Kitchen and Bath Show in Chicago...oh joy!
Three things that I love colliding in one place: research, house stuff, writing. Aaron and I are attending the K/BIS Show and Industry Conference in Chicago next week and I am JAZZED! We're blogging it for HouseBlogs and, hoo boy, I am dragging out my running shoes in anticipation of skipping through ACRES of kitchen and bath products, solutions and trends like a giddy schoolgirl.
So, what should we look for? What kitchen and bath problems are you dying to solve? Space? Storage? Energy savings? New materials? Retrofits? Need design ideas?
Do you want to figure out a way to clean your teeth and trim your nose hairs at the same time while washing your toes? Because I am your personal errand girl for solutions...at least for a few days. I'm serious. Send me on a mission. We'll try to accomplish as many as we can in the time that we have there. Feel free to use the comment section of this entry to give us assignments. We're going to post a few planning ideas and questions over in the HouseBlogs forum in the next week, too, so if you're really interested you can chat about it over there as well.
Do you need to know more about the Kitchen and Bath Show? Read on for a few details.
The K/BIS is the largest Kitchen and Bath Conference there is. Over 50,000 attendees and hundreds of exhibitors attend and this year it will be at McCormick Place in Chicago. The hottest designs, the newest products, the latest trends and the coolest solutions are unveiled at this conference each year.
If faucets are your thing? Or grills? Or tubs? This conference is your nirvana.
The conference isn't just for modern homes, either. Friends of old houses will be there, including some very familiar names: Daltile/American Olean, Chicago Faucet, Van Dykes, Elmira Stove Works...even the Hide A Way Ironing Board Company.
If you are brainstorming solutions or ideas you want us to search for, here is a list of the some of the many product categories being represented: appliances, countertops, cabinetry, flooring, plumbing, storage solutions, ceilings, windows walls, knobs and pulls, backsplashes, vents, lighting, waste collection, outdoor entertaining, seating, heating, cleaning, bathroom fixtures, stained glass, wood products, trim, moisture and temperature control, safety products, universal design products, etc.
So, send us on a misson...please!
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Comments
I've got one! I'm trying to figure out a way to increase the storage space in my tiny bathroom. Right now, we just have the small vanity cupboard under the sink, but with a preteen using that as "her bath", this space is shrinking fast. There is a little room for a freestanding unit, but I hate to take up the floor space. if you see anything, let me know.
Posted by: martie | April 14, 2006 8:19 AM
Whoa! This is great!
I've been trying to find a solution to our vinyl siding. Re-siding it is out of the question right now (a.k.a., way out of our budget), but I'd really like to know if there is a viable solution that will revitalize it. Ideally, I'd like to paint it...it's baby blue (yuk). I haven't had much success in finding info on painting vinyl siding. If not, then maybe some suggestions for changing the colors of the shutters, door, trim, etc. that would complimenet the blue. Additionally, we live on a highly-traveled road so the house gets pretty dirty out front. Any suggestions for cutting down on that would be helpful, too!
Thanks a bunch! Can't wait to hear back!!
Maria
Posted by: Maria | April 14, 2006 8:24 AM
Countertops. We have nice white wooden cabinets that someone spoiled with that cheap formica looking stuff. (I don't know what it is called.) But we can't spend an enormous amount. I love soapstone, but i've heard that is pricey. So any reasonably priced and interesting solutions for countertops would be cool.
Posted by: gretchen | April 14, 2006 11:28 AM
For Maria's siding problem---see www.masterhandyman.com He probably has an answer for you. POPS --30--
Posted by: POPS | April 14, 2006 12:18 PM
I second the "clever storage ideas for small bathrooms". We're thinking of taking out our bedroom closet (which is tiny) just to give us a bit of storage space in the bathroom. Hasn't anyone ever put their clawfoot on a small set of stairs that has a drawer in it? Maybe that's crazy. I'd also like to see some period tiles that work with radiant heat flooor systems.
Posted by: Kate | April 15, 2006 11:12 AM
Tim and I attended this conference for a day a couple of years ago when it was in Las Vegas as part of a work trip for him (Woodharbor Cabinets- I'm sure they are attending this year too). There was WAY TOO MUCH to see. We only made it through one of the three convention centers it was in. It just boggled our minds. They had an entire house set up that you could walk though. My favorite display was the Kohler one. They had actual working fixtures that you could check out.
Posted by: becky | April 15, 2006 2:03 PM
Yes. We have nice white wooden cabinets that someone spoiled with that cheap formica looking stuff.
Posted by: YOP | April 17, 2006 6:45 PM