooms of 10 years ago. We are seeing a mix of sand tones with grey, white and even black! (all white is still hot btw) 

2. Wild wallpaper! As seen in the Kohler display at KBIS, wild wallpaper patterns are being added to all rooms in a home for pops of color and pattern. 

3. As we’ve been seeing the last couple of years, mixing metals is still hot! Although the metals are getting darker, we are still seeing a trend towards mixing these to create a cohesive yet unstructured look. Check out the black iron with gold decor below!

4. Luxury enameled stoves. These are growing and growing in popularity and come in a range of colors! Who doesn’t love a top of the line, french inspired range to take the center point of a kitchen?! 

5. Of course, pantones “greenery” hit the scene hard. Seen in almost every booth was a different variation on the green tone. Jump on the color craze and add a bit of this trend to your home, it can be personalized to almost anyones taste! Easiest thing to do is style your bed, couches and decor shelving with additions of this color! 

Leaving with new inspiration and drive, I now get to reflect on what I learned at this huge event! See you next year KBIS!!