The Most Popular Kitchen Neutral

Black is more than back, it’s here to stay

It’s not every day a personal booth tour by one of the company owners is offered at the National Kitchen and Bath Show (KBIS 2020). It’s also not everyday that you hear how a product really came to fruition. I was honored to walk and talk with Christine Marvin, V.P. Strategy, Design and Organizational Development of The Marvin Brand - one of the premier window and door companies located in our home state of Minnesota.

That’s not the only exceptional meet and greet that happened during the show this year in Las Vegas January 20 - 23. We also met with our friends at Fisher & Paykel to see all their stunning new appliance innovations. We met with our friends at Brizo where they had some of the most sculptural bath faucets we’ve ever seen in a beautiful new finish.

Our friends at Mr. Direct were also busy with new kitchen and bathroom sinks to share with us. Their booth was so crowded that we had to wait in line to view their displays. All in all, this was a very exciting and busy show with more displays than we could ever get to in three days.

Here are some of my favorite new black products that I saw on the show floor:

Photo Courtesy The Marvin Brand featuring Skycove

Sitting in Sunshine

The first product we walked up to was the new Marvin Skycove window seat. This new structural window was something I was drawn to the minute I walked up to it. Even on the show floor, I could imagine sitting in the steel-framed, glassed area enjoying the sunshine. The enclosure allows not only views on three sides, it also allows the view from above.

Even more inviting was the story of how this product came to be. Teams at Marvin focused on how we could live better, enjoy more of our home. This thoughtful innovation grays the area between inside and outside in a meditative way. I exhaled into a quiet moment when I sat down.

I call these resting points in a room. Every room should have those places where you can truly enjoy the space. For example, think about how you would most enjoy a space functionally - is it soaking, sitting, showering, or sleeping? Or could it be creating, cooking, or cleaning?

These are the true elements of great design and Marvin pushed new functionality forward. The Skycove is easy to install too, because it is constructed so it can be fork-lifted right into place in one piece, and so builders will find the product convenient as well. By adding 16-20 square feet of space to a floor plan, this product adds ease and value.

Available in Minneapolis and select markets mid 2020 through your local Marvin Brand dealer.

Brizo’s New Kintsu Collection in the new Brilliance Black Onyx finish

Burnished Beauty

Are you attracted to beauty? What about glimmer? Not usually one to reach for the shiny object in the room, I couldn’t help myself. I had to touch this brand new finish I’d never seen before. The luxe Brilliance(R) Black Onyx finish that Brizo has introduced at KBIS 2020 is multi faceted. It has a gleam all its own that attracts the eye.

As I reached out to touch the neck of the Kintsu faucet, Lucia Bayt, Brizo’s Brand Manager, came forward to tell me about the design. That’s when I noticed an obvious style mash - Japanese and Scandinavian. The sleek minimalism of the Kintju Collection is really born from both cultural influences.

The idea of broken geometry was part of the inception of the collection. By breaking the simple Scandinavian curves with the turn of a faucet handle the visual line is broken. Brizo calls this wabi-sabi or the beauty of imperfections - a wonderfully inclusive concept in today’s world.

When I backed up to see an entire wall of faucets in the new Black Onyx finish I saw all the choices in handles and spouts. This is an amazingly diverse collection that feels industrial and delicately curved at the same time.

The reason I love Brizo faucets so much is the weight and scale of the construction. They are machined with such quality and nuanced detail that I’m struck by the artistry. I want to collect them, design with them and photograph them. Available in the fall this year through your local Brizo dealer.

Black Basin

It was just there sitting on a display in an unassuming way a tux hangs in a closet. Probably the most carefully constructed garment in your collection, but it hangs elegantly against all the rest of the pieces.

I was walking and talking with Isra of Mr. Direct and then I immediately stopped. I could see a new bathroom design pop into my head. The slope of the basin’s sides are just right. They are a nod to the eighties with a sharper radius curve at the corners. It feels modern, mod and fabulous all at once.

The price point is also worth noting - a mere $99 - it’s an easy and spectacular design element for a powder room or master suite. Affordable luxury is one of the biggest trends in the Kitchen and Bath Industry today.

This basin is matte black and has a modern sheen all its own. There are many faucets to choose from and Mr. Direct sells products online and through big box stores so purchasing is easy and convenient. The black sink is available now.

Fisher & Paykel’s new Minimal product line including 24” Coffeemaker; 24” Steam Oven, 24” Combination Speed Oven

Disappearing Act

As a designer, we are either creating focal points with kitchen appliances or we are making them disappear. Usually we have to build out panels to integrate refrigerators and dishwashers to create a modern design.

But then what about the ovens? They almost always hang out and call attention to themselves in the kitchen line up. They can’t be paneled so how do we integrate them with the cabinetry? Redesign them, and that’s exactly what Fisher & Paykel did.

I walked up to the back wall of the display with Paula Smith, Marketing Director with Fisher & Paykel. I let out a gasp. “Finally,” I said. Ovens that disappear in a design. Of course it’s no surprise that this came from Fisher & Paykel. They are design leaders and their marketing is so clean and modern is belies how complicated this engineering feat really is.

The single knob is reductive design at it’s best. This feels very Apple or Volkswagen to me. The design is so pure we wonder why this didn’t happen a long time ago - it’s obvious. And yet, no one else has this option. Product availability will be in the next few quarters through your local Fisher & Paykel dealer.

Round Peg

As a kitchen designer, I’m famous for saying to my design assistants that we are lining up boxes so don’t overthink where to start. Boxes are square and a lot of kitchen design is standard in sizing including squares and rectangles. Most cooktops are rectangles and some are square.

That’s why when I stopped by the Pitt Cooking booth, I noticed a completely freeing and new way to design a cooking area - with round burner modules instead of a 36” rectangle.

You know that feeling when a door gets kicked open? I had that moment. Now I can place cooking function just about anywhere with the right surface material. Individual gas burners can be installed into quartz, granite, concrete, terrazzo, glass, ceramic, Solid Surface, Fenix NTM or stainless steel.

Designers can create their own configuration according to their individual design. You can add functionality with just one or two burners or create a six or more burner cooktop area. Have a curved counter? Here’s a wonderful solution - a series of round pegs that will fill the square hole.

Born from the need to create cooking flexibility in the Netherlands over seven years ago, Pitt Cooking is now a global brand. To find a U.S. dealer near you, see their website https://pittcooking.com/usa/dealers-us/.

Barbara Schmidt, studiobstyle, is a national recognized Interior Designer and Marketer for Home and Fashion brands including manufacturers and retailers. Her next projects include documenting her two new kitchens on video, creating a Paris fashion editorial and releasing a new shoppable digital campaign.