By the time you read this it will be just over a week ago when Hayley and I embarked upon our tour of KBB Birmingham ‘22. What a fabulous (and tiring!) day it was! Catching up with colleagues we’ve been connecting virtually with for two years was just a joy. And here’s Part 2 of some of our best picks of the show. Needless to say, it’s very likely there will be more to come over the next few months…

Abode taps are always impressive and this time we saw the launch of some extremely covetable taps. There was the  Abode Swich which can be installed with a new or existing tap to change it into a filter tap that will deliver filtered water. It’s a discreet switching device that’s straightforward to use and install – either retro-fitted or to include in a brand-new kitchen. The tap we’re showing you above is the extremely chic and elegant Pronteau 4 In 1 Propure Monobloc Quad in Matt Black, providing regular hot and cold water, plus 98 deg steaming hot water and filtered tap water.

Armac Martin is one of the leading manufacturers of brass cabinet hardware and accessories for interiors – their handles, knobs and pulls are seen in some of the most beautiful kitchens around. This time their latest launch was a Matt White Lacquered finish, which will no doubt soon be seen on both colourful and pure white kitchens everywhere. We rather like the cool, Scandi-style look it creates when teamed with pale timber cabinets and white surfaces.

BA manufactures bespoke and factory-made components for bedrooms and bathrooms and launched several new designs. Shown here above is InRail Zurfiz Ultragloss in Cream, a handleless design available as rigid made-to-measure and in some flat-pack options. We also heard about the new consumer-facing brand Blossom Avenue.

And another from BA, this is the new Jayline Supermatt in Indigo Blue. There was also the introduction of 72 new handles from Momo.

As ever, it’s always a pleasure to hear about new innovations and designs from Caesarstone – and this time it was the launch of the new Pebbles Collection. These quartz surfaces are inspired by the shades of tumbled pebbles seen in streams and rivers. There’s a sense of calm and serenity promoted by the shades of these surfaces, which will surely bring a feeling of peace and tranquility when they’re used with the home. The colour palette is warm, with grey monochromes, which are all eminently useable within all styles of interior.  There are five new surfaces, above is 1001 Riverlet, which is a gentle off-white with discreet, brown-toned capillary patterns that are reminiscent of beach pebbles.

Personally, my favourite was the darker shade, Raindream 1003 as shown above. It’s a slate grey, with darker grey capillary streaks contrasting with the lighter tones. From an environmental point of view, the company has made a pledge, looking at how the brand can best protect nature and the environment whilst producing it’s quartz surfaces. By 2025 the company intends to further reduce energy use by 10%, recycle water and reduce it’s use by 10% and reduce air pollution levels by 5%.

The Botanical Plant Wall panel by IDS Showerwall was definitely one of my highlights! The stand was super-busy with a flurry of cameras constantly taking shots of the dramatic designs! These waterproof acrylic panels are a fabulous alternative to tiled walls, creating an indoor-outdoor feeling with strong colours and designs.

Another option from IDS Showerwall, this time a slightly more restrained geometric design, this is Deco Tile, shown here in a bathroom setting – these panel aren’t just for showers. For designers, these panels offer flexibility as well as creativity, available in 600mm, 900mm and 1200-1200mm widths x 2400mm h.

Königstone launched their KonigOutdoor kitchen range, with a very swish display – talk about outdoor goals … well I went away with a few ideas, definitely! These outdoor kitchen modules have Konigstone porcelain-clad cabinets that will withstand the elements – and continue to look amazing throughout the worst of weathers.

The new i-luminate from Pronorm cabinetry was stunning. The luxurious Walnut Veneer and Stratus Grey ultramatt finish cabinets are illuminated by LED elements integrated within the handle channel, diffusing the light along the horizontal lines and creating a continuous ambient glow throughout the room. It’s patented and can be used on tall cabinets and base units, is controllable and dimmable, creating mood lighting in cool to warm white. It’s integrated with the brass finish handle channel and can be teamed with any of 150 door fronts.

Rotpunkt had an emphasis on wood effects and ergonomic solutions, with answers to key requirements for hygiene and wellness within the kitchen as well as practicality and utility, appealing to the ethical customer. This (above) is the New Memory RI Furniture in Old Forest Oak finish; the modern fronts feature vertical grooves, available in other finishes including Black and Ready-to-Paint.

As we may have possibly mentioned before (!) we’re always rather taken by colour for the kitchen; this is the new Fenix Green shade from Rotpunkt; other new introductions include tall cabinets with glass shelves, and black appliances Matt Black Fenix work surfaces with marble finish. We’ll come back to the new laundry-utility room concepts at a later date …

The Scavolini Misfits Bathroom, from the Diesel creative team, is a step onwards from the freestanding Misfits cupboard, found in the Get Together kitchen. There’s also the Formalia bathroom collection, inspired by the Formalia kitchen range which we featured last year here. See more Scavolini bathrooms here.

Another quick look at Scavolini’s Formalia and we also saw BoxLife, which is a modular sliding door concept that enables change-of-use in open plan spaces, allowing various uses for rooms within the same footprint.

Villeroy & Boch Kitchens presented their new Signature collection, named Carrè, with a striking Mettlache Platte embossed finish, shown here in black velvet lacquer and satin glass finish in Paris Arctic White. Oh, and this kitchen also uses TIP-ON technology for streamlined and effortless opening and closing of units, as well as offering impressive interior storage options. We’ll take another look at other colours and finishes later in the year.