KBIS 2010 - Best in Show

I did not make it to the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show this year. But that doesn't mean I missed it entirely. Many of my design blog colleagues did attend, and I'll share their thoughts with you in future posts as they have time to sit down and collect them.

This brief posting shares my favorite Best of KBIS product winner, as reported in Kitchen + Bath Business, one of our top trade publications.

Best of Show deservedly went to Liebherr's HWS 1800 Integrated Wine Storage Cabinet, in my opinion. Here are three views of the winner in different settings.

Two side by side units in a contemporary kitchen



White on white, you could say



The HWS 1800 works with a traditional room, too

This product embodies Sensible Style. I love that it can be installed at a comfortable height, bringing your collection closer to eye level. This means that older oenophiles like myself don't have to bend or crouch to choose the right white or dead-on red for dinner. It is also ever so sleek - a perfect pairing for an upscale kitchen, don't you think!

Liebherr is not as well known here as it is in Europe. The company was founded in 1949 in Germany. They call themselves a "worldwide leader in premium refrigeration." You could say that this award validates the claim.

Here is a link to the other winners, as covered in K+BB. The Universal Design Product was a new category for 2010. Last year, I'm proud to say, I wrote about this year's winner in that category, HealthCraft's Invisia Collection in my three-day Aging in Place coverage for KBB.