Throughout 2016, the National Kitchen & Bath Association’s inaugural class of K+B Insiders traveled the country and the globe—from leading tradeshows to must-attend industry events, the K+B Insiders served as both design authorities to speak about up-and-coming trends and association ambassadors, sharing first-hand insights on how to take your design career to the next level. As the year comes to a close, we asked each of our Insiders to share their biggest lessons from the program and how it helped them grow in 2016:
Patricia Davis Brown, CKBD, ASID, NCIDQ | Vero Beach, FL
My year as an NKBA K+B Insider contributed greatly to my evolution as a design professional. After 31 years in the industry, serving as an Insider allowed me to give back by representing NKBA and speaking about design (my favorite topic!) at many tradeshows, most recently at WestEdge Design Fair in Santa Monica, CA. In addition to sharing my passion and expertise in the category, it gave me a chance to expand my network and learn about the latest products throughout the year. Collaborating with my fellow K+B Insiders, who all brought different expertise to the table through their businesses and experiences, expanded my knowledge base, a priceless takeaway no matter where you are in your career.
Karl Champley, AKBD, Master Builder | Los Angeles, CA
When I started my work with NKBA as a K+B Insider in early 2016, I knew certification was a valuable tool for designers in our industry and that membership provided a great advantage to businesses. Through my experiences, I saw firsthand how invaluable certification is and am now officially an Associate Kitchen and Bath Designer. If I am going to be advising the importance and advantages of certification, I needed to travel that same road to experience the certification process. I was also very curious about the differences in requirements compared to Europe and Australia due to the strong influences they have on design. Working with the 2016 group of Insiders motivated me to secure the great advantage of certification and, ultimately, better service my clients.
Paloma Contreras, Interior Designer and Blogger of La Dolce Vita| Houston, TX
As an NKBA K+B Insider, I had the opportunity to attend KBIS for the first time—an eye opening and enriching experience. As an interior designer I often design kitchens and bathrooms for clients. I have a well-defined style and point of view and typically have my go-to materials and fixtures for kitchens and bathrooms. Experiencing KBIS exposed me to countless new products, materials, and technologies. In addition to seeing the latest introductions from companies I know and often do business with, I also discovered a slew of manufacturers that are either new to me or new to the industry. It was also great to meet so many fellow industry professionals and connect over a love of design. As a result of attending KBIS, I have found myself looking at kitchen and bath design through a new set of eyes and have expanded my product palette. I’ve loved incorporating some of my new finds from KBIS into my projects this year and have plenty of additional ideas cataloged for use in future projects.
Mercedes Desio and Alberto Villalobos, Interior Designers | New York, NY
When we started our adventure as K+B Insiders, we had no idea how much more we could learn about kitchen and bath design. Being Insiders gave us the opportunity to attend the Architectural Digest Design Show and International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) with a different mindset. NKBA helped opened our eyes to the extensive repertoire of finishes, materials, technology and most of all, quality. Experiencing EuroCucina during Milan Design Week alongside our fellow K+B Insiders proved to be a great source of inspiration for our projects. Now more than ever, when we design kitchens and bath spaces for our clients, we make sure these spaces become extensions of the client’s lifestyle and meet their everyday needs with ease and functionality. On top of that, we got to meet some great people along the way, and we always enjoy discussing with our peers what is new out there as well as getting different points of view.
Brian Patrick Flynn, Interior Designer | Atlanta, GA
This year I traveled with my fellow K+B Insiders to Italy for Milan Design Week, and to Spain to tour Cosentino’s global headquarters and manufacturing facilities. Both definitely opened my eyes to high-end design and have influenced my aesthetic. After Italy, I have more interest in using modern fixtures and appliances, and creating a more minimalist aesthetic in bathrooms. The Spanish spaces have inspired to me to lean a bit more old world and traditional in regard to kitchen design: Removing upper cabinetry, opting for open storage, and creating a furniture style rather than built in. Getting a behind-the-scenes look at how Cosentino manufactures Silestone and Dekton has had a huge impact on the materials I specify; I’m even more impressed with the materials and the rich, family heritage behind it all.
Young Huh, Interior Designer | New York, NY
Admittedly, I wasn’t very familiar with NKBA before coming onboard as a K+B Insider. I was of course familiar with KBIS and was excited to know more about this organization with its 40,000 members, representing a multibillion-dollar industry. As I got to know the association’s executive team and truly understand NKBA’s mission, I realized there is no other organization that has the dedication and ability to help and support members of the K+B industry, and the public as well. The kitchen and bath spaces are huge components of the money spent globally in architecture, building and design. It is also an area of incredible technological and design innovation, attracting the best talents and minds in the world.
As a K+B insider, I traveled around the world to see the best of what was happening in design. I was awed by the breadth and beauty of the global K+B community but also felt very connected to the stories of individual showroom owners, and of small design companies much like my own. I realized there is tremendous power in communicating, collaborating and gathering all these businesses—small and large—to combine our knowledge and experiences to create conversations about safety, the future of design, new ways that people are using kitchens and baths and how to better run our businesses. I want to be at the forefront of that national and global conversation, and that’s why I am so incredibly excited and honored to be a member of the Board of Directors of the NKBA for 2017.
The 2017 class of K+B Insiders will be officially announced at KBIS where they will kick off their collaboration with NKBA, reporting on the latest industry trends, hot product launches, and how to take your career to the next level. Join the conversation and follow their design discoveries at KBIS and beyond on Instagram and Twitter using #kbinsider.
