Idea Guide

KBIS Booth Tour: Kohler

The grand daddy of them all, the Kohler booth at the 2006 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show didn't disappoint.

While this was our first home industry trade show, all the PR folks we talked to said that every year Kohler pulls out all the stops to have the biggest, most avant-garde booth at the major shows. KBIS wasn't an exception, and if it wasn't enough that every single attendee to the expo had Kohler hanging around their neck (they paid to have their logo on the badge lanyards) there was their their huge geometric booth looming large just inside the expo entrance.

Once you were inside the booth, the space was enormous. Each of the five major brands they showcased--Kohler, Ann Sacks (tile), Canac (cabinetry), Sterling (fixtures), and Robern (cabinetry)--had a major footprint.

And in case you thought it was about the products, they left plenty of space in the middle for a large stage so that a regular parade of Cirque du Solei style performers had ample room to roll around on big plastic balls while dressed in funky costumes.

Seriously, though, they really did have some interesting stuff on display. Of personal insterest, it was great to see their Sok bathtub ($7500 and up, thank you very much) that I've always admired but never had a chance to see in person. It's notable because it doesn't have an overflow drain--instead water simply flows over the top rim of the tub and down into a drain basin below.

The Sok complimented their equally modern Purist sink, which takes the concept of a sink and turns it inside out...or, actually, flattens it. A "wet surface" lavatory and a free-standing bowl replace the traditional sink basin.

Maybe not real practical, but definitely serene.

The rest of the hardware exhibited was less exotic but no less attractive. Kohler's booth designers really do have their act together and everything was fun to look over.

Posted by aaron on April 26, 2006 at 10:02 PM (1)