Here’s a roundup of products launched at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show, held last April in Chicago.

Click photos for a closer look.
		Arty sinks, techy showers As usual, Kohler’s expansive booth at KBIS was brimming with new introductions, including a smarter toilet seat and the company’s first hands-free kitchen faucet. The elegant Mille Fleurs design on the Caxton undercounter lavatory (top) addresses the continued interest in metallic embellishment as well as traditionally designed Artist Edition fixtures. A base of either translucent sage or clear glaze provides a backdrop for a delicate floral motif that takes its cue from folk-art genres of embroidery, tapestry, and rosemaling (Norwegian decorative painting). The Kohler DTV shower-control product (below), another new offering, features a thermostatic valve and digital interface to customize the shower experience utilizing multiple showerheads, hand showers, and body sprays. The DTV’s preset hydrotherapy experiences include up massage, down massage, wave massage, as well as temperature therapy that can run from hot to cold or vice versa. Multiple users can preprogram their own customized experience and call them up instantly at the touch of a button. Kohler, Kohler, Wis. www.kohler.com  [ Reader Service July 2006 # 212 ]
		Polka dot patterns Ann Sacks, a division of Kohler’s Interiors Group, once again displayed a stunning new range of tile, stone, and concrete products by in-house and guest designers. This year’s collection included a line of tile crafted entirely of mesquite wood harvested in Texas, a concrete flooring with a simple geometric pattern by designer Angela Adams, and a fluted and beaded tile by designer Barbara Barry. For her latest collaboration with Ann Sacks, artist Erin Adams was able to develop a method of cutting glass tile that allowed for very fine lines and curves. Her new glass tile collection consists of mosaic patterns composed in brilliant jewel tones, including a natural scene of silhouetted curling leafy vines and a graphic assortment of circles in varying sizes (left). Both mosaics are made to order, allowing for individual art installations. Ann Sacks, Portland. www.annsacks.com [ Reader Service July 2006 # 213 ]
		Bathing for technophiles Award-winning architect and product designer Jean Nouvel has designed a new collection of bathroom fixtures for Jado that include a lavatory faucet, tub filler, and shower totem that incorporate electronics for temperature control and touch-sensitive operation. The faucets have programmable presets so users can save their favorite volume and temperature settings. The 44’’ elongated shower totem is a polished chrome tube that curves and flattens into a Minimalist bend at the top for the showerhead. An integrated automatic diverter controls a handheld shower wand, popping up a spray head that retracts when no longer in use. Like the shower totem, Novel’s lav faucet and tub filler feature subtle, smooth curves and rounded corners. The tub filler (left) is teamed with a handheld spray that has the same pop-up spray head as the shower totem. Jado, Chandler, Ariz. www.jadousa.com [ Reader Service July 2006 # 214 ]
For more new products see this month's Product Focus   ADVERTISEMENT

[ Page 3 of 3 ]