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24 | Kitchen & Bath Design News | July 2015 By Jamie Gold, CKD, CAPS Trend Spotting D well on Design keeps grow- ing, attracting more visitors every year to its fagship Los Angeles show and now New York, too. Fortunately for kitchen and bath professionals, Friday is Trade Day, so one only has to jostle among col- leagues. If you happen to practice in Southern California, odds are you'll run into quite a few industry friends while wandering the exhibit hall, and that's a trend we all enjoy. Here are some of the other trends on display at this vibrant show. STAINLESS ALTERNATIVES Appliance manufacturers keep look- ing for the "next" stainless steel, and there were some interesting choices to ponder this time around. Glass fronts have been the most viable al- ternative, and Miele is expanding its oferings in this realm. In addition to showing of its Obsidian black glass series, it has expanded its Brilliant White and Trufe Brown glass fronts into fush-mount induction tops and hoods. It has also created a stylish handle program, letting users choose whether they want matching glass or a complementary metal. (Customiza- tion was another trend in evidence at the show.) KitchenAid showed of a fnish it's calling Black Stainless. It had tradi- tional stainless look accents and the overall efect was steam punk chic. Dacor released its' non-stainless series Alchemy. The fnish on display was a warm, pale red it called Rose Gold. Nickel, Copper and Gunmetal round out the collection, slated for late 2015 release. HANDS-FREE TREND We've seen the exploding popularity of hands-free faucets, cabinet openers and, more recently, hands-free toilet fushing. The newest entrant to that trend was Miele's Knock to Open Dish- washer, which users can tap with their knee or elbow. The company wisely set the opening mechanism above the level of most toddlers and small pets. It will be interesting to see wheth- er this technology expands to other appliance manufacturers. You could make a case for Wolf's handle-free oven being hands-free, too, if you want to tap it with an elbow, but it's not being heavily marketed that way. BRAND EXTENSIONS Appliance makers are also delving fur- ther into brand extensions. KitchenAid has been hugely successful with its classic stand mixer. (Its sexy 2016 Matte Black model was on display in the booth.) Fagor and SMEG have also recently extended into this category. The notable entrant at Dwell was Sub-Zero/Wolf. For your clients who want a totally coordinated kitchen (or for those homeowners who oth- erwise can't aford the brand), they can now get toasters, toaster ovens or Blendtec/Vitamix-style blenders with the iconic Wolf red knobs (or other choices from the line – again, customization rules). INTERESTING SINKS Sink manufacturers are also inno- vating. Recent shows have seen a tremendous array of accessories and new materials, such as Native Trails' NativeStone concrete alternative and Laufen's SaphirKeramik ultra-thin, strong ceramic. (Both were on display at this show, too.) Julien led the new and interesting feld, though, with its Social Corner stainless steel kitchen sink, designed by Matthew Quinn. It's a 16-gauge stainless apron front – and apron side – contemporary fxture. Designed for islands or peninsulas, you can choose left or right corner, de- pending on where you want to install Dwell on Design 2015 Photo: Miele A Rose Gold is one of Dacor's new stainless alternatives. B Miele displayed its' Obsidian Black line of kitchen appliances. C The hands-free trend continues with Miele's Knock to Open dishwasher. D Black Stainless is KitchenAid's standard stainless alternative. E This unique sink from Julien is designed to work as a gathering space. Photo: Dacor Photo: KitchenAid Photo: Miele A E B C D Photo: Julien Inc.