The co-location of KBIS and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)’s International Builders’ Show (IBS) created Design & Construction Week (DCW), which allowed for one of the biggest shows in history.

A KBIS retrospective shows impressive numbers and proves industry shows are not going away. They are a prime way of maximizing your time.

One attendee is quoted by saying: “I can come to KBIS and see the majority of my vendors' new products in person instead of them coming one by one over the next few months and showing them to me on paper. This is much more efficient and I get to put names with faces simultaneously. Relationships are EVERYTHING.”

Many wholesale distributing partners took advantage of this joint space by bringing designers and builders along to walk the showroom floor together to find new and exciting ways to grow their businesses.

By the Numbers:

DCW 2025:

• Over 124,000 registered visitors
• More than 2,500 exhibitors
• Over 1.2 million net square feet of exhibits

KBIS 2025:

• Over 43,000 registered visitors
• Nearly 700 exhibitors
• More than 500,000 net square feet of exhibit space
• Over 150 first-time exhibitors
• Nearly 270 international exhibitors

Source: KBIS

While perusing the show floor, you can easily get lost in the sea of new design trends, colors, styles, and technologies. Several times a day you would run into familiar faces and old friends as this is the annual show to see the biggest collection of vendors in one space.

During one booth tour, we encountered celebrity chef Tyler Florence showcasing his culinary skills and expertise while featuring some new kitchen designs.

Just a few steps away we found a cooking demonstration with celebrity chef Stephanie Boswell showcasing kitchen trends and the ease of using technology in the kitchen space. Turning the corner, we found the powerhouse Michelin-starred celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey showing off some new collections.

Vendor booths were often designed by celebrity designers to feature the color of the year and other trends to offer a current look into homes and spaces. We found cozy peaceful spaces to unwind – featuring the neutral colors of the year – along with quiet spaces designed to evoke a sense of calm in a home.

Space designs were not the only offering for celebrity designers as the new KBIS NEXTstage; NKBA Design Council; and Designhounds provided digital content from dozens of designers including John McClain, Breegan Jane, Thom Filicia, Michel Smith Boyd, Celerie Kemble, Sophie Donelson, Bethany Adams, Claire Jefford, Danni Harper, Dianne Berman, Dominic Marcolongo, Elle Cole, Emily Cathcart, Joann Kandrac, Kelly Kole, Kim Lewis, Kristyn Harvey, Laura Abrams, Liz Curry, Megan Daughtry, Meredith Marlow, Neecy Patton, Stephanie Jacobs, Sunita Sapru, Tammy Bolden, and Taylor Ferrel, among others.

Trending this year…

Trending this year, we have lots of textures popping up. These trends include the continuation of fluting, ribbing, and knurling on many faucets, hardware pieces, and vanities. Fluting has increased its presence in freestanding bathtubs, sinks, and vanities. Multiple styles, shapes, and colors are popping up everywhere in numerous vendor booths. The mainstay of matte textures continues heavily.

While color is everywhere so was the neutral palette to ensure calm, peaceful and more organic spaces. Wood hues with curvaceous forms may be on the horizon with more neutral features coming around the corner. We are seeing some warm oak and lighter walnuts picking up in the trends. Some darker wood tones with mahogany, dark stained oaks, and darker walnuts indicate the trends may be moving to a continued wood trend.

Fluting has increased its presence in freestanding bathtubs, sinks, and vanities. Multiple styles, shapes, and colors are popping up everywhere in numerous vendor booths. The mainstay of matte textures continues heavily.

While heated towel warmers/dryers are still trending in many bathrooms, we have seen the emergence of AirJet Drying Systems in showers to assist with air drying to remove moisture and prevent mold growth.

A resurgence of “smart” fixtures has continued. Toilets and faucets are becoming increasingly smart with new digital shower valves. New additions in bidet toilet seats and hands-free faucets are exploding into the marketplace. In the lighting arena, we see additional smart bulbs, smart switches, voice commands, and overall lighting systems for homes becoming more common.

New evolutions in products, as well as the introduction of additional vendors, allow for everyday uses in homes to become more prevalent. This is especially true as price points come down extensively with the plethora of new players.

Colors have continued to expand across the industry – from faucets, sinks to appliances, and vanities. The plethora of pallet choices and complete customization have proved to be here to stay.

The continuing trend of workstations in the kitchen has proved to be a mainstay and is expanding into quartz products. With this expansion, we are also noting more options in the gunmetal and gold sink opportunities. Also notable is an expansion of scratch-resistant stainless steel sinks.

Water filtration is reaching new heights with traditional manufacturers joining the filtration game. Clean drinking water is imperative in any community and purification technologies are improving.

In the end, I walked over 28 miles, made dozens of new contacts, reacquainted with tons of industry friends, and saw a bevy of great new products. This is the show to be at, and as always it produced the expected outcome.

Next year, the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show will be held February 17-19, 2026, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. KBIS will again co-locate with the International Builders’ Show for Design & Construction Week.