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CLOSE MENU Normandy Designer Jennifer Runner recently won a “30 Under 30” award presented by the National Kitchen and Bath Association, which also got her special access at KBIS 2013, one of the biggest kitchen and bath trade shows for industry professionals. Part of the trip to KBIS 
included her “30 Under 30” group giving a presentation on how universal design has evolved.
“It was a great opportunity to see the latest technology out there and talk one on one with the industry professionals who are providing the products,” says Jennifer. “It was really nice from a design perspective to see how universal design has evolved from being just functional elements, to being functional, stylish and customized for homeowners needs and tastes.” For Jennifer’s group presentation on universal design, they dove into who the products are being designed for and some of their favorite universal design finds at KBIS 2013, such as the grab bars and touch faucets shown.
Universal design is becoming more and more important as people age and want nothing more than to stay in their home as long as possible. With a large portion of the population rapidly approaching that point in life, it’s important for the industry to meet those needs with products that people want to use. Check out the blog from a couple weeks ago some more new universal design products and how universal design doesn’t just apply to aging adults.
info on trends they noticed and they’re favorite parts of the show. NKBA member and Normandy Designer, Terry Kenney, shares her favorites from KBIS.”The show was a little smaller this year, which made it easier to cover,” says Terry. “The energy was so positive the entire weekend, and the show didn’t disappoint with the innovative products on the market. My favorite product was a porcelain slab offered by Fiandre – the movement in it is just stunning and I love the extremely high durability of the material, which is great for any upcoming 
“A couple trends I noticed were that whites are still a very popular choice for countertops and polished surfaces and chrome for faucets and fixtures ,” commented Terry. “I also took note of the amount of technology and research that’s being directed toward water savings in products such as toilets, they’re down to .6 gallons/flush, which is a huge improvement.”
