Kitchen & Bath Design News

AUG 2013

Kitchen & Bath Design News is the industry's leading business, design and product resource for the kitchen and bath trade.

Issue link: http://kitchenbathdesign.epubxp.com/i/148829

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 5 of 60

Editorial { Janice Costa, editor } ® A CYGNUS BUSINESS MEDIA PUBLICATION Smart Showrooms Forge Emotional Connections Showrooms have evolved dramatically, with smaller, smarter, more targeted spaces increasingly in vogue, yet the core essence remains focused on seeing, touching and forging emotional connections. V isiting kitchen and b at h show r o om s has always been a passion of mine. Like many consumers, I love the visceral elements of our industry; I can't seem to keep myself from running my hand down that zebra wood cabinet, stroking the cool quartz of a glossy countertop or rubbing my fnger across the textured hardware pieces. I'm always the person who's touching the knobs on the appliances, opening the drawers to feel the glide action or waving my hand in front of the touch-free faucets because I want to see and hear the water fow. This probably makes me poorly suited to shop in 90% of the gift shops in America, where "Look, don't touch!" signs abound, but it makes me pretty typical for a kitchen and bath showroom visitor. So, when the economy took a dive, in addition to worrying about all of the typical things (Will the housing industry ever come back? Will I have to work 'til I'm 90 to recover all the money my 401K lost? And how am I going to pay for the dog's ACL surgery, since she seems immune to my suggestions that she put of expensive injuries until after the economy recovers?), I worried about the fate of the kitchen and bath showroom. For a while, it seemed like every dealer I spoke with was struggling – some downsizing, some going out of business entirely, others foregoing the showroom in favor of working independently out of their homes, using online portfolios to showcase their work or touting a "virtual" approach. showrooms are often smaller and smarter than showrooms of six to eight years ago. Yet thankfully, despite the downsizing in square footage, the majority of showrooms I've seen seem to retain the core essence of what makes them so important to the kitchen and bath buying process in the frst place. "Showrooms, like kitchens or baths, do not succeed or fail based strictly on their size, but rather on their ability to showcase creative talents and unique products and services that resonate emotionally with consumers." Now, I love technology as much as the next person, and I think the cyberworld allows for some amazing connections. Yet, still, I couldn't help but wonder, "How will we TOUCH everything?" There's no question that the economic changes of the past few years have revamped the face of the kitchen and bath showroom, just as we've seen an evolution in how consumers shop and what products and features they value. Today's In fact, in this month's showroom feature (see related story, Page 34), dealers talk about how creative rethinking has allowed them to maximize smaller-space showrooms in the same way they are maximizing smaller kitchen spaces. Instead of lamenting the fact that they may have less square footage than in the past, they are taking advantage of the positive qualities (the sense of intimacy a smaller space provides, the way rich details Facebook.com/KitchenBathDesignNews Group Publisher John Huff resonate in a more intimate environment, the ability to seamlessly blend "live" designs with technology to appeal to a broader range of clients) while working around the challenges (incorporating all of the necessary elements without ending up with a look that's cluttered). In fact, both Daryl Ann Letts, CKD, CAPS, of MI-based Kalamazoo Custom Kitchens and Baths and Lorey Cavanaugh of VA-based Kitchen + Bath | Design + Construction talk about how the smallerscale showroom allows for a space that "feels like home" – making it more "relatable" for many consumers. Additionally, they maintain that focusing on a more targeted client profle, rather than trying to be all things to all people, can actually make their showrooms work better and smarter than a larger but less focused space. Interactive technology is, of course, integrated into their showrooms to expand their offerings virtually and provide that ever-critical instant access to up-to-the-minute information and specs. But the core focus remains on providing a visceral, sensory experience that consumers will be drawn to on an emotional level. And that's a strategy that always makes sense. Of course not every showroom goes by the "smaller is better" mantra, and this month KBDN also profles two larger showrooms that revel in their ability to showcase a vast array of product to meet a vast array of needs. But in the end, showrooms, like kitchens or baths, do not succeed or fail based strictly on their size, but rather on their ability to showcase the creative talents and unique products and services ofered by the designers who populate them. ForResidentialPros.com | Editor Janice Anne Costa Managing Editor Anita Shaw Senior Editor Kim Berndtson Contributing Writers Elizabeth Richards Denise Vermeulen Columnists Ellen Cheever, CMKBD, ASID, CAPS Hank Darlington Leslie Hart Bruce Kelleran, CKD, CPA Stephen Nicholls Ken Peterson, CKD Mary Jo Peterson, CKD, CBD, CAPS Sarah Reep, CMKBD, ASID, CMG, CAPS, IIDA Bryan Reiss, CMKBD Eric Schimelpfenig, AKBD Art Director Kirsten Crock Media Production Rep Cindy Rusch Editor, ForResidentialPros.com Andrea Girolamo Web Site Manager Thamaraj Udomwongyont Audience Development Manager Tammy Steller Reader Service Manager Jeff Heine Administrative Assistant Jenni Ehlke-Heyer Chief Executive Ofcer John French Chief Financial Ofcer Paul Bonaiuto E.V.P., Building & Construction Kris Flitcroft V.P., Content Greg Udelhofen V.P., Marketing Debbie George Director, Digital Sales Norine Conroy V.P., Production Operations Curt Pordes V.P., Audience Development Julie Nachtigal V.P., Technology Eric Kammerzelt V.P., Human Resources Ed Wood Copyright © 2013 by Cygnus Business Media, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine August be produced in any form, including electronically, without written permission from the publisher of Kitchen & Bath Design News. @KitchenBathDesignNews August 2013 Publisher Emeritus Eliot Sefrin 5

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Kitchen & Bath Design News - AUG 2013