By Dianne M. Pogoda
COMPANY NEWS
THREE TOP CABINET FIRMS QUIT KCMA: Three major cabinet suppliers — American Woodmark, MasterBrand Cabinets and Cabinetworks Group — resigned from the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association(KCMA) over a policy dispute. KCMA said its Board’s rejection of the trio’s proposal to withdraw anti-circumvention petitions related to transshipments of cabinets and components made in China and exported from third-party countries to the U.S. was the reason for the resignation. The companies issued a joint statement that supports the antidumping and countervailing duty orders imposed by the U.S. Department of Commerce, and that “We are not aligned with KCMA’s effort and direction to expand the Commerce order.” KBDN has more details.
CALIFORNIA FAUCETS UNVEILS GRUBB LINE: California Faucets introduced the Christopher Grubb Bath Collection, the company’s first faucet series created in collaboration with an interior designer. Grubb, a California-based award-winning designer, and principal of Arch Interiors, inspired two lines in the collection, the Trousdale Series and the Doheny Series, based on architectural columns. For more, visit CaliforniaFaucets.com.
MARXENT WINS PATENT: Today 3D Cloud by Marxent, a 3D experience platform, was awarded a U.S. patent for an extension to its Design from Photo patent, which enables users to drag and drop 3D products to a custom floor plan. The company says the new patent streamlines the buying experience and is foundational to the future of fully automated kitchen design. Paired with other technologies like LiDAR-powered room scanning for floor plan creation, auto-layout offers a new, mobile-friendly kitchen buying journey to consumers. For more, go here.
HOWARD’S EXPANDS: Leading Southern California appliance retailer Howard’s has expanded again, with a new Experience Center at The Market Place in Tustin in Orange County. The retailer’s seventh center includes an expansive showroom and immersive demonstration space where customers can interact with the appliances. Since 2020, Howard’s has opened Experience Centers in Long Beach, Huntington Beach, La Habra, Torrance, Laguna Hills and West Los Angeles, with two more set to open in Agoura Hills and Murrieta. KBB has more.
INDUSTRY NEWS
WINE TIME AT A&D: The A&D Building at 964 Third Avenue between 57th and 58th Streets in New York City, is hosting a Wine & Design tasting event in partnership with the International Wine Center. Held on November from 6 to 8 pm, the trade-only event will include expert sommeliers discussing wines and food pairings as guests tour 25 showrooms. There is no cost to attend but registration is required.
PEOPLE NEWS
OBITUARY: BRAD LYNCH, ARCHITECT: Chicago architect Brad Lynch, 64, cofounder of the renowned Brininstool + Lynch firm, died Sept. 26 after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. The Racine, Wis., native was a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work from an early age and, like his idol, didn’t attend architecture school. Instead, he studied art, art history, engineering and landscape architecture at the University of Wisconsin, which led to a job managing the restoration of Wright’s first Herbert Jacobs House in Madison. He founded his firm with David Brininstool, AIA, in 1989, and his notable projects include: the Racine Art Museum, the Perimeter Gallery in Chicago and in New York, and Claremont House and Wood House in Chicago. Architect magazine has more.
CHAPTER NEWS
DESIGN A WREATH WITH ROCKY MOUNTAIN: Get in the holiday spirit and compete for a $200 Visa gift card on Nov. 9, as the Rocky Mountain Chapter hosts a holiday wreath design contest. Join the chapter at Specialty Appliance Fort Collins, 3710 Mitchell Drive, Unit 110, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. The event kicks off the chapter’s silent auction benefiting Savvy Giving By Design; bidding runs through Nov. 17. Go here for more info.
ADDING ART IN NEW MEXICO: Learn how to specify art for the kitchen and bath, commission artists and more on Nov. 10 at 5:30 pm. Join the New Mexico Chapter at The Curated Creative Galley, 7401 Menaul Blvd. NE, Ste. H, in Albuquerque, for this CEU session presented by Brianne Clarkson, an interior designer and owner of the gallery. NKBA members pay $20, non-members, $30, and the event is sponsored by Lynx. Register here.
