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I have a confession to make. I’m exhausted. In the best possible way after a week in Orlando, Florida for the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show. I have so much to share with you today!
My journey started on the Monday before the show began for a travel day, sound check and confirming the final details form the show. In addition to hosting the KBIS Podcast Studio again this year, moderating a panel on the NEXT Stage and recording conversations for the show, I wanted to help you prepare for the show next February in Las Vegas.
But Josh, next February is like 11 months away. That’s true, but here’s a secret. Come a little closer, it’s just us. KBIS is the essential American kitchen and bath show, full stop. It’s about learning, seeing, connecting and putting all of the pieces together to understand how the American market is setting up for the next year and the trending ideas that have staying power for the next 5-10 years.
Designer Resources
Pacific Sales Kitchen and Home. Where excellence meets expertise.
TimberTech – Real wood beauty without the upkeep
You can listen to Convo By Design for the conversations with industry insiders. If I were a designer, I would. I believe that this show tells the stories that you should really know to get a feel for directionality of the industry. Specifiers are the plus of the industry and the ideas emanating from the show this year covered the technology revolution taking place from an AI perspective, but there’s more. The kitchen is in the midst of a wholesale change. And it’s exciting to see it happen in real time.
Learning was a key theme this year. If you were not at the show this year, you are behind the curve. I don’t say this to scare you, I tell you this so you make the time to get to the show next year. All three days and plan to see as much as you can. But, I wanted to share some of the key ideas from the show this year. For additional details, check the show notes.
Luxury is the measurable outcome of thoughtful design—where performance, longevity, and relevance align to support the way people actually live.
- Luxury is the removal of friction from daily life.
- Luxury is durability aligned with intent.
- Luxury is design that continues to perform long after the purchase is forgotten.
- Luxury is confidence—in function, longevity, and fit.
- Luxury is not what you spend. It’s what you never have to rethink.
The Kitchen as the Primary Investment
- The kitchen remains the #1 homeowner investment nationwide.
- Homeowners are willing to exceed budget in the kitchen more than any other space.
- The kitchen is the most public and social room in the home.
- It represents identity: “I’m a cook,” “I entertain,” “I host.”
- Food equals memory; appliances enable those memories.
The Expanding Kitchen Ecosystem
- Kitchens are no longer singular spaces—they expand throughout the home.
- Secondary kitchens (sculleries, prep kitchens, butler’s pantries) are rising.
- Beverage centers, bars, and wine storage are increasingly common.
- Coffee stations and en-suite kitchenettes are viewed as lifestyle enhancements.
- Outdoor kitchens are now expected in many markets.
- Refrigeration appears in bathrooms (skincare), offices, and guest suites.
- Multigenerational living drives multi-kitchen design.
- Post-COVID entertaining shifted bar culture into the home.
Value Has Replaced Price as the Primary Decision Driver
- Consumers rarely regret investing more in appliances.
- Longevity, performance, and service support define value.
- Sustainability increasingly aligns with durability.
Human-Centric Design Is the New Standard
- Appliances must be intuitive without relying on manuals.
- UX consistency across appliances improves adoption.
- Technology must solve real problems—not create new friction.
Appliances Are Expanding Beyond the Kitchen
- Refrigeration, coffee systems, and specialty appliances now appear throughout the home.
- Multi-kitchen and multi-generational design is driving specification complexity.
- Flexibility and modular integration are essential.
Practical Innovation vs Feature Saturation
- Most consumers use only a small percentage of available features.
- Simplification improves usability, adoption, and satisfaction.
- Innovation must solve real problems—not marketing problems.
Appliances as Infrastructure for Daily Life
- Refrigerators open dozens of times daily, making ergonomic design critical.
- Dishwashers, washers, and refrigeration now integrate into behavioral routines.
- Appliances increasingly support lifestyle efficiency, not just task completion.
Quiet Luxury: The New Definition of Premium
Quiet luxury shifts focus from visual dominance to experiential excellence.
- Appliances integrate seamlessly into architecture.
- Minimal visual disruption supports design continuity.
- Performance becomes more important than appearance.
Identity & Evolution in Design
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- Designers must periodically redefine themselves and their work to remain relevant.
- Personal growth and evolving priorities shape professional identity and approach.
Burnout vs Ambition
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- Burnout is not a badge of honor; it results from overextension and emotional labor.
- Ambition aligns energy with superpowers and opportunities, creating sustainable growth.
- Setting boundaries is essential to differentiate productive ambition from harmful overwork.
Emotional Labor & Client Management
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- Design work involves managing client emotions, expectations, and second-guessing.
- Designers act as liaisons between clients, contractors, and teams, absorbing invisible pressures.
- Managing scope creep and change orders is a practical strategy to protect both energy and profitability.
Social Media & Comparison Culture
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- Social media can amplify unrealistic expectations and unhealthy competition.
- Designers often feel compelled to accommodate clients’ desires, sometimes overextending themselves to maintain a positive perception.
These core themes coming out of the show this year tell a story that cannot be ignored. The thought process is changing. More human-centric at a time when technology seems to be taking over. Interesting times.
Shifting away from that, I want to share two conversations from the show.
Brandon Kirschner | Azzuro Living – Control the Process, Control the Outcome: Inside Azzurro Living’s Design Advantage
Brandon Kirshner of Azzurro Living explains how factory ownership, material innovation, and hands-on experimentation are redefining luxury outdoor furniture—and why relationships and resilience matter more than ever.
Recorded live at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Orlando, this conversation with Brandon Kirshner, Partner and VP of Design at Azzurro Living, explores what it means to design, manufacture, and deliver luxury outdoor furniture with complete control over the process.
Kirshner shares how owning and operating their own production facility provides a rare advantage in a crowded marketplace. This vertical integration allows Azzurro Living to oversee every step—from raw material sourcing to fabrication—ensuring performance, durability, and design integrity in extreme climates.
The conversation also explores the realities of modern product manufacturing: navigating global instability, breaking through to specifiers in an oversaturated marketplace, and the renewed importance of in-person relationships. At its core, this is a story about design leadership, material obsession, and maintaining optimism in a rapidly shifting industry.
Vertical Integration Changes Everything
- Full ownership of production facility ensures quality control
- Ability to experiment directly with materials and fabrication
- Eliminates reliance on third-party manufacturing limitations
Material Innovation Drives Luxury Performance
- Products engineered for extreme heat and harsh winters
- Hands-on experimentation with rope, wicker, and aluminum
- Performance and longevity are core to brand value
Design as the Core Differentiator
- Industrial design roots shape product philosophy
- Focus on original forms rather than “me-too” furniture
- Design enhances lifestyle, not just aesthetics
Relationships Still Drive Specification
- Trade shows like High Point Market remain essential
- Face-to-face interaction builds trust and long-term partnerships
- Education through sales teams and specifier outreach is critical
Resilience and Optimism in a Volatile Industry
- Navigating tariffs, supply chains, and global uncertainty
- Maintaining a solution-oriented mindset
- Viewing disruption as part of long-term growth
In luxury outdoor furniture, control isn’t just an operational advantage—it’s a creative one.
For Brandon Kirshner, Partner and VP of Design at Azzurro Living, ownership of the manufacturing process is the foundation of everything the company does. Unlike many competitors who rely on outsourced production, Azzurro Living operates its own factory, giving Kirshner and his team direct oversight of every detail, from raw materials to finished form.
This control allows for something rare in today’s manufacturing environment: true experimentation. Working directly with fabricators, Kirshner explores new weaving techniques, tests material durability, and refines structural details. The result is furniture engineered not just to look refined, but to perform in punishing environments—from desert heat exceeding 115 degrees to unpredictable seasonal extremes.
Kirshner’s path into furniture design began with industrial design studies, where exposure to iconic modernist designers revealed furniture as both functional object and artistic expression. That perspective continues to shape his work today, where innovation isn’t driven by trend cycles, but by material curiosity and structural integrity.
Launching Azzurro Living in 2020 presented immediate challenges, from supply chain disruption to economic uncertainty. Yet Kirshner views volatility as inevitable rather than exceptional. Experience has taught him that adaptability—not stability—is the constant in product manufacturing.
Equally important is maintaining strong relationships within the design community. Trade shows, in-person meetings, and direct engagement remain essential tools for connecting with specifiers and building trust.
In an increasingly crowded marketplace, Azzurro Living’s approach is clear: control the process, push material boundaries, and let design lead. The result is furniture that reflects not just luxury, but intention.
“Owning our factory gives us complete control—from raw material to finished product—and that changes everything.”
“Design is the reason people invest in luxury furniture. Performance just makes it last.”
“You can’t innovate from a distance. Being hands-on with materials is where real progress happens.”
“Trade shows and face-to-face interaction still matter because this industry runs on relationships.”
“No matter what challenges come—tariffs, supply chain, geopolitics—we’ll figure it out. That mindset is essential.”
This is Cathy Purple Cherry – Founding Principal | Purple Cherry, freshly installed in the Convo By Design Icon Registry, we caught up at KBIS for a fresh take.
Human-Centered Architecture, Resilience, and the Responsibility of Design
Cathy Purple Cherry reflects on architecture as a lifelong act of care—supporting people through turbulence, embracing multigenerational living, rejecting trend culture, and using design as a tool for healing, connection, and growth.
Recorded live at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show, this conversation with Cathy Purple Cherry of Purple Cherry Architects explores architecture not as a moment of visual impact, but as a lifelong framework for human support.
Purple Cherry shares her philosophy that architecture must evolve alongside the people it serves, especially during times of societal turbulence and personal change. Her work is grounded in human-centered thinking, emotional durability, and the belief that design can create stability amid chaos.
The discussion moves beyond aesthetics into deeper territory—resilience shaped by hardship, the responsibility of creatives to provide clarity and options, and the importance of giving back. Purple Cherry also addresses the rise of multigenerational living, generational shifts in work culture, and the dangers of trend-driven design thinking.
At its core, this conversation reveals architecture as both a professional discipline and a personal calling—one rooted in empathy, long-term thinking, and service.
Architecture as Long-Term Support, Not Momentary Expression
- Design must serve people across decades, not just visual moments
- Architecture provides emotional stability during uncertain times
- Human-centered design is becoming essential, not optional
Growth Through Challenge and Adversity
- Personal and professional hardship builds resilience
- Lessons learned shape better architects and stronger leaders
- Teaching and mentoring are essential responsibilities
Multigenerational Living as a Cultural Shift
- Economic and social changes are reshaping American housing
- Families are staying connected longer
- Architecture must adapt to evolving family dynamics
The Responsibility of Creatives in Times of Tension
- Architects provide clarity and solutions amid chaos
- Design can serve as a “relief valve” for societal stress
- Creatives help people reimagine how they live
Rejecting Trend Culture in Favor of Lasting Design
- Trend cycles are often superficial and misleading
- True architecture transcends short-term aesthetic movements
- Enduring design comes from purpose, not prediction
Giving Back as a Core Professional and Personal Value
- Sharing knowledge strengthens the profession
- Service to others creates deeper meaning in creative work
- Design is both a gift and a responsibility
For Cathy Purple Cherry, architecture has never been about creating a moment. It’s about supporting a lifetime.
As founder of Purple Cherry Architects, with offices in Annapolis, Charlottesville, and New York City, Purple Cherry has built a practice grounded in the belief that design must evolve alongside the people it serves. Architecture, she explains, is not about solving for a single moment, but about creating environments that support human life over time.
That perspective feels especially relevant today. As social, economic, and cultural turbulence reshapes how people live and work, architecture has taken on a new role—not just as shelter, but as emotional infrastructure. Spaces must provide calm, clarity, and flexibility, particularly as multigenerational living becomes more common and families remain connected longer under one roof.
Purple Cherry rejects the idea that architecture should chase trends. While the industry often focuses on forecasting aesthetic movements, she believes true design transcends these cycles. Lasting architecture emerges from purpose, empathy, and a deep understanding of human behavior.
Her perspective is shaped not only by decades of professional experience, but by personal adversity. Hardship, she explains, builds resilience and strengthens one’s ability to serve others. That philosophy extends into her commitment to mentorship, service, and giving back—values she sees as inseparable from meaningful creative work.
For Purple Cherry, architecture is both discipline and calling. It is a lifelong process of learning, teaching, and refining. And in a world defined by rapid change, her message is clear: the most important role of design is not to impress, but to support the people who live within it.
“Architecture isn’t about solving for a moment. It’s about supporting people over time.”
“Through suffering, we become stronger—and that’s what allows us to better serve others.”
“Anything in the built environment that can calm us and organize our lives becomes essential.”
“Design should never be driven by trends. It should be driven by purpose and people.”
“The meaning of life is discovering your gifts. The purpose of life is sharing them.”