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/623962
AS MEMBERS OF the design industry, we're always reinventing ourselves. Times change, trends change, people change. Technology evolves. The economy waxes and wanes. Families are redefned, and spaces are re-imagined to ft ever- shifting needs and new possibilities. It can be both exhilarating and exhausting, at times, trying not only to catch up or keep up, but to forever be on the cut- ting edge, well ahead of the curve. So, how do you anticipate the changes and react to them before they're passé? Sometimes it's as simple as being aware of what other segments of the industry are doing. In this month's Trend Spotting (see story, Page 42), Jamie Gold shares some "best practices" from the viewpoint of dealers and designers, man- ufacturers and even job seekers to help industry professionals navigate new challenges in 2016 and beyond. Other times, the best way to get ahead of the curve is to pay attention to what's going on in seemingly unrelated areas, and explore how this might translate to home design. For in- stance, Ellen Cheever frst noticed through her occasional TV watching how the role of the family pet had started to shift. In programs and commercials, she saw pet owners increasingly being called "pet parents," and adults sometimes jokingly re- ferring to the family dog as "my other child." The pet industry, one of the few that showed continuous growth even during the recession, was moving from niche to mainstream, and she realized that more clients were mentioning pet needs when they described how their family lived in their spaces. Recognizing the opportunity this presented, she quickly saw the potential to increase profts and client satisfaction by providing design options that would ofer comfort to all the members of the family – even the furry ones (see related Designer's Notebook, Page 62). "So in 2016 and beyond," she concludes, "in addition to designing the kitchen for the way a family lives, we should include design ideas for the family's four-legged members." For Kathleen Donohue, a recent Smart Kitchen Summit at- tended by a wide cross section of professionals piqued her inter- est (see related story, Page 76) and sparked new ideas about how kitchen designers can not just learn about existing technology, but also future technology afecting the kitchen. She explains, "As kitchen and bath design professionals, we can prepare for the future and identify macro trends through a clearer conversa- tion with innovator types." Indeed, she believes that this is a way not just to re-energize and reinvent your own business, but also to "infuence the outcomes of future products and services," efectively helping to reinvent the future! As a lover of electronics, Design Technology columnist Eric Schimelpfenig is forever reinventing himself, technology wise. But recently he realized that the problem of all of those charging outlets and cords for his favorite devices created some unique opportunities for design professionals…and in this month's column, he shares some intriguing solutions, from hideaway charging drawers to a countertop where devices can be set to charge with no cords or plugs at all (see related story, Page 30). Aesthetically speaking, we're also forever reinventing ourselves. At KBDN, we took the opportunity to start the New Year by giving our magazine a fresh new look. Perhaps you're doing the same with your showroom, or your Web site, or by re-imagining your designs to help them better align with today's latest trends. Indeed, a look at some of the year's award-winning designs (see related story, Page 48) shows how the latest trends are playing out in the real world. And savvy designers are capitalizing on these design competitions as a way to reinvent themselves, showcasing their best work, raising their profle, both locally and nationally, and enhancing their credibility with clients and peers. Design competitions that spotlight the creative talents of kitchen and bath professionals are critical for the growth of the design feld as a whole. They raise the bar for all of us, provid- ing inspiration for our industry, while ofering a platform for great design to shine through. Recognizing this, KBDN is very excited to announce its frst-ever Kitchen & Bath Design Awards contest (see related story, Page 14). Registration opens this month, and we are looking forward to showcasing the creative talents of our readers through this new contest. Because, as much as times and trends are ever changing, we know that great design is a constant – driven by the true visionaries of this industry, the designers whose careful planning, thoughtful design solu- tions and ability to blend aesthetics and function continually improve the lives of those who live in these spaces. JANICE COSTA EDITOR " Design competitions raise the bar for all of us, providing inspiration for our industry while ofering a platform for great design to shine through." Reinventing Yourself for 2016 January 2016 • KitchenBathDesign.com 7 EDITORIAL ® Facebook.com/ KitchenBathDesignNews @KBDN PUBLISHER Paul DeGrandis PUBLISHER EMERITUS Eliot Sefrin EDITOR Janice Anne Costa MANAGING EDITOR Anita Shaw ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ashley Lapin Olian GROUP EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Patrick O'Toole CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Kim Berndtson Joe Dowd Jamie Gold, CKD, CAPS 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 CREATIVE & PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Tracy Hegg GRAPHIC DESIGNER Cathy Petersen CIRCULATION MANAGER Mike Serino READER SERVICE MANAGER Jeff Heine DIGITAL PROGRAMS MANAGER Tim Steingraber OPERATIONS MANAGER Marie Snow PROJECTS MANAGER Heidi Riedl Copyright © 2016 by SOLA Group Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be produced in any form, including electronically, without written permission from the publisher of Kitchen & Bath Design News .