Kitchen & Bath Business - September 2017 - 18

Learning Corner

NKBA's
Miami Spice
Presentation during
ICFF promises to connect
membership with the
high-end designer market
AS THE INDUSTRY DESCENDS UPON SOUTHERN FLORIDA for the second-annual ICFF Mi-

ami spotlight on global design Oct. 3 - 4, the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) will
present a spirited discussion on the eve of the expo,
Oct. 2, with internationally renowned industrial
designer Karim Rashid. His discussion, which will
inspire thought-provoking, insightful conversation about the world of design - and design of the
world - will be followed by a question-and-answer
session during which kitchen and bath professionals can learn about how to apply elements of his
approach to their own design strategies.
This "NKBA Innovation Series - Miami"event
is an exclusive, invitation-only presentation intended to connect its membership with the highend designer market in Miami around the ICFF
show. It will also provide a networking opportunity for the association's members. The broader
Innovation Series is designed to inform, inspire
and motivate industry professionals, aiming to
help them in all aspects of creativity, marketing
and improving their businesses.
The event on Oct. 2 will start at 3 p.m. and will
cap off with a cocktail reception and will take place
at The Temple House, a dramatic venue in the
heart of South Beach. The iconic Art Deco space
was designed by L. Murray Dixon, a prominent
architect of that era, who also created such landmarks as The Tides, The Raleigh, The Tudor and
Ritz Plaza hotels in Miami Beach. The venue
alone is a design inspiration.
ABOUT THE DESIGNER

Rashid, recognized around the world for his broad
range of designs and creative concepts - from
housewares and lighting, packaging and graphics
to retail, residential and restaurant spaces - will

By BILL DARCY , NKBA CEO

share his know-how and speak to the relevance of relating good design from
industrial and commercial applications - like automotive and restaurants - to
residential kitchens and baths.The designer's mission has been to make smart
and beautiful aesthetics affordable to all audiences.
"For the longest time, design only existed for the elite and for a small,
insular culture," he observes. "I have worked hard for the last 20 years trying
to make design a public subject."
In his work as an industrial designer, one of Rashid's specialties is the use
of molded plastic - that most democratic of materials - particularly in creating furniture. This has translated to amorphous shapes in residential design,
interior decoration and architecture, such as at the MyBrickell condo complex
in Miami. Here, his curvy canopy design connects the building's interior
and exterior, tying environment to structure. Bright colors used in plastics
influenced the colorful choices throughout the project, from bathroom vanity
tops, to printed glass cabinetry for kitchens and baths he designed with Italian
manufacturer Scavolini, to custom tiles and bathroom fixtures.
His work incorporates "affordable luxury" with high style and the latest
product developments in both use of materials and integrated electronics -
particularly important for designers, as kitchen and bath spaces increasingly
move toward smart-home technology. But he has also designed bottles,
watches, mirrors, luggage, cell phone cases, clothing, clocks, scales - even
millennium manhole covers for New York City - proving that good design
can be quite accessible.
"Every business should be completely concerned with beauty,"emphasizes
Rashid. "It is, after all, a human need."
ICFF Miami will draw more than 6,000 architects, interior designers,
developers, visual merchandisers and luxury retailers to its showcase of more
than 150 exhibitors at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The NKBA is
eager to provide this and other forums to expose its membership to professionals in different spheres of the design world as part of its valuable networking opportunities. Check in at nkba.org in the coming weeks for information
on future installments of the association's discussion and event series.

Kitchen & Bath Business / SEPTEMBER 2017 / KBBONLINE.COM / The official publication of KBIS (KBIS.com)

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Kitchen & Bath Business - September 2017

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