How Do You Spell Innovation?

We find that the answer is in the eyes of the buyer.

Created by designer Fu Tung Cheng.

Last year, Dan Luck saw a trough sink in a kitchen island at an industry trade show. The Madison, Wisc.-based designer imagined putting one into a beverage center and, when he did, his clients loved it. In fact, he finds home buyers warm quickly to new ideas like this. "If they see [something creative] and like it, they have got to have it," he said.

That's a lesson for all builders, production or custom. As business gets more competitive, everyone is looking for ways to give their model homes and showrooms an unexpected edge, and some innovative touches in the kitchen or bath will certainly help. But what does "innovative" mean? To Luck, it was as simple as creatively using a sink.

To find what others thought, we walked the floor of the 2006 KBIS show in Chicago and asked a random sampling of attendees — builders, designers and homeowners — what they saw that struck them as being particularly innovative. Few of the answers we received concerned technological bells and whistles. Most of those surveyed perceived innovation as simply a fresh idea, which could range from a cool new product to a different way of using space. It often included an element of wonder.

Here's a sampling of the responses.

Thinking out of the bin

Luck isn't the only one whose imagination has been sparked by a trade show display. Manufacturers already make baths with overflow outer sections to create a waterfall effect. But when Andrea Kuhn with First Supply in Madison, Wisc., saw one of these at the show, she decided to incorporate the idea into a sink. Designer Monique Beaudry from Nolton, Canada, was taken with a modern range hood that buyers could order customized with the material of their choice, whether glass, plaster or tile. She saw beyond the accessory to envision a focal point. "It was so inspirational, it would be possible to design an entire kitchen around it," she said.

Putting the fun back in bathing

We found spa baths are still a new concept to many buyers — even to some industry professionals. "The whole spa concept was very inspirational," said Renee Weeden, president of Precision Cabinetry and Design, Rancho Cordova, Calif. "The ultimate bath spa," she said, was a display that included a foot massager, steaming shower, dry sauna and Jacuzzi tub. Others were struck by the increasing choices in tub technology. Tobi Breisach, a homeowner from Kalamazoo, Mich., had a typical opinion: She doesn't like high-powered jets in a spa tub and was pleasantly surprised by the array of bubble jets being offered this year. "One unit had 18 different bubble speeds," she said.

Rethinking spaces

Some people defined innovation as putting together existing items in a new way. Bridgete Schuster from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was wowed by a model laundry room. "It was a total rethinking of what the laundry room does," she said. "It was an office for mom and children, with a present-wrapping station, space for arts and crafts, storage for all types of supplies, and higher countertops for easy working. It was like a VIP room that was fun to be in." Kera West of Forever Cabinets in Edgewood, Iowa, had a similar reaction to a model mudroom, especially the "low-height shower area for washing the dog," she said. Or, as someone walking by chimed in, "showering little kids."

A little wow is still a winner