Janet Cook
October is National Kitchen and Bath month—a great time to look at the annual Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) and International Builders’ Show (IBS) award winning innovative products for 2026! This year’s winners reveal the trends that homes are becoming more focused on wellness, convenience, durability and elevating outdoor living by utilizing technology to make everyday living easier.
Kitchens Are Getting Smarter
The Best in Show award at KBIS went to KitchenAid’s Smart Double Wall Oven with Live Look-in. The oven incorporates technology that allows one to check on what’s cooking without opening the oven door!
There was a double Gold award winner for Most Functional Find and for Sustainable Standout: MORE AntiEtch Next Gen protection for marble and natural stone. By having this water based coating (no VOCs) applied every 10 years, the natural beauty of marble or stone countertop is protected from stains and etching.
The award for Game Changing Innovation Gold went to FreePower for Countertop 2, which offers the convenience of wireless charging through the countertop.
KBIS’s Wellness Trailblazer Gold award went to Richelieu’s VERTI 840 Electric Lift for Upper Cabinets, which brings upper cabinets down to a more accessible height at the touch of a button for greater ease and safety.
The 48-inch Professional Induction Range with Pro Pizza Ovens and Pizza Stone from Induction Hardware received the Silver award for Sustainable Standout. Induction cooking offers precise temperature control, rapid boil, and efficiency.
IBS winner of the Best Home Technology was the Liv EZ Filtered Water Dispenser by Elkay. The compact, space saving built-in dispenser provides filtered drinking water making it practical to add to a bathroom, indoor or outdoor kitchen, or even a home gym.
The Backyard Becomes an Extension of the Home
The Signature Rockwell by True Caliber Deluxe Grill, won Gold for kitchen Style Statement. It is designed as a freestanding, 360-degree “social grill,” allowing people to gather around it from all sides to socialize, rather than separating the cook from the guests.
Another KBIS Wellness Trailblazer award, Silver goes to Empava’s Indoor/Outdoor Cold Plunge Tub reflecting another popular trend: homeowners are creating spaces at home specifically devoted to health and relaxation.
The best remodeling projects increasingly consider how we cook, entertain, exercise, stay healthy and be ready to meet our physical needs that may change over time.
Happy home remodeling!
Janet Cook, Certified Health Coach and Aging in Place Specialist, is president of Cook Remodeling (celebrating our 47th year).