By Donna Heiderstadt
Now in its 10th year, the popular DesignBites competition attracted an enthusiastic crowd at the KBIS 2025 NEXTStage in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center on February 25, as it celebrated a “decade of innovation.” Host Darren Keefe, a Discovery+ and HGTV personality who was part of the 2020 reintroduction of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and is known as “the Dancing Carpenter” on social media, introduced the field of kitchen-and-bath industry brands eager to present their most innovative new products.
Keefe set the scene for the audience, explaining that representatives from 11 exhibiting companies would compete for the title of “Brand with the Biggest Bite.” Each would have three minutes to pitch their newest innovation on the stage — and wow the panel of judges and the audience — followed by two minutes to answer questions. “Let me hear a whoop, whoop!” he said as he fired up the crowd, noting that not only would a panel of judges choose the 2025 champion, but the audience would also get to vote on a People’s Pick.
DesignBites — often compared to the TV show “Shark Tank” — is designed to determine the brand that offers the best combination of innovation and effective presentation of the product’s benefits. The judges on this year’s panel were Alison Victoria, Founder and President of Chicago-based Alison Victoria Interiors and HGTV design personality; John McClain, CEO and Creative Director at Orlando-based John McClain Design and Design Success Academy; and Sarah Robertson, Founder and Principal of Mamaroneck, NY-based Studio Dearborn.
The People’s Pick award, first introduced at KBIS 2022 in Orlando, allowed everyone in the audience — which included members of the media and the design influencers — to get in on the judging via a live vote by text message.
The 11 Competitors and Their Products
BlueStar: The Pennsylvania-based company, which has been in business since 1880 and is known for its gas ranges, pitched its new Platinum Series Induction Range. Ann Muth, BlueStar’s Vice President, Marketing, detailed the range’s innovative features, which include a new matte black cook surface that is scratch resistant, stain resistant, fingerprint resistant, less reflective, and easy to clean. The other new features are red power level indicator lights that show the level of heat for each cooking area (two 11-inch zones and 4 nine-inch zones) as well as an H indicator light to signal that the area is still hot. The range also features an extra-large True Convection Oven with eight cooking modes.
Blum: The company pitched REVEGO, a new-to-the-U.S. market folding pocket door system, which Blum product manager Chris Muck introduced by detailing how it can help hide messes by opening up complete living spaces when you need them — including kitchen work-station areas — and close them when you want a more aesthetic appeal (such as when hosting guests). The REVEGO system is available in both single and double door applications and can cover an area up to 10 feet wide. Designers and builders can also specify the finish or texture to match a space’s aesthetic.
Brondell: The Jema Touchless Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet was the product that Parker Benthin, Chief Revenue Officer at Blondell, detailed at DesignBites. The faucet, a new category for the kitchen and bath company that will be available this spring, features three distinct sprays — RapidRinse, GentleClean, and AeratedStream — and a Pause Mode and promises “more clean, less splash.” Powered by Brondell’s patented Nebia spray technology, it offers an auto-wave touchless feature for turning water flow on and off and a toggle for changing streams.
Daltile: Roy Viana, Product Director for Daltile, introduced the company’s new Elestial Panoramic Porcelain Surfaces that can be used on walls, floors, and countertops for a “drenching” effect. The product was inspired by a Turkish marble and comes in 10.5 feet by 5 feet panels in either a 6mm or 12mm thickness and a matte or glossy finish. Viana said that Elestial is very customizable and is a “durable, low-maintenance alternative” to natural stone.
Empava: Citing the trending popularity of hot/cold plunge therapy for aiding muscle recovery, improving circulation, and releasing endorphins, Jennifer Ramirez, Marketing Specialist for Empava, introduced the first single-unit Hot/Cold Plunge Indoor Tub featuring dual 44.6-inch basins, one of which can reach up to 113 degrees and the other of which can be lowered to 37.4 degrees. The spa-like tub for home use features 22 targeted massaging jets and a 15-inch soaking depth.
EMTEK: William Zhang, Director of Design and Product Innovation for Emtek, a division of the House of Rohl, took to the stage to talk about the company’s Empowered™ 2 Smart Locks with advanced touch technology that reliably recognizes 99 percent of fingerprints, and uses embedded Bluetooth. Up to 20 user fingerprints (and 200 user codes) can be programmed in, with recognition in 0.5 seconds. The product works with the Yale Access app on a smartphone to monitor activity from anywhere, and a new keyed cylinder on the pad is also available as an option. Empowered™ 2 is available in 25 styles and seven design finishes.
LG Electronics: Dean Brindle, Head of Product Development for LG Electronics, introduced the audience to the LG Counter-Depth MAX™ with Zero Clearance™ Three-Door French Door Refrigerator with Thin Door Design. It offers zero-clearance hinges, allowing for installation next to a wall, along with the built-in look popularized by luxury appliance brands. The product combines doors that are 45% thinner than previous models with zero clearance design that allows for flush installation next to cabinetry.
Midea: Described as “the freezer that flexes with your life,” Midea’s new 50/50 Flex 3-Way Convertible Freezer, designed as a secondary refrigerator/freezer for use in a garage or basement, lets the user decide how to use it: all fridge, all freezer, or both. Midea’s Head of U.S. Marketing, Shivanthi Vannan, noted that it features 20 cubic feet of space in its upper and lower compartments and can work in areas with temperatures as low as 32 degrees and as high as 110 degrees.
Moen: The Cambium™ Bath Suite was inspired by Moen designers’ visits to Cleveland’s first and America’s largest mass-timber constructed residences (cambium is cellular plant tissue that helps form a tree’s annual rings). The Bath Suite takes inspiration from both industrial and modern design and features fluted texturing, thin flat rectangle levers, and a large radius double bend rectangular-shape spout. The full Cambium collection is available in three finishes: chrome, brushed nickel, matte black, and a new polished nickel + brushed nickel combo .
Potty Sniffer by JEMSMART: Stephen Hung, President of JEMSMART, had the both the audience and judges laughing as he shared his original inspiration for the product, recalling how his own personal insecurities about offending his then fiancée when using a shared bathroom led him to create the Potty Sniffer toilet ventilation system. Calling it “the smart solution for an odorless future,” he detailed how his product uses an air intake shroud, a Sniffer pump, and exhaust tubing to immediately convert any toilet bowl to odorless by whisking offending smells away from inside. “No more sprays are needed,” he said, noting Potty Sniffer also eliminates the need for exhaust fans in half baths.
Signature Kitchen Suite: The SKS 30-inch Transitional Series Combi Wall Oven was detailed by Michael Magnani, Director of Product Planning for Luxury Appliances for Signature Kitchen Suite, the luxury brand powered by LG Electronics. Visually, the wall oven has a satin stainless steel finish — similar to a Macbook — and sleek straight handles carved from a single piece of aluminum, a look that Magnani described as “quiet luxury.” Designed for the “technicurean” (a person who is all about food and smart technology), this oven has a built-in camera that recognizes what food has been placed in it to cook and automatically adjusts the setting (to one of seven distinct cooking modes), temperature, and timing. It can also take a time-lapse video of the cooking process for foodies to send to friends or share on social media.
And the Winners are…
With the judges’ votes locked in, Keefe was joined on stage by Brian Pagel, Executive Vice President of Emerald, KBIS’s trade show partner. When the envelope was opened, the“Brand with the Biggest Bite” was BlueStar for its new Platinum Series Induction Range. For the judges, it was a unanimous decision, with Sarah Robertson citing the matte cooking surface and temperature indicator lights as keys to the win. The range is available now and Ann Muth, after accepting the award, noted that the company’s foray into induction ranges is based on BlueStar’s desire to “have a product no matter what the customer is looking for.”
The audience also had its say, and a live vote by text named Potty Sniffer by JEMSMART as the People’s Pick.
