As you may have seen, I spent a week in Las Vegas last month (January 2020) at the official Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS). I had a very unique opportunity to attend this year as part of the KBIS & Modenus #designhounds influencer team. We had a lovely team of sponsors treat us to a week of fabulous dining, education and exhibition. I thought I would share some of my favorite finds and a little behind the scenes of our red carpet experience.
First off, I have to give you the details on the fabulous hotel we stayed at, The Nomad. It was so beautiful and I swear, I did not feel like I was in Vegas (which I greatly appreciated). Can we just take a second to drool over the this European inspired boutique beauty?
Our first event was a fabulous cocktail hour with the team at Modenus. We were greeted by all our sponsors and let's not forget the red wine and swag bags!
We hit the ground running day one with Compac! Recognize the tub? It was so beautiful you guys, we just had to get in it. We learned about Compac and their focus on sustainability which has been a hot topic for our industry the past few years. Compac reuses 95% of their water and has already reforested 30,000 trees to compensate for the carbon dioxide impact.
They had such beautiful quartz slabs and you guys know we install quartz often. I personally just installed a honed granite island in my home and wish I would have known about Compac. One of my favorite items was their natural finish Unique Pietra. Such a great alternative to soapstone.
Their aesthetic really resonated with me because well, A, they're from Spain. My grandparents are Spanish, so that tugged on my heart strings. But, B, they have a very organic and natural aesthetic throughout all their product lines which resonates with this West Coast girl.
We didn't waste any time day one! We went straight to Thermador for a little cocktail hour and walkthrough of all their new products. (Side note: they served us Aperol Spritz which you know is one of my fave trade show cocktails. HAHA.) Thermador was really focused on the smart home movement as well as products that solve every day challenges including this wine glass dishwasher!
Isn't that thing magical? You can finally throw all your glassware in the bottom rack and ta-da! While I'm on the topic of functionality I feel so energized to get back on the Marie Kondo train after touring with Nobilia. I think I'm naturally a minimalist because clutter brings me stress. I totally believe less is more and embrace living the simple life. This really inspired me to incorporate more organization gadgets into future kitchens.
Nobilia educated us on how Millennials are impacting the housing market, which was so awesome since I am a Millennial. Everything was spot on. Millennials are buying smaller houses, they care more about quality than quantity and they value experiences. Seriously, that's exactly how I feel. And brands are tailoring their products to fit our lifestyle. Lucky us!
Well, that's a wrap for "Part One" of my KBIS Recap! I have so much more to share and I will likely reflect on the emotional aspect of these trips as well. Being surrounded by women and mothers who are all pursuing their passion is so inspiring and I love hearing everyone's journey to success because it's never an easy one.