News
What's new in the Kitchen and Bathroom Industry:
Focus Küche & Bad presents current Product Trends
The industry has every reason to be excited about the latest developments and design solutions which will be on display from the big names among kitchen and bathroom suppliers and manufacturers at Focus Küche & Bad this year. With 80 national and international exhibitors booked into 7,000m2 of space, the organizer, Bielefeld-based Survey Marketing + Consulting, has announced that once again this year the exhibition hall in Enger will be full to the brim. Around 11,000 trade visitors are expected at the industry's sixth get-together which will take place September 16-22 at the Exhibition Center in Enger.
With numbers of visitors steadily increasing since 2001, national and international industry experts, kitchen and bathroom showroom proprietors, designers and architects as well as decision-makers from the wholesale trade, purchasing organizations and furniture stores have all put on record their continuing interest in the wide variety of products on offer at Focus Küche & Bad. Last year saw 10,400 trade visitors at the industry show, and this year Enger expects to welcome at least 11,000.
Material Diversity and customized Design
Current kitchen design highlights the fact that kitchen and living functions are becoming increasingly intermeshed. Island layouts are now the trend among many kitchen manufacturers. A striking addition mainly to kitchens at the top end of the market is the introduction of handleless front panels. Drawers and drawer systems with automatic open and close functions are becoming widely available: just a light touch is sufficient to open or close the drawer. Electronically-driven drawer systems ensure that the drawers open and close gently, even when fully laden.
The current range of available colors for front panels is extremely diverse. Alongside the white with black/dark panels combination which is popular in Italy in particular, you can now find a mix of colors of all shades. Red is still part of the trend for striking color effect, and for those who are even braver there's also yellow, green and orange in the range. High gloss surfaces are also popular for the kitchen. And a diversity of material mixes is evident, with veneer panels used in combination with matt and gloss finish surfaces or covered in glass. There's also demand for stainless steel or aluminum to be integrated with glass or lacquer surfaces. Laminates and veneer finishes are dominated by the distinctive high-grade wood look, using oak, macassar, zebra wood and walnut, for example. And teak has also now found its way into the classier kitchens. As well as mineral materials and woods, work surfaces are now also available in stainless steel and satin glass.
Everything plus the Kitchen Sink
The range of sinks on offer come with tried and tested ergonomics. There are sink modules to fit the most diverse kitchen scenarios. Surfaces are hard-wearing and easy-care. Gaining ground as useful additions to sinks are functional features such as storage systems that make working in the kitchen easier. Kitchen fittings impress with their striking looks. Some models can be installed or removed manually without any need for tools whatsoever. And there's no need to turn the tap off either - controls adjust the water flow at the touch of a button for different tasks.
Kitchen Appliance Comfort
Various manufacturers' kitchen appliance lines combine ease of control and top quality design with proven technology. So, for example, the home dialog system provides monitoring and control functions for the chest freezer in the cellar via the display on the refrigerator in the kitchen. At the touch of a button, not only can users check the current temperature on the inside of the freezer but they can also call up other functions, such as the chilled water or "crushed ice" options. Appliances are designed for quiet operation and energy efficiency. Frost-free function and nano anti-bacterial interior coatings are standard in some ranges.
Cooking was never this versatile. Whether using gas or induction, microwave, steamer or teppanyaki, the new appliances make cooking fun and food preparation safe, healthy and energy-efficient. Manufacturers of fitted ovens, for example, can fit frameless designs or a pyrolysis process to allow cleaning at the touch of a button. Other models have oven interiors which are designed to be dismantled easily by hand for cleaning in the dishwasher. And there's a variety of automated functions and heating methods that will help even the less-talented amateur chefs to prepare food properly - whether you're baking pizza, need intense heat for sponge cakes or just a heat-and-hold program. Child safety features and a "cool" multi-glazed exterior door reduce the possibility of accidents.
Superior design, creative technology and minimal cleaning requirements all feature in the new lines from cooker hood manufacturers. Features include, for example, an automatic sensor which detects odors, as well as noise reduction and energy efficiency systems. Some ranges have dispensed altogether with the traditional grease filter in favor of a grease extractor operated by centrifugal force.
Industry Perspectives
The German Kitchen Manufacturers' Association [Verband der deutschen Küchenmöbelindustrie VdDK] will once again use the Focus Küche & Bad platform for its annual press conference. On Monday, September 18, 2006, Board Chairman Stefan Waldenmeier will comment on the current situation in the kitchen industry and the economic outlook. VdDK Managing Director, Dr. Lucas Heumann, will provide an overview of costing practice and current pricing issues, while Dr. Olaf Plümer (DCC) will address the current situation with regard to the provision of performance data to the large capacity electrical goods industry.
Enger Exhibition Space to double from 2007
For the first time, the next Focus Küche & Bad, scheduled parallel to M.O.W for September 15-21, 2007, will be able to make use of the new site at Industriestraße 77 in Enger, directly opposite the current exhibition hall. This venue which once housed Wellpac's production and administrative complex provides 13,000m² of modern exhibition hall space and additional parking space. As a result, exhibitors will have access to almost twice as much space and visitors can look forward to an even more attractive and diverse Focus Küche & Bad show.
For more details about Focus Küche & Bad, go to www.f-kb.de
Focus Küche & Bad 2006
Enger Exhibition Center
Industriestraße 80, D-32130 Enger
September 16-22, 2006, open daily from 9.00-18.00