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18 | Kitchen & Bath Design News | June 2015 DPH Perspectives { Kaye Powell, Chown Hardware } T he International Sanitary and Heating Trade Fair (ISH) that is held biennially in Frankfurt, Germany, is the largest plumbing show in the world, making it one of the most important events for the decorative plumbing and hardware industry. It ofers a window to the fu- ture and an experience like no other. This past March I had the oppor- tunity to visit ISH for the second time, and again I was awed by both the size of the fair and the quality of exhibits. A handful of North Americans make the trip to Frankfurt every other year to see what the future will hold and position their showrooms so they can respond to anticipated trends as well as keep themselves on the cut- ting edge. ISH ofers many valuable lessons. It demonstrates the power of expe- rience. Almost every exhibit had a resist-proof lure that pulled you into the booth. Exhibits were exciting and dramatic. You didn't see multiple fau- cets hanging on a wall. Everything, everywhere had its place. The atten- tion to display detail made me realize that our showrooms need to create similar impressions. We need to have working displays that feature sights, sounds and aromas, and provide ex- periences that tug at our customers' emotions while demonstrating how the products we sell will make our customers feel. CUSTOMIZATION Many European manufacturers that have an established presence in North America are positioning themselves to provide one-of-a-kind custom products and/or fnishes, sizes and combina- tions to be more consumer-friendly and allow showroom customers to purchase exactly what they want. Providing customization flexibility is a trend that reflects an increas- ingly competitive environment. Some manufacturers believe they are losing customers to smaller, more versatile companies by not ofering a custom- ized product confguration. Certainly, some customization options are limited to projects at this time, but the overall trend indicates that customization will be commonly available for bathrooms in the not-too- distant future. THE INNOVATION CYCLE There was a time when showrooms felt compelled to put the most recent innovations and every new product with the latest bells and whistles on the foor. As a result, many show- rooms were transformed into faucet emporiums and old-fashioned plumb- ing general stores, where customers could fnd just about anything avail- able on the market. Having more was viewed as being better; a showroom that displayed 350 diferent faucets must offer everything a customer could ever possibly want or need. We now live in a world of infor- mation and product parity that will probably require showrooms to re- think their merchandise mix and the manufacturers they partner with. To- day, customers come to the showroom armed with troves of information about products that may not be fea- tured on the showroom foor or that may not be part of the showroom's ofering. There is no showroom that can out-merchandise the Internet. This has changed the roles of the showroom and the sales professionals who work there. Their primary role now is to curate the masses of infor- mation available to their customers. Showroom and sales professionals need to be able to identify and solve problems that customers don't even know they have. This paradigm shift was refected at ISH. EXPANDED MERCHANDISE MIX Manufacturers best known for ac- cessories have expanded their merchandise mix to include cabinets, faucetry and other products. The for- ay into new merchandise segments has resulted in new styles and func- tionality. The trend appears to say to the industry that these companies be- lieve they can grow their businesses by leveraging their brand to include products in other market segments as opposed to dedicating resources to innovate in their core competencies. This one-stop-fits-all mental- ity also is a byproduct of industry consolidation. Lixil appears to be leveraging its purchase of American Standard and Grohe to create syn- ergy across product lines. How else would you explain Grohe showing toilets at ISH? PRODUCT TRENDS In the area of water delivery, every manufacturer seemed focused on ways to control the fow of water in almost unlimited innovative ways through the use of electronics and levers and handles. One example is Dornbracht's vertical shower. It cer- tainly ofers a unique "wow" factor and may be a harbinger of things to come. The industry can expect increased use of electronics in all water delivery devices in response to technology im- provements, a desire to accommodate those aging-in-place and to simply make products more intuitive to use. In fnishes, several companies are ofering a version of satin, polished or rose gold fnishes, although some fn- ishes can only be ordered for project work while others will be available on all product lines. There were also a number of mix-and-match fnishes on display, giving the impression that there's no longer the need for all prod- ucts to have matching fnishes. Almost all of the major fixture manufacturers of valving systems are ofering a "box" valving system. In furniture, manufacturers seem to be moving away from squared cor- ners and linear lines. Instead, they're ofering pieces with a softer radius and ergonomic, asymmetrical lines and shapes. Furniture on display appeared to be softer to the eye and touch. There also was increased attention to func- tionality and fexibility. Interior drawer lights, removable washable trays, soft- touch open and close and ofset kick plates to allow easy cleaning caught my eye and should resonate well with showroom customers. Wall-hung furniture and toilets dominated at ISH, with a few manu- facturers also ofering decorative feet for customers who want their pieces to sit on the foor. This trend bodes particularly well for showrooms serv- ing urban markets, where space is at a premium in the bath and home. Show- rooms that can create more space in a 5'x7' bathroom with wall-hung vani- ties and toilets and fush-mounted medicine cabinets will make devel- opers and their customers smile. Furniture colors that were prevalent at ISH included light-colored washes, light browns and white with yellowish or even pink hues. Many manufacturers were experimenting with lots of difer- Gone ISHing: Trends from Frankfurt The recent International Sanitary and Heating Trade Fair (ISH) showcased a wealth of plumbing trends that DPH pros can use to keep their showrooms on the cutting edge. "As ISH demonstrates, we need to have working displays that feature sights, sounds and aromas, demonstrating how the products we sell will make our customers feel."