Dynamic presentations by the NKBA Design Council and association members were highlights of the inaugural edition of NKBA | KBIS’s The Tent activation at High Point Market, the world’s largest home industry furnishings trade show. Billed as an interactive experience of “Design, Innovation, Artistry, Happenings, Culinary, Creativity, Nexus,” The Tent was sponsored by Signature Kitchen Suite, Fabuwood, Bed Bath & Beyond Professional, Unform Studio, Hettich, Shaw Floors, and Anderson Tuftex, along with Cosentino and FreePower.
Following are some highlights of the event.
Day 1
Designed by New York-based Rodolfo Algrella, the Tent showcased the NKBA | KBIS’s sleek new signature blue by Benjamin Moore & Co. The first panel, “How the Kitchen is Shaping Design” got under way with NKBA Thirty Under 30 winner Jennifer Hutton of Grau Building; Sharon L. Sherman, CKD, owner of Thyme & Place Design; and Donille Perrone, senior brand marketing manager of Signature Kitchen Suite. Moderated by Angela Rath, NKBA | KBIS’s director of domestic accounts, the quartet took a deep dive into how the kitchen is defining design with a discussion that delved into luxury, technology, sustainability and the proliferation of multifunctional open-concept spaces in the post-pandemic era.
Karen Carroll, editorial director, FLOWER Magazine and designers Arianne Bellizaire & Barry Dixon. Photo credit: NKBA
The day’s programming was rounded out by a conversation between Baton Rouge-based interior designer and KBB editorial advisory board member Arianne Bellizaire, the new host of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Virginian designer Barry Dixon. Moderated by Karen Carroll, editorial director of FLOWER Magazine, the discussion touched upon everything from favorite childhood kitchens (everyone was in agreement that it was their maternal grandmother’s) to most inspiring design destinations (Marrakech and Istanbul for Dixon; Bellizaire went with Vienna, Prague and Budapest) to billing methods.
Day 2
Kicking off Day 2, Fabuwood marketing manager Moses Brach introduced Bill Darcy, global president & CEO, NKBA | KBIS, to toast the Tent’s generous sponsors “Cheers to the future of residential design,” Darcy said. “And I hope to see you all at KBIS in February!”
After the High Point Market Influencer Tour led by NKBA | KBIS director of marketing, Crystal Watts, where brand partners each spent three minutes sharing their story, the first two of the activation’s four chats began between Allen and the members of the inaugural NKBA Design Council: Thom Filicia, Caleb Anderson, Celerie Kemble and Michael Boyd Smith.
NKBA | KBIS Design Council Member Thom Filicia and Interior Design editor in chief Cindy Allen. Photo credit: NKBA
First up was Filicia, who regaled the audience with tales of his time at Queer Eye for the Straight Guy before delving into a career arc that began with a degree in interior design from Syracuse University. Next was work with storied designers Albert Hadley, David Kleinberg and Robert Metzger before Filicia founded his own firm in 1998 to express “aesthetics rooted in traditional concepts but in a fresh, lifestyle driven way,” he said. Now, Filicia says, “I feel the business aspect of design is almost as important as the creative side. And kitchens and baths have become so much a part of it. Dining now takes place in the kitchen and bathrooms are the places we go to relax and recharge.”
Allen’s conversations continued with Design Council member Caleb Anderson, who Jamie Drake hand-picked to become his partner when Anderson was barely out of college due to the latter’s tasteful embrace of sustainability. “It was a brilliant move,” Allen said. “I was not feeling well so I started focusing on wellness,” Anderson added. “Now my own wellness journey is a point of departure for sustainability, which is not typical in a high-end luxury residential firm like ours.”
The day concluded with the KBIS 60th Anniversary Dinner hosted by Darcy and SKS at the beautifully restored HQ & The Gallery High Point. “We are excited to deepen our connection with the broader residential design world,” Darcy said. “We’ve experienced an incredibly warm welcome here at our first Market event. Tonight, we raise our glasses to the power of design, how it brings us together, and shapes our world. While we just celebrated 60 years of NKBA | KBIS, what excites me most isn’t just history – it’s where we’re headed. We’ve seen residential design evolve in exciting ways, with technology, sustainability and innovation leading that. NKBA | KBIS is committed and well-positioned to support growth across the entire home.”
Day 3
Interior Design Magazine editor in chief Cindy Allen and NKBA Design Council Member Celerie Kemble. Photo credit: NKBA
In conversation with Cindy Allen, editor of Interior Design, Design Council member Celerie Kemble discussed how her career had come full circle in High Point, now that she’s developing licensing collections, and her love of the Design Council. “NKBA | KBIS made a brilliant move creating the Design Council,” Kemble said. “And the council has been eye-opening. Kitchen for me is where family takes place and I design five or six bathrooms for every house I do.” Allen concurred: “This is the first time the NKBA has done this and we give them a big shout-out because it’s a big commitment.”
Interior Design Magazine editor in chief Cindy Allen and NKBA Design Council Member Michel Smith Boyd. Photo credit: NKBA
Michael Smith Boyd then charmed the crowd with tales of his early days in New York as a model, actor and artist after a difficult childhood in Louisiana as a gay Black man and before discovering design on a trip to the D&D Building. Smith Boyd went on to discuss his work with the NKBA’s Thirty Under 30 program for young designers. “Shaking hands with them on stage at KBIS was one of the highlights of my year,” Smith Boyd said. “It blew my mind because they were so excited. That meant the world to me.”
