Gramophone Design Build Honored with NKBA Innovative Showroom Award + Inside KBIS & The Future of Home

We’re incredibly honored to share that our Hunt Valley showroom has been recognized with a 2026 Innovative Showroom Award in the Unique Showroom Application category.

Earlier this month, our team had the privilege of attending the 2026 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) in Orlando, Florida, hosted by the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA). NKBA is the leading trade organization for the kitchen and bath industry, representing the designers, builders, and brands shaping how people live in their homes. Each year, at KBIS—the industry’s largest national show—they recognize projects that are pushing the industry forward.

To be included among those spaces and recognized with the Innovative Showroom Award is something we’re deeply grateful for. This category specifically recognizes non-traditional, highly interactive, or specialized showroom concepts that break from the conventional brick-and-mortar model and redefine what a modern showroom can be.

Why This One Matters to Us

This showroom represents more than a renovation. It’s a reflection of how we think, how we work, and what we believe great design should do. We set out to create something different. Not a place to display products, but a place to experience what’s possible.

Every space was designed as a complete environment. Kitchens, baths, and living areas that feel real. Materials that can be touched. Lighting that can be adjusted. Technology that can be felt, but not seen. The showroom immerses clients in a connected-living experience—demonstrating how lighting, audio, automation, and cabinetry work together to create cohesive, functional, and luxurious spaces.

Because the truth is, most people don’t fully understand the impact of lighting, integration, and thoughtful design until they experience it. This space was built to change that.

What Makes It Different

At the center of the showroom is the idea that design isn’t just visual, it’s experiential.

Our lighting lab allows you to see how color temperature and intensity transform materials and mood in real time. Layered lighting throughout the space shows how architecture comes to life when it’s properly illuminated. Integrated technology—audio, shading, control—is present in every vignette, but intentionally quiet, supporting the space rather than competing with it.

Across from these environments, our selection center creates space for collaboration, where materials can be reviewed, compared, and understood under the right light.

It’s all designed to help people not just imagine their home, but feel it.

We’re proud of this space because it was designed and built entirely by our team, from concept through completion, and because it reflects the level of care we bring to our clients’ homes.

But more than anything, we’re grateful.

To NKBA for the recognition.

To our team for the thought and craftsmanship behind every detail.

And to the clients and partners who trust us to do this work.

This showroom is for you.

Inside KBIS & What We're Seeing: The Future of the Home

Being at KBIS is always energizing. It’s a reminder of how much this industry continues to evolve and how many people are pushing it forward in thoughtful ways.

A few things that stood out to us this year:

• Color is back—in appliances, cabinetry, and materials, used in more intentional and expressive ways
  
• Materiality is getting richer—more texture, more depth, more emphasis on how things feel, not just how they look
  
• Technology is designed to disappear—more integrated, more invisible, woven into every aspect of design and luxury living
  
• Wellness continues to influence design—especially through lighting, water, and environmental control

One of the most valuable parts of KBIS is stepping back and looking at the bigger picture—how people are actually living, and how design is evolving to support that.

A presentation from NKBA’s research team reinforced something we’re seeing every day in our own work: the home is no longer being designed room by room, it’s being designed as a complete experience. Here are the big shifts we're seeing:

Homes are becoming deeply personal(ized)

There is no longer a “standard” solution. Clients want spaces that reflect who they are and how they live, whether that means designing around daily rituals, entertaining styles, or multigenerational needs. Personalization isn’t a luxury anymore, it’s the baseline. Lighting that shifts with your mood and time of day, personalized appliance settings, and shower presets for temperature and spray preferences. It's all in the details, making life simpler and more joyful.

Wellness is shaping design in quieter ways

It’s not just spa features or statement moments. Some of the most impactful wellness considerations are the least invisible. Light quality. Air quality. Acoustics. Water quality and filtration. Layout. Indoor-outdoor connections. The spaces that feel the best to live in are often the result of decisions you don’t immediately see, but experience every day. Homeowners want environments that support mental, physical, and emotional well-being. Because, why not? We all just want to live better and live happier.

Homes are working harder, and smarter

Spaces are becoming more flexible, more intentional, and more efficient. It’s less about adding square footage and more about designing smarter. Reducing clutter, integrating function, and allowing rooms to adapt to multiple uses throughout the day. The phrase "designed with intention" is everywhere. Read enough design magazines and editorials (like this), and you will see it. “Designed with intention” gets used a lot—but at its core, it means nothing is accidental. It’s the idea that every decision in a space—big or small—has a purpose behind it. Not just for how it looks, but for how it works, feels, and supports the way someone lives.

Lighting isn’t just placed, it’s planned to shape mood, highlight materials, and change throughout the day.

Technology isn’t added, it’s integrated to simplify life without being seen.

Materials aren’t chosen just for aesthetics, they’re selected for durability, texture, and how they perform over time.

Layouts aren’t standard, they’re tailored to routines, habits, and how the homeowner actually moves through the space.

So instead of design being decorative or trend-driven, it’s thoughtful, purposeful, and aligned with real life.

Technology is being woven into the home, designed to disappear

It’s no longer about adding more technology, but about integrating better technology in a way that feels effortless. Purpose-driven technology that simplifies everyday routines and makes life feel better, more comfortable, and more convenient. From lighting that transforms how a space looks and feels, to intelligent, wellness-driven features and fixtures, these systems are becoming more prevalent, but more invisible, more intuitive, and more embedded into the architecture itself. The result is a home that performs at a high level without ever feeling overly technical.

Designing for longevity, not just the moment

There’s a growing emphasis on homes that can evolve over time. Features that support comfort, accessibility, and ease of use are being integrated more thoughtfully, designed to feel seamless, not clinical.

The Bigger Shift

What ties all of this together is a simple but important idea: People aren’t just designing homes anymore—they’re designing how they want to live. And the role of design is to translate that into spaces that support daily life and simplify routines, enhance well-being, and adapt over time as their needs change.

It’s something we think about in every project, and something our Innovative Showroom recognition from NKBA reinforces in a meaningful way.

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