And so the KBB show has come round again… Last time it was just Naomi and Andrew who went. This time it was the full sales team, plus Andy Phillips, with his Worktop Fabricators Federation Hat on, for the launch of our new trade association.
Going to a big show together is good for us. Aside from the stimulus of seeing latest products and trends, it is great to just get out of the office and spend some time together. A good day, much enjoyed. We will do it again!
In this blog, spread over two weeks, we will get first KBB impressions from Annabel and Cassie, Naomi’s thoughts on the show, and then a focus on the WFF launch.
Annabel’s First KBB show
Annabel has been with us for a few months now, and has already seen a good number of orders through to completion from first contact with the customer. She is proving a real asset in the team; we are so glad to have her.
Attending KBB was my first trip to a trade show and it certainly didn’t disappoint. As I’m still learning the ropes this was a great opportunity for me to see samples of materials on a much larger scale than we have in the Affordable Granite showroom, and also see products I’d only seen in catalogues such as wide range of sinks from 1810.
For me, one of the highlights was seeing a range of different materials backlit.
It made some of them really glow and highlighted some of the flecks in them a bit more. I’ve been told it can be quote challenging to do but the final look is really something to behold.
Three wise monkeys? Naomi, Annabel and Cassie on a (slightly uncomfortable) stone seat on the Neolith stand
Sales Manager Naomi’s Perspective
When I first started at AG , I found it an advantage to have previously designed kitchens, but it is easy to become out of date, if you don’t work to keep your knowledge relevant. Visiting trade shows like KBB, not only helps you to keep up to date with the latest worktop materials but also with new trends and innovations in kitchen design and technology as well as building relationships with suppliers. Having Annabel with us was also good as she is relatively new to the industry so has a fresh take on seeing some things for the first time.
Naomi with the irrepressible Matt from the 1810 Company
One of my highlights from the show was the Cambria stand. Rudolfo from Cambria is always so friendly and welcoming and it is always good to see Bernard and Peter from Granite Granite. I fell in love with Cambria’s new “Portrush”. Portrush has a white background with beautiful dark blue veining with a small gold fleck. This stone would look absolutely stunning on midnight blue units. Another favourite was Queensbury with a fabulous crystal vein. The colours are neutral so could sit on almost any kitchen. Cambria also had the ever-popular Berwyn and Summerhill on display in the matt finish.
The Caesarstone stand is always a favourite too. Guy is always really interested in what we think is happening in the market in the UK, in the way of trends in colours. Caesarstone quartz materials really benefit from being seen in large format but we obviously can’t have everything in large slabs here at AG as we would soon run out of room in the warehouse; so it was good to be reminded how good the veining on the Statuario Maximus and other large vein Caesarstone’s is. If you want to see their full range on display but couldn’t make KBB – do visit their centre at Enfield. Caesarstone always create a bit of theatre with their new materials ; we were ushered into a separate area to see their latest colours. They are so new that we can’t show photos yet but watch this space….
Naomi and Annabel chatting with a rep on the Neolith stand
We were greeted by a familiar face, Dennis, on the Cimstone stand. I was very impressed by Cimstone’s version of Calactta Gold (probably our most quoted big veined colour of the last 12 months) they have called it Calacatta Nuvo, shown in this picture with their Marquina Midnight. We also really liked their subtle veined marble-look quartz called Cortina which looks really classy.
Quartzforms had some amazing sinks on display that had been manufactured from their Planets range of quartz. We also love their new textured finish stones. We were very happy to sit for a minute or two with the Prosecco too!
CRL always have a really crisp modern stand and it is always good to see Dave and Donovan. I loved this mitred Lugano table top. The marbling is pretty much all over but it still manages to keep a subtle sophistication as none of the veining is extremely heavy or blotchy. Their new Venetian Arte stone was a real hit with Annabel and is very on trend with the come-back of the Terrazzo look.
Andy with Fernando of Neolith
I bumped into another familiar face, at Neolith, this time from way back – Fernando! I loved that their full-boded sintered stones and this stepped sink.
Obviously we spent a lot of time on the stone materials for worktops but it was also good to visit the 1810 company sink display. It is always their stand is always visually stunning because of all the colours of the hoses that they do for their Spirale taps, and the lovely copper , gunmetal and steel sinks. They have now brought out the hoses in metal finishes too which look fantastic and I was also really excited to see the knurled finish knobs – I hope to have one on display soon! It was really good to see and play with their range of sinks with sustainable bamboo and steel accessories, there is nothing like actually seeing these things in the flesh. We were very grateful for some more prosecco and sandwiches too!
All in all a very productive and interesting day.
We are Affordable Granite, the leading granite installer in Surrey, Sussex and across the South East. We try to keep abreast of all that is latest and best in the world of kitchens. For advice and help on your stone worktop installation, don’t hesitate to contact us on 01293 863992 or by email on sales@affordablegranite.co.uk/ .
