Joan Steffend Selects Hot New Products at the 2005 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show

Joan Steffend Selects Hot New Products at the 2005 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show

LAS VEGAS, May 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Joan Steffend, host of the Home & Garden Television (HGTV) network program Decorating Cents, today announced her top product picks from the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS), the world's largest international trade event dedicated to the kitchen and bath industry. More than 900 kitchen and bath companies are exhibiting and over 40,000 industry professionals are attending the show May 10-12, 2005 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050510/CGTU088 )

"There are quite a few spectacular products at the show this year," said Steffend. "I found four products that I really like and they all showcase trends in kitchen and bath design." These trends include quartz countertops, vintage style powder room faucets, bold, colorful medicine cabinetry, and a whole new fireplace category referred to as "decorative illumination."

Trend: Quartz Countertops

In the world of stone countertops, it's all about quartz. Quartz surfacing has quickly become the hottest trend in the countertop category because of the beauty that natural stone offers with none of the worries or maintenance required with granite, marble or limestone. Consumers and designers alike are gravitating toward kitchens designed using durable, safe, and natural components.

Cambria, the only producer of natural quartz surfacing in the United States, is highlighting its Quarry Collection, colors that capture the depth and brilliance of quarry-cut stone. Cambria is also introducing Yorkshire, which combines the natural beauty of limestone with the strength of quartz.

Trend: Powder Room Faucets, Vintage Style

One of the emerging trends in Powder Room faucets is vintage styling, known for its authentic forms and design elements. The new Mannerly(TM) Powder Room Collection from ShowHouse(TM) by Moen captures the warmth and style of this romantic period and combines it with the benefits of today's technology.

The widespread Mannerly faucet features a bridge design with an elegant high arc spout that swivels for added convenience. Cross handles come with two sets of ceramic caps that spell out "hot" and "cold" in English and French evoking a sense of days gone by. One of the most charming elements of the faucet is the heart-shaped lift rod and escutcheon -- showcasing the collection's attention to detail.

Trend: Bold Colored Cabinetry

For homeowners looking to add a splash of color in their bathrooms, NuTone(R) has found a colorful cure for the common medicine cabinet called the iColor(TM) Collection of Medicine Cabinets.

The NuTone iColor Collection lets homeowners add color, incorporate new shades or complement existing colors in a bathroom simply by adding a medicine cabinet. It comes in six bold hues including Fire Red, Sunburst Orange, Lemon Yellow, Racing Green, Cobalt Blue and Metallic Onyx. To ensure color durability, the steel cabinets feature a baked-on powder coat finish.

Trend: Decorative Illumination

While fireplaces are a common amenity, fire as a design concept outside of the fireplace has not truly existed, until now. Heat & Glo's(TM) Cyclone(R) product creates an entirely new design product category and allows homeowners to capture the allure of fire in virtually any architectural application.

Creating a unique whirling flame inside a concentric glass design, Cyclone offers a 360-degree view of the fire. Considered decorative illumination, Cyclone's captivating flame gives homeowners a new opportunity to customize or enhance the ambiance of any foyer, stairway, lobby, bar, recreation room or entertaining area. And it creates a beautiful flame while generating only half the heat of a typical gas fireplace.

About Joan Steffend

Steffend has worked since 1997 as host of "Decorating Cents" and has made appearances on "Oprah," "The Today Show" and "Entertainment Tonight," to name a few. In addition, Steffend hosts many of HGTV's high profile specials, including tours of the network's "Dream Homes" and the annual holiday program "Christmas at the White House." Steffend kicked off 2005 as co-host of the "Rose Bowl Parade" in Pasadena, Calif.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050510/CGTU088
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Cambria

CONTACT: Maureen O'Neill Beyer of Bolin PR, +1-612-236-0708,
mobeyer@bolinideas.com

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