10 Hot Finds from Cool Markets

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Whether you’re over the idea of an all-white kitchen, or simply ready to add a shot of color to the room, we’ve scoped out some stylish solutions to lend a hand. To start off the year, Kathy Wall (President and Ringleader of The Media Matters) racked up frequent flyer miles to track down the most current trends and innovative new products at four major 2019 trade shows and markets. With an itinerary that included the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show [KBIS], International Builder Show [IBS], The International Surface Event [Surfaces], and the Las Vegas Market, here’s a sampling of what our Ringleader found….

While no single color seemed to dominate the scene, the number one takeaway is that manufacturers are embracing customization and personalization of their products. From appliances and plumbing to cabinets and tile, an ever-increasing array of color options and finishes are available. Plus, there’s even the opportunity to design it yourself.

Case in point: Designers Jason Oliver Nixon and John Loecke of Madcap Cottage were swamped in the BlueStar Cooking space at IBS. The kitchen they designed featured an extraordinary range in one of their pretty floral patterns. BlueStar’s new design technology allows virtually any pattern to be printed on their professional grade ranges, cooktops, and ovens. Truly bespoke. Solid color offerings include pink, coral, and purple.

Authors of the home décor book, Prints Charming, the design duo firmly supports an exuberant use of both pattern and color. “In life and decor, the Madcap Cottage gents believe that it is far better to be looked over than overlooked,” explains Nixon. “The only gravy colors in our life are on our table, and, frankly, we prefer fabulous, brightly colored nibbles anyhow. Why should the kitchen be clinical or sterile? If that’s what you want, check into the hospital for a weekend and get your fix.”

Ever attuned to a customer’s need to express themselves in color, Sherwin-Williams shared their Colormix® Forecast 2019 . They debuted 42 on-trend colors organized into six unique color personalities that work easily in any room. Our fave personality? The “Enthusiast” (shown here), for those who are eclectic, love over-the-top opulence—and don’t know the meaning of less is more. This palette features bold pops of color, lots of energy, and oozes cozy chaos.

A standout at Surfaces was the Retro Active 2.0 tile collection from Crossville Inc. This versatile porcelain tile is available in 13 fashion-forward colors, textural patterns, and 8 size options for walls and floors (indoors and out). We especially like the colorful backsplash combo of Gulf Breeze, Racing Green, Royal Navy, and Empress White. Here’s a plus: These commercial and residential designs feature through-body color and are domestically made in Tennessee.

This colorful array of Essence Semi-Pro Kitchen Faucets from Grohe at KBIS reminded us of a fist full of Skittles. They were so much fun that one could imagine punch flowing from them instead of water. Flexible hoses in Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Pink, Matte Sheer Marble, are Matte Dark Gray are easily installed to replace the faucet’s original Velvet Matte Black hose.

1.Sicilian aesthetics and technology meet in a collaboration between Italian appliance manufacturer SMEG and fashion house Dolce & Gabbana. For the first time their vibrantly embellished Carretto range, hood, and refrigerator is available to the U.S. market. However, we were most charmed by their KBIS display of small appliances, including this stand mixer with distinctive D&G motifs.

2. True Residential , a home refrigeration brand with commercial DNA, unveils a new Emerald hue to its Build Your True program at KBIS. The addition of the rich verdant color—said to promote wellbeing, balance, and harmony—showcases the brand’s commitment to offering homeowners and designers style and design flexibility. Even better, hardware options include copper, brass, gold, pewter, stainless, and chrome.

3.While the folks at Medallion Cabinetry we met at KBIS share that blue-painted finishes continue to be a go-to color for kitchens, and that green paint finishes are only growing in popularity, they didn’t stop there. Additions to their Finish Folio include 23 new hues for a total of 38 paint color options that offer both freshness and long-lasting appeal.With colors ranging from dramatic crimson to dusky lilac, vibrant ochre to soft olive, (and much more), this collection has something for everyone.

4.Taco Tuesdays just got a little more fun, thanks to the multi-colored Sombrero Taco Holders from Talisman Designs we spied at Las Vegas Market.From small to large, soft to hard-shell tacos, these sombreros can hold them all.

5.Imagine using cutting-edge augmented reality on your mobile phone to paint a room in real time! Just download the ColorSnap® Visualizer app from Sherwin-Williams and give Instant Paint a try. (Available for both iPhone and Android.) But that’s not all. The app can capture colors from your surroundings and match them to a Sherwin-Williams paint, lets you upload a room photo and virtually paint the scene, use the Snap It Button to turn any image into a color palette, provides a day-to-night toggle to view color choices in different lighting, calculate the quantity of paint needed, or…. (Just give it a try!)

6.Insider Art: Not only does the new Atelier Edition Modernist Refrigerator from Dacor feature porcelain interior panels (stronger than plastic, impermeable, hygienic, and odor proof), interior drawers of the IBS introduction provide a canvas for limited-edition artworks by such celebrated artists as American porcelain artist Ann Agee.

Design Matters is the monthly trend viewpoint from the tradeshow - traveling, fresh-finding team at The Media Matters. Feel free to use this information in part or total. We're always here to help.

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