As chocolate and peanut butter prove, some flavors just belong together. If High Point Market, the must-attend biannual furniture fair, had been missing anything from its whole-home sourcing repertoire, it was a kitchen- and bathroom-focused locus in which to savor the latest products in those categories. And as the kitchen’s status as the heart of the home only grows stronger—while bathrooms become personal spas—the National Kitchen & Bath Association knew an audience of designers would be hungry for fresh ways to integrate stylish fixtures and high-tech appliances into various aesthetics. At NKBA’s new kitchen and bath hub, which opened to major buzz at Fall Market last month, designers did exactly that, sampling the product portfolios of a cross-section of prominent brands in immersive vignettes throughout the first floor of Broad Hall—including an enviable outdoor space. Basking in the glow, Bill Darcy, global president and CEO of NKBA | KBIS, shares some initial takeaways from October’s delectable debut.
A MEMORABLE ENTRANCE
Located on the ground floor of Codarus’s Broad Hall, at the center of High Point (and conveniently adjacent to a bus stop), the bustling hub enticed anyone who wandered by. The happening atmosphere, paired with the promise of conversation, Miele coffee, cocktails and light bites, proved irresistible. “It had an energy that made passersby pause and wonder, ‘Hey, what’s going on over there?’” says Darcy. For every in-the-know pro who followed the coverage and made an advance appointment, hundreds more stopped into the new center out of curiosity, ambling under the custom-fabricated front pergola by Azenco. “As High Point Market Authority president and CEO Tammy Covington told us, High Point thrives on the thrill of discovery,” he shares—making the hub the place to be, as evidenced by the media who showed up to report on the packed-to-the-gills ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday.
IMPRESSIVE VENDORS
In addition to the pioneering architectural surfaces company Cosentino, the initial partner in the endeavor—“Everything we do with them is exciting, high-energy and design-centric,” says Darcy—NKBA ultimately curated a roster of 16 vendors, encompassing fundamental categories from cabinetry and lighting to appliances and fixtures. Some partners had preexisting relationships from KBIS; others were brand-new. “We exceeded our expectations when Sherwin-Williams jumped in,” he says. Kichler claimed the critical lighting slot, while BlueStar provided high-end appliances. For bath, Signature Hardware supplied sleek, functional fixtures, with stylish and tech-savvy James Martin Vanities customizing the space. Building a second kitchen on the patio, Urban Bonfire brought the party outdoors. “We were super happy to include Lutron,” Darcy continues. “The company is getting deeper into residential and focusing on designers’ needs. It recognized that the NKBA hub at High Point Market checked all the boxes for cross-pollination.” Along with the previously mentioned brands, the vendor list also comprises Blanco, Fabuwood, Feeney, Ferguson Home and FreePower. “Each partner had the opportunity to show up uniquely within the context of the group and wow people, and each stepped up in a huge way,” he says.
IMMERSIVE VIGNETTES
Rather than isolate the brands in individual booths, NKBA developed the space with insightful guidance from Codarus, styling vignettes with complementary products—more like a showhouse than a trade show. Designer Kerrie Kelly, a former ASID chair who has just been named NKBA’s 2026 chairperson of the board, brought her expertise to create immersive activations. These “blended environments” allowed designers to appreciate items in situ. The fully functional indoor kitchen featured cabinetry from Fabuwood and appliances by BlueStar color-matched to Sherwin-Williams’s Hunt Club matte green paint. Blanco supplied the faucet, sink and under-sink storage. Metallic veining in Cosentino’s Silestone countertops reflected accents throughout the space, all illuminated by Kichler lighting. In the bathroom vignette, Lutron’s Palladiom wire-free battery-powered shades fostered a soft ambiance, also lit by Kichler and outfitted with Cosentino-topped James Martin vanities finished with Signature Hardware fixtures. Another noteworthy spot at the hub—and at Market at large—was the back patio, where Urban Bonfire set the stage with a second complete kitchen built specifically for the great outdoors.
“These aren’t just a bunch of products in a line,” says Darcy. “The brands are connected in a logical way. It’s collaborative.” Putting the disparate pieces together in an experiential space allowed designers to envision how they’d do the same in their project. Plus, as he notes: “There’s something powerful about bringing people together around great design.”
INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS
Lighting up the stars inside, Kichler’s convertible Cassius chandelier greeted guests in the entryway. Resembling a constellation, its opal glass orbs sparkled at the end of each adjustable Champagne Bronze arm, creating a celestial focal point. Continuing the white glass theme, its conical Laria pendants added simple, modern elegance, while the crackled glass globes of its Silvarious chandeliers glimmered above the bathroom vanities. In any style, the luminous light fixtures stood out against bold greens and subtly accentuated neutral shades—notably Sherwin-Williams’s color of the year, Universal Khaki. Emphasizing how customization is now par for the course in kitchen and bathroom design, both Fabuwood and BlueStar matched their contributions to the Sherwin-Williams Hunt Club color, while Lutron offered such special touches as engraved scene-setting controls to cultivate a bespoke lighting mood.
Epitomizing the union between craftsmanship and tech, James Martin Vanities, Cosentino and FreePower promoted their groundbreaking, ready-to-install case goods: vanities with Silestone countertops equipped with wireless charging (because who doesn’t take their phone into the bathroom?). Recognizing the growing relevance of outdoor spaces, Cosentino also collaborated on Urban Bonfire x Dekton, which integrates its fluted Ukiyo and high-performance Slim cladding options with the outdoor kitchen maker’s marine-grade aluminum cabinetry.
Doubling the impact of Urban Bonfire’s High Point debut, the brand created an outdoor kitchen layout that encouraged social cooking and shared experiences. The scenario places the backyard chef at the center of the action. With Feeney railings artfully marking the perimeter, the hub’s outdoor space was a veritable hive of activity all week long.
COMPELLING PROGRAMMING
For its Market premiere, NKBA could have coasted on the appeal of cocktail hours at its dual kitchens. Instead, the association planned a blockbuster schedule of programming starring boldface industry names and prominent editors alongside representatives from the hub’s partner brands. Thom Filicia and Michel Smith Boyd discussed “Designing with Light, Finish & Form” at a panel moderated by Luxe’s executive director of editorial and brand content, Kathryn Given. Heather French joined House Beautiful’s director of editorial special projects, Carisha Swanson, to consider color trends in their “Design Kaleidoscope” conversation. And in a discussion hosted by Flower editorial director Karen Carroll, Alena Capra and Julee Ireland got granular, dissecting the latest data on directions in kitchen design as documented in both NKBA’s 2026 “Kitchen Trends” report and its new “Luxury” report, which launched at Fall Market.
A PROMISING PARTNERSHIP
Since the kitchen is the new living room, the opportunities for designers are wide open. Some may start from the kitchen and bath, then extend their aesthetic into the whole home, while others, newly knowledgeable, can subcontract the two rooms and supervise. Linking KBIS with Market—bringing kitchen and bathroom specialists to the furniture fair and High Point loyalists to the more specialized event in February—offers industry pros a steady cadence of product reveals and demonstrations year-round. If the enthusiastic response to the hub’s debut is any indication, it’s the beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship. “High Point Market Authority has been a wonderful, welcoming partner when it comes to delivering the premium kitchen and bath experience to designers,” says Darcy. “It’s a win-win.”
This story is a paid promotion and was created in partnership with NKBA.
Homepage image: The hub’s indoor kitchen featured lighting by Kichler, Sunnata dimmer controls by Lutron, Cosentino countertops, BlueStar appliances and Fabuwood cabinetry | Courtesy of NKBA
