After laying the groundwork with a pop-up exhibition last fall, the National Kitchen & Bath Association is moving into a new home at High Point Market. This Fall Market (October 25 to 29), the NKBA will debut a new design hub on the first floor of the historic Broad Hall building.
“As the kitchen and bath industry expands its reach and influence into whole-home design, NKBA’s space at High Point Market positions the association at the forefront of this shift,” says Bill Darcy, the trade organization’s global president and CEO. “A multiyear presence at the largest home-furnishings industry trade show will enable NKBA to continue forging strong connections, building a more diverse community that educates and inspires its members.”
.jpg "Inside, visitors can find products from 10 different NKBA member brands")
Designed by Kerrie Kelly—vice chair of NKBA’s board and CEO and creative director of her eponymous design studio—the space will incorporate a variety of bath, appliance, lighting and indoor/outdoor kitchen brands, whose products will be presented in full-scale vignettes. Inside, attendees can survey offerings from 10 NKBA member brands: Kichler Lighting, James Martin Vanities, Ferguson Home, Sherwin-Williams, Fabuwood, BlueStar, Signature Hardware, Miele, Urban Bonfire and FreePower.
The debut comes on the heels of increased efforts from the NKBA to connect with High Point’s whole-home design community—a campaign that began in 2018, when the trade association offered its members a day-and-a-half-long event combining Market tours with educational programming. Last year, the organization upped the ante with the introduction of The Tent, which housed product installations, panels and cooking demonstrations.
Then came the announcement in May that High Point Market Authority and the NKBA had formed a strategic partnership, aimed in part at driving attendance at their respective trade shows. “As part of that, we wanted to have an actual brick-and-mortar space there,” says Heather Shannon, senior vice president of marketing and communications for NKBA and its flagship event, the annual Kitchen & Bath Industry Show. “A lot of the designers who attend High Point Market are members of ours, but there are many designers who aren’t, so we wanted to expose them not only to NKBA, but also to our member brands and what they can offer.”
.jpg "The space was designed by Kerrie Kelly, vice chair of NKBA’s board and CEO and creative director of her eponymous design studio")
The perfect opportunity to do so came about when Cosentino—whose executive vice president also serves as chair of NKBA’s board—approached the trade group about launching a space in tandem with the introduction of its own showroom in the building, which will also debut during Fall Market. For NKBA, the building instantly presented the right choice for a home base, given the proximity to showrooms that complement its offerings (Azzurro Living, for example, showcases an assortment of outdoor products at its location on the second floor, including a few pieces that will also be displayed in NKBA’s new space).
As for the member brands chosen to fill the new showroom, a uniting factor was the desire to expand outside of the kitchen and bath specialty and gain exposure to trade professionals focused on full-service offerings. For many, exhibiting in NKBA’s design hub will mark their first showing at High Point Market.
Shannon says that a greater NKBA presence at High Point presents an opportunity for designers to stay ahead of the curve in the changing real estate landscape and adapt to the needs of their clients. The trade group’s research has shown that while the average square footage of homes is decreasing, kitchens and bathrooms are actually getting larger. As the lines between spaces in the home blur, she notes that designers may need to adopt a more cohesive approach.
“If you’re designing your kitchen, but your kitchen overlooks your living room, which overlooks your dining room, you’re going to want them all to flow and to have a very similar aesthetic,” says Shannon. “That’s what we really want to take away from this, is the convergence of [kitchen and bath] with decorative furnishings for the whole home.”
