KBIS 2010

Oh Chicago- to me, is the best city to grow up in.

I love going back home and especially when I can attend the amazing KBIS (Kitchen and Bath Industry Show) located in the heart of Chi-town, that took place last weekend.

So many great design products- so I'm going to share a few with you

Located in the Masco cabinetry booth (which by the way, is one of my lines that I design with-Quality Cabinets) was Australian Chef Curtis Stone who was doing a shrimp scampi cooking demo.

  He had quite the crowd around him and lots of smiling ladies.  Curtis has such a charming personality and his recipes are darn delicious too!  He is a big fan of using food as nature intended and cooking healthy

Go Curtis Go!

I thought the chalkboard was a charming idea and added child like warmth to a seriously stainless steel area

I was totally smitten for this Fisher & Paykel cooktop shown above and below.

 At first glance it appears to be an electric cooking surface which generally doesn't grab my attention. HOWEVER, upon further investigation, the GAS cooking element pops up when the button is activated! 

For clean freaks, this is your cooktop!  For small spaces, this doubles as extra flat countertop, and for Mom/Dads this is one of the most child safe tops I've seen with locks so they can't enable the Gas burners.

Love it and it comes in many great sizes, perfect for smaller spaces or to add as a second cooking zone for serious cooks

So new, it's not even on their website yet, sigh.

Undercounter 36" wide oven by Fisher & Paykel, sleek and perfect for a second oven

Fisher & Paykel's new Dishwasher drawer in a 36" wide size.  Gorgeous!

 To me, this below, was my "MUST HAVE" of the show.

Fisher & Paykel's Cool Drawer was exactly that...so cool! It is a 3ft refrigerator drawer that can be multi functional-from refrigerator to crisper, to freezer function if you so choose, to a wine cooler.  To give up 3ft of cabinetry storage, to me, the appliance must be a work horse, and this truly is.  I am in LOVE!

Jenn-Air has really made a strong comeback with their appliance design, in my opinion. This fully integrated refrigerator is shown in their "Floating Glass Black" and is quite striking.  You can reach inside, grab a quick snack and swipe on some lipgloss before heading out the door, with this mirror finish

Then I wandered into one of my always favorite sections of the show, KOHLER

They had an executive chef working in one of their multi tasking sinks that had a cutting board cut perfectly to fit for chopping or even gaining extra countertop space

Yes people, the old brass is coming back in the form of a new gold and in this case, shown in the Matte finish

The Karbon faucet for the bath

A lovely Kohler entertainment sink.  The matching cutting board acts as extra countertop space for when prepping or how lovely would a fruit and cheese tray look on that as a casual setting while the family gathers around?

Here is their Karbon faucet for the kitchen, shown in their new brushed and polished gold finish that I'm loving!  The Karbon is so fun to shape in different artistic positions-it's a great architectural piece.

Amazing shower doors by Fleurco that slide, so chic

An artistic vent hood in a mod lit glass and bronze finish

Walking by this island caught my attention and no, it wasn't because I had tired feet.  I thought it was a small lovely island that would so well for many families.  I loved the idea of sitting casually around the sink/island and how it was integrated with the cabinetry.  I would not recommend white cushions however! ;)

I wanted to show this double oven design idea for those that are used to seeing a tower cabinet that has the ovens one over each other.  This is a nice alternative and allows for a more unique use of space

I loved how this design used a shallow 6" cabinet for broom storage.  What a great idea for the side of a large pantry!

Boos butcher blocks shown in the many wonderful finishes they offer and wood species.  We offer any of these tops that make for beautiful and inviting countertops that dual function for those that seriously cook

KBIS 2010 was an incredible show and Chicago didn't disappoint with fantastic spring weather.

The new trends that are coming out this year are sure to impress...this was truly just a sneak peek!