By Dianne M. Pogoda
Company News
KBIS 2025 Reveals Key Show Sponsors: Ruvati, a high-end Italian sink manufacturer, and Midea, an appliance specialist, are at the Platinum Level, and hardware maker Blum and TOTO bath fixtures are Gold Level sponsors. In the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, Ruvati will show at booth #N504, Blum will be at #N538 and TOTO will be in #N738. Midea will show in West Hall at #W2344. KBIS will showcase more than 650 exhibitors, including more than 200 new brands and over 200 international exhibitors. KBB has more detail.
NKBA Design Council Shares Trends: Members of the NKBA Design Council recently shared their 2025 design predictions with HGTV. Michel Smith Boyd, Celerie Kemble, Caleb Anderson, and Thom Filicia discussed directional trends including lighting that sets a mood; natural colors, materials, and biophilic elements; a wellness focus in the bathroom; customization, and more. Additionally, NKBA’s exclusive 2025 Design Trend research was cited in the story, which can be found here.
Arcot Named to NSI Exec Committee: Sam Arcot, Special Projects Manager at Rugo Stone and a board member of the Natural Stone Institute (NSI), has been named to NSI’s executive committee as board secretary. He has served on the board of directors since 2022. He has 25 years of experience in the industry, and was the recipient of NSI’s Natural Stone Scholarship in 2013. Arcot was also honored as NSI’s Person of the Year in 2023. More detail here.
Anderson Becomes Sole Principal of Firm: Caleb Anderson has assumed the role of sole principal of Drake/Anderson, the award-winning design firm he co-founded with renowned designer Jamie Drake in 2015. This concludes the succession plan that started when the company was founded. Anderson, a member of the NKBA Design Council, will rebrand the firm as /AND Design. Designers Today has more.
Vadara Expands Into UK: Vadara Quartz Surfaces, a leading maker of artisan quartz surfaces, has begun an international expansion through a distribution partnership with UK-based The Thomas Group and its brand, The Surface Collection. Vadara aims to bring its successful offerings to key global markets by capitalizing on its innovative designs, streamlined operations, and keen insight into local customer preferences, according to Erik Butler, Chief Operating Officer at US Surfaces, Vadara’s parent. Global expansion remains a priority for Vadara, with Australia planned for its next international market activation. The company is also exploring further growth opportunities across Europe, Southeast Asia, South America, and other high-potential regions. Learn more about Vadara UK’s product offerings here.
Industry News
JCHS Projects Household Growth Slowdown: The Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University released new projections that household growth will be significantly slower in coming years. This is expected to have a direct impact on new housing demand from now through 2035. The study forecasts an increase of 8.6 million households over the next 10 years, or 860,000 annually. That compares to 10.1 million households added during the 2010s, considered a “sluggish” period following the Great Recession. JDHS also predicts that growth will ease to 5.1 million households between 2035 and 2045, marking the slowest-growth decade in the last 100 years. There is still a housing shortage of 1.5 million to 5.5 million units in the U.S., however, and JCHS speculated that the industry may still be catching up despite the slowdown in growth. BuilderOnline has more detail.
New Home Sales Rise in December: The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported a 3.6 percent increase in sales of new homes in December from November, which is 6.7 percent above the rate in December 2023. An estimated 683,000 new homes were sold for all of 2024m which is a 2.5 percent increase over 2023 total sales. The median sales price of new homes in December 2024 was $427,000, and the average was $513,000. The Census Bureau has more.
