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By Robert Isler

“Eight distinct kitchen and bath components are ripe for color infusion.”

So began Allie Mann, senior designer at Case Design, who introduced her audience to the wonderful world of kitchen and bath color design and trends, through words, video, and a vast array of vivid images. The session, Color Splash, a Colorful Approach to designing your Next Kitchen or Bath, took participants on a historical journey, then focused on the latest ways to infuse color in today’s projects. Hers was one of the most popular of the 10 live Voices from the Industry (VFTI) Conference sessions at February’s KBIS Virtual, which also included 43 on-demand sessions.

Mann shared nuggets of K&B design through the centuries, and illustrated the evolution of color as it relates to the two most essential rooms in the home.

Among her key points:

  • Cooking over an open fire probably began about two million years ago, and kitchens gradually evolved from the outdoors and outer buildings to more current iterations, including a personal kitchen introduced in Germany in the 1920’s, with dimensions measuring 6 x 11 feet. She then explored kitchen design of the 20th century by decade, with a focus on color schemes. For instance, the 1970’s was popularly described as “a riot of color,’ which Mann rebranded as the “Hot Mess Express.”
  • Many early civilizations had figured out plumbing systems of sorts for waste disposal, but she said the first formal bathroom on record was traced back to ruins from 3000 BC, the first tub to 1700 BC, and the first flushable toilet, 1596, in Britain. But it wasn’t until the 1980’s that the in-home bathroom evolved from a purely functional room into a retreat, complete with whirlpool spa.
  • Color is a powerful element of design, and has the ability to alter the perception of shapes and sizes of objects. It can transform spaces and inspire conversations about trends and much more. She also noted that it can be an inexpensive element to replace.
  • The eight distinct kitchen and bath components that are ripe for color infusion include cabinets, wall treatments, plumbing fixtures, countertops, appliances, light fixtures, mirrors and tile. For each, Mann presented a plethora of examples and creative applications that truly brought the kitchens and bathrooms to life. She spoke of color trends as well, identifying what’s hot and what’s not, as well as which are likely to last  longer.
  • Mann also discussed textures, and closed with a comprehensive list of website color resources for tile, wallpaper, paints, plumbing items and more.

To view the entire session — the only way to fully appreciate the vast array of color applications — plus the 52 other VFTI on-demand webinars in categories including Kitchen & Bath Specialty Training, Growing Your Business, Design, Management, Customer Service, Building & Remodeling, and sub-topics such as how to operate complex cooking appliances, virtual design consultation and lawsuit protection, purchase a package through March 31 here. All-inclusive price for NKBA members is $350, non-members, $525. All 53 sessions are available for viewing on-demand through June 30. Feedback has been great from many of the 900+ industry professionals who have signed on and are already putting advice from experts to good use.