A Year of Insight, Innovation & Industry Leadership
By NKBA Staff
In 2025, NKBA’s webinar lineup empowered kitchen and bath professionals with the knowledge, tools, and forward-thinking strategies needed to excel in a rapidly evolving marketplace. From accessibility and lighting to financial fluency and global trend forecasting, this year’s most popular sessions reflected the challenges, opportunities, and shifts shaping residential design.
Looking back, these five standout webinars defined the conversations of 2025—and set the tone for the year ahead.
Aging in Place: The Future of Design
Presented July 15, 2025 | CEUs: .1
Featured Presenter: Sarah Hartman, Business Development Manager, Moen
With one in five Americans expected to be 65 or older by 2030, demand for safer, more accessible homes continues to surge. This webinar explored the design, product, and planning strategies that support Aging-in-Place, highlighting practical solutions that elevate both safety and style.
Sarah Hartman drew from her extensive product expertise to help attendees understand how thoughtful planning, accessibility innovations, and new technology can transform the residential experience for older adults and people with disabilities.
Key Takeaways:
- Why Aging-in-Place is a growing priority for homeowners and communities
- How accessibility impacts health, safety, and long-term independence
- Design preparations and products that support comfortable, future-ready living
Mastering the New Kitchen & Bath Design Guidelines
Presented May 14, 2025 | CEUs: .1
Featured Presenter: Doug Walter, CMKBD, Architect & Industry Leader
Sponsored by Hardware Resources
As one of the most anticipated webinars of the year, this session provided a practical, “Cliff’s Notes” overview of NKBA’s updated Kitchen & Bath Design Guidelines. Doug Walter offered valuable context on why specific standards changed, what sections were expanded, and how to apply the revised recommendations to real-world projects.
With clarity, humor, and four decades of expertise, Walter walked designers through the most notable updates—empowering them to design with confidence, reduce liability risk, and improve project outcomes.
Key Takeaways:
- What’s new (and what’s gone) in the updated Guidelines
- How to navigate the new structure with ease
- The crucial difference between guidelines, codes, and best practices
- Why mastering the Guidelines is essential for competition submission
Streamlined Lighting: A Consistent, Repeatable Path to Illumination
Presented May 7, 2025 | CEUs: .1
Featured Presenter: Keith Clark, National Sales Specialist, Task Lighting | Hardware Resources
Sponsored by Hardware Resources
Lighting continues to be one of the most influential—and often misunderstood—elements of kitchen and bath design. This high-demand webinar gave designers a repeatable framework for planning and executing low-voltage lighting solutions from concept through installation.
Keith Clark demystified Kelvin temperatures, functional lighting types, product selection, and troubleshooting—making lighting more approachable and giving designers greater control over the client experience.
Key Takeaways:
- Understanding the five core components of a low-voltage lighting plan
- How tunable-white lighting simplifies decision-making
- Why quality lighting products and support teams reduce stress, time, and errors
- How consistent lighting methodology boosts project profitability
How to Budget on a Budget: Navigating Financial Conversations
Presented August 20, 2025 | CEUs: .1
Featured Presenter: Elizabeth P. Lord-Levitt, CMKBD, Principal Designer
Budget conversations are often the most challenging part of any project—yet they are essential for trust and transparency. This webinar gave designers practical communication strategies to help clients understand investment levels, prioritize goals, and confidently move forward with realistic budgets.
Elizabeth Lord-Levitt shared proven scripts, questions, and exercises that demystify financial discussions and keep projects on track from the very first meeting.
Key Takeaways:
- Approachable, effective ways to ask clients about budget limitations
- Exercises to help clients understand value and prioritize scope
- How to guide clients through trade-offs without compromising design integrity
2025 Global Color & Design Trends
Presented January 28, 2025 | CEUs: .1
Featured Presenter: Ruthanne Hanlon, National Color & Design Manager, PPG
Kicking off the year, this trend-defining webinar unpacked the global forces influencing style, mood, materials, and color direction for 2025 and beyond. Anchored by the theme Kinetic—a call for adaptability and forward movement—the session explored how consumer behavior, technological innovation, climate impacts, and cross-industry design shifts are reshaping residential and commercial aesthetics.
Ruthanne Hanlon offered a vivid look at four distinct trend stories, giving designers the insights they need to align their offerings with what consumers seek most today: personalization, emotional resonance, and resilient design.
Key Takeaways:
- Four global color stories influencing residential and commercial segments
- New materials and textures are shaping the next generation of design
- How industries like automotive and consumer tech shape architectural preferences
Looking Ahead
From foundational standards to financial fluency and future-focused trends, NKBA’s 2025 webinars equipped thousands of professionals with the tools they need to excel in a changing market.
These top sessions highlight what mattered most this year—accessibility, clarity, innovation, lighting quality, and the desire to create spaces that adapt to people’s lives.
As we move into 2026, NKBA remains committed to delivering industry-leading education that informs, inspires, and elevates every corner of the design community.
