By Dianne M. Pogoda
Company News
Grohe Launches Luxury Sub-Brand: Premium faucet and fittings brand Grohe introduced a luxury sub-brand, GROHE SPA, dedicated to “wellness through water,” at the World Architecture Festival in Miami. Grohe, part of the LIXIL family of brands, is a founding sponsor of WAF, which made its U.S. debut last month. GROHE SPA represents the evolution of wellness through design, said the company, allowing designers and architects to create multi-sensory bathroom environments with minimalist design and precision engineering in myriad finishes and exclusive handle materials. The brand will roll out nationwide late next year. Learn more here.
Hestan Opens Napa Showcase: High-end culinary brand Hestan opened its first brand store in Napa, CA, in November. The store was designed by Kerrie Kelly, Creative Director of Kerrie Kelly Studios in Sacramento and Chair of the NKBA Board of Directors. It features its premium Italian-made cookware, U.S.-produced Hestan appliances, wine from Hestan Vineyards in Napa Valley, and includes a restaurant with dishes from Michelin-star Chef Mark Dommen. The design blends sleek, modern style with warm, natural textures and can accommodate up to 60 guests for private events. Homepage News has more details.
SKS Joins Food & Wine Classic: Luxury appliance brand SKS returned to the second annual Food & Wine Classic in Charleston, SC, last month, as the premier appliance sponsor. The brand showcased its “True to Food” philosophy for Technicureans™ with live demos that highlighted the precision and versatility of its appliances, including pro-ranges with built-in sous vide, wall ovens with Gourmet AI™ technology, and wine refrigerators with exclusive preservation features. SKS Executive Chef Nick Ritchie and his team were on hand throughout the two-day event, creating Lowcountry-inspired cuisine like pumpkin-coconut bisque, seared crab cakes with salsa verde, sous vide New York Loin with grilled scallions and black garlic vinaigrette, steamed local shrimp and savory chocolate truffles. SKS coined the phrase “Technicurean” to celebrate home chefs with as much passion for cooking craftsmanship as for high-end home technology. Learn more here.
LIXIL Partners with WorldSkills: Plumbing and housing products manufacturer LIXIL has teamed up as a Global Industry Partner with WorldSkills International, a global movement that raises the profile and recognition of skilled people through competitions, outreach, and by influencing industry, government, and educators across 89 member countries and regions. The collaboration reaffirms LIXIL’s long-standing commitment to vocational education and training to help alleviate the critical shortage of skilled plumbers and installers worldwide, and to address this global issue by partnering to foster and empower a new generation of professionals. KBB has the story.
Leadership Changes at Currey & Co.: Lighting and home furnishings specialist Currey & Co. has named Ross Bradford president, Mary M. Wilson vice president of key accounts, and Drew Alden as director of furniture. Bradford takes over the president’s role from owner Brownlee Currey, who remains CEO. Bradford has been VP of strategy and business development at Currey, and previously held executive roles with Samsung, Bosch, Thermador, Gaggenau, and others. Wilson joins the company from Cyan Design, where she was director of design, and Alden previously oversaw key categories at Havertys Furniture. Designers Today has more.
Chapter Updates
Chapter Officer Training Dates Set: Incoming NKBA Chapter officers are required to attend virtual training in January, in addition to live training on-site at KBIS on Feb. 16. Virtual training is by officer positions as follows (all times are Eastern). Links will be sent in January. Presidents: Tuesday, Jan. 6, 4 pm; Programs Chairs: Tuesday, Jan. 13, 3 pm; Communications Chairs: Tuesday, Jan. 13, 4 pm; Membership Chairs: Wednesday, Jan.14, 3 pm; Secretary/Treasurers: Wednesday, Jan. 14, 4 pm.
Industry News
Home Sales Edge Up: Sales of existing homes inched up 1.2 percent in October from September and increased 1.7 percent year-over-year compared to October 2024, according to the National Association of Realtors. October saw a 2.1% increase YOY in the median existing-home sales price to $415,200. It was the 28th consecutive month of YOY price increases. The slight bump in sales could be partially attributed to a dip in the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage to 6.25 percent, down from 6.35 percent in September and from 6.43 percent a year ago. More detail here.
Frank Gehry Dies: One of the most celebrated architects of the 20th Century, Frank Gehry, died after a brief respiratory illness on Dec. 5 at his home in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 96. His distinctive building designs were inspired by his fascination with modern art and pop culture. Among his most notable designs were the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain; the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Berlin’s DZ Bank Building, and the 76-story New York By Gehry building, one of the world’s tallest residential structures when it opened in 2011. The Pritzker Prize-winning architect also designed an expansion of Facebook’s Northern California headquarters at the insistence of Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of the social media giant. He taught at Yale, Columbia, and became a professor of architecture at his alma mater, the University of Southern California. Working well into his nineties, his last project, the Guggenheim Museum in Abu Dhabi, is expected to be finished in 2026 after a series of construction delays. The 30,000-square-foot structure will be the world’s largest Guggenheim. The Associated Press has more.
Robert A.M. Stern Dies: Acclaimed architect Robert A.M. Stern, founder of his namesake architecture firm, died Nov. 27 after a brief pulmonary illness. He was 86. The prize-winning architect designed residences, commercial properties, hotels, institutional projects, and public spaces, and taught at Columbia University and the Yale School of Architecture, where he was Dean 1998 to 2016, in a career that spanned half a century. Born in 1939 in Brooklyn, Stern built his practice in New York and was a champion of “modern traditionalism” in architecture. He rose to international fame when he designed one of the city’s most famous residences, 15 Central Park West, consisting of two limestone-clad buildings of 19 and 35 stories. It was hailed as a “rebirth of prewar luxury,” and apartments were sold out before construction was finished. Celebrities, Wall Street titans, sports stars, and other bold-faced names drove sales north of $2 billion. In an interview with the New York Times, Stern called it his “breakthrough,” and noted that he never used a computer, preferring to draw everything by hand. Among his other notable projects were Disney World’s yacht and beach club resorts in Florida, the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy in Ann Arbor, Mich., and the Comcast Center and Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. He is survived by a son, a brother, and three grandchildren. Read more here.
