1. Wellness Features for Bathrooms

One subject that came up repeatedly in conversations at KBIS was wellness features in bathrooms. Some brand representatives said the pandemic played a part in homeowners seeking to create spa experiences at home.

Brizo’s new Mystix Steam System shower attracted all-day crowds at the convention. The immersive steam shower comes in two experiences: a standard Elemental steam shower with temperature control and an upgraded version called Transcendent with all kinds of therapeutic options — chromatherapy, aromatherapy and audiotherapy.

In the fully upgraded version, you can control the steam pressure and the temperature, as well as infuse the steam with essential oil blends. The State of Indulgence blend adds a mixture of spruce needle, fir needle, pine needle, cedarwood, frankincense and ylang-ylang.

You can also choose various lighting moods to create a chromatherapy experience and connect a shower speaker hidden in the ceiling to various music apps, including Spotify and Calm, for audiotherapy. The Transcendent will be available in summer 2023.

The installation is a bit complex, so it’s recommended for new-build homes.

Delta Faucet, a sister brand of Brizo, released a new steam shower that can be installed in existing bathroom footprints. The Delta SteamScape series features a digital control panel similar to Brizo’s Mystix that allows users to create four profiles with various presets for steam and temperature. There’s also an essential-oil reservoir to infuse the steam.

Rohl’s Allia is the brand’s venture into workstation sinks. Stain- and chip-resistant glazed fireclay sets it apart. They are available now.

3. Soft Modern Style

One phrase that came up repeatedly during conversations at KBIS was “soft modern style.” The look is defined by rounded square profiles and a general softening of typically sharp modern forms.

Delta’s new Tetra bath faucet illustrates the style with curved rectangular details.

Victoria + Albert’s new Lussari collection also features a soft modern style for three freestanding tubs and a sink.

Japandi style inspired Moen’s new Tenon kitchen faucet collection, which features a gentle U-shape design and an option for a teak handle. But what’s really special is its concealed pull-down spout function that leaves no visible seam. Grab a notch on the backside of the end of the spout to pull out the nozzle.

4. Industrial Style

Apart from the soft modern look, industrial style is whistling loudly from steam valves. Commercial or spring faucets are leading the way.

Moen expanded its Cia line of industrial-style spring faucets to include new features like a Power Boost Pro spray that can blast away grime on pans or quickly fill pots.

Moen fully embraced industrial style with its new Greenfield collection, which nods to the Industrial Revolution and its ties to Greenfield Village in Michigan. The collection features faucets, tub fillers, shower fixtures, lighting and accessories with rounded square levers and forms that recall those found in factories.

Brizo is expanding two finishes into three of its collections. Brilliance Black Onyx, shown here on Brizo’s Levoir faucet, features an industrial-style gunmetal look.

Perrin & Rowe’s new Armstrong bath collection features various industrial-inspired handle details, including wheel and cross handles, seen here.

Textured metal lever handles in the Armstrong collection recall levers used for steam valves.

Here’s a closer look at the Belcaro Lilac fluted marble tile.

Dekton unveiled a collaboration with designer Claudia Afshar that features five existing Dekton surface colors in half-inch and 1-inch fluted options.

Cambria showed off its new Harlow marble-look quartz style in a custom fluted design, used for the island backing seen here.

Kohler’s new Occasion collection nods to the glamorous Golden Age of Hollywood and comes with a lever handle option with fluted details. The collection is available now.

6. Indoor-Outdoor Surfaces

During the pandemic, many homeowners looked to their outdoor areas to expand their living spaces. This shift in focus created a powerful need for durable and stylish outdoor surfaces. Many surface manufacturers responded with new or expanded collections made for indoor or outdoor use.

Dekton’s new Pietra Kode quartz collection is a collaboration with designer and architect Daniel Germani that mimics the look of classic Italian stones and can be used indoors or out. The new Nebbia style is shown here as countertops and surface cladding.

Dekton quartz is also great in moisture-heavy bathrooms. Here, the new Marmorio style, which mimics the striped look of Navona travertine, is used for flooring, wall covering and tub deck cladding. The Pietra Kode collection is available now.

Caesarstone announced it’s expanding from a quartz company into a multimaterials company with a new line of porcelain slabs and natural stones.

Caesarstone already has a line of outdoor quartz products, but its new porcelain collection is also durable enough to be used outdoors. Here, the new Aluminous style of porcelain slabs is used for outdoor kitchen features.

Compac’s new Terrazzo styles from architect and designer Elisa Ossino is made to withstand harsh outdoor conditions.

7. Dramatic Stone and Stone-Look Countertops and Other Surfaces

All-white countertops and light marble and marble-look countertop styles remain popular. But styles featuring bold, dramatic sweeps of veining seem to be proliferating.

At KBIS, a slab of Caesarstone’s new Deep Blue Ocean quartzite was rarely without a crowd of people holding up cellphone cameras in front of it. The Brazilian stone, shown here in a living room, features intense blues with large fissures of warm golds.

Cambria’s new Harlow style of quartz is a bit tamer. But its large, undulating brushstrokes of veining still bring a heavy dose of drama.

Cambria’s new Alloy collection features looks with metallic gold or silver veining with a debossed effect that gives it a prominent texture you can feel when you rub your hand over it.

Caesarstone’s new porcelain collection features several styles with dramatic veining. Here, the appropriately named Striata style energizes a kitchen with bold striations.

A closer look at Caesarstone’s new porcelain Striata.

Dekton’s new Avorio quartz in the just-launched Pietra Kode collection mimics the look of Avorio Italian stone characterized by embedded fossils.

8. Dedicated Laundry Faucets and Sinks

KBIS wasn’t just about kitchens and baths. Some brands launched dedicated features for laundry rooms too.

Kohler’s new Cairn laundry sink is a take on the popular workstation kitchen sink. It features removable accessories for soaking and straining.

And Moen expanded the pull-down faucet feature popular in kitchens into the laundry room with its Arbor faucet.

Here’s a closer look at the new Arbor pull-down laundry faucet by Moen.

9. High-Tech Toilet Features

Many people got hooked on bidet toilet features during the toilet paper shortage at the start of the pandemic. The trend stuck, and now bidet functions and high-tech features are becoming commonplace in toilet design.

Kohler debuted its new Innate line of smart toilets, meant to be an entry-level option for homeowners looking to add cleansing features. It features bidet functions, automatic UV cleaning, a night-light, warm air dryer and adjustable heated seat, all controlled by a handheld remote.

Toto’s new Neorest smart bidet toilets feature high-tech cleaning options and a sleek, skirted profile that makes them easy to wipe down.

But few toilets grabbed attention like Kohler’s new Numi 2.0. It’s got voice control functions, a heated seat, various wash modes with water pressure and temperature settings, a dryer option, a night-light and automatic cleaning with UV light and electrolyzed water. Plus, the seat opens automatically when you walk up and closes when you leave.