There’s nothing like the synergy of a design show in the heart of New York City. The Jennings & Co. team was excited to be on-site for the 9th annual BDNY fair, a two-day marathon of tours and networking offering a source of endless inspiration. Boutique Design New York is one of our favorite events — a creative forum bringing together the top professionals in the hospitality community along with leading manufacturers. 

The result is a singular experience that provided a fascinating look at what’s trending in upscale boutique hotels and how those trends may translate into the residential market. We’ve found that boutique hotels are often predictive of residential designs as people experience luxurious amenities and want to incorporate them into their homes. It’s like peeking into the future to see what showrooms will be featuring a year from now. 

Here are a few of our favorites from the 2019 event.

Beautiful Blues

MTI Baths pulled out all the stops at BDNY with an eye-catching booth done in blues. Its new Mallory tub was embellished with an exterior gloss in marine-grade polyresin custom blue. Also on display was its New Yorker semi-recessed sink, done in the same gorgeous shade of blue. As an added plus, the sink cover can be easily replaced with any color as design trends evolve, making décor updates a breeze. 

MTI was showing off its impressive new shower base designs, too. Its 6036OHD shower base appears to be a standard model with a hidden drain at first glance. The drain cover conceals an offset drain, which allows the base to replace an original narrower base or tub without the hassle of repositioning plumbing in most cases. It’s an excellent solution for remodeling projects — saving time and effort while creating a sleek, contemporary finished look. 

Hands-Free Convenience

We loved the pure practicality represented by the all-in-one SWAR cabinet from Stern Engineering. With its minimalist design and clever “hidden” functions, we can see a version of this becoming very popular in residential bathrooms. Its SWAR (soap water air revolution) system is the ultimate sanitary bathroom cabinet with a touch-faucet and soap dispenser and a high-speed hand dryer. It functions as a mirror and includes LED pictograms for an intuitive user experience. 

SWAR dramatically reduces water and soap consumption, eliminates paper waste and helps protect users from cross-contamination. Many functions can be adjusted by remote control, such as sensor settings, soap dosage and water temperature, which are some great safety features for families with young children.

Hidden Function

QuickDrain USA was at BDNY with its award-winning WallDrain that takes water removal behind the wall. This system channels water along the downward slope of the shower pan into a drain channel concealed behind the base of the wall. Nearly any tile can be installed over the drain’s magnetic vertical cover before it is attached to the shower wall, creating a fully integrated design. 

WallDrain extends the full length of the shower floor, resulting in more efficient water removal. The system works with any poured shower pan or the brand’s own Quickslope rigid-foam panels — an eco-friendly option made from recycled plastic bottles. WallDrain is a smart choice for multigenerational households with its barrier-free design and effective system that helps shower floor surfaces dry more quickly. 

Crafted of marine-grade stainless steel, WallDrain comes in three standard sizes up to 96 inches and is a perfect choice for both traditional and contemporary bathrooms.

 Voice Mirror Technology 

The new Séura Voice Mirror combines beautiful design with impressive technology to create a personalized experience in hotel rooms that would easily translate into at-home scenarios. Using the power of Amazon’s Alexa, the Voice Mirror acts as a personal concierge to hotel guests, allowing them to make requests and reservations, play their music using Bluetooth wireless technology, and even allows them to control the room’s smart devices such as lights, curtains and temperature. 

Our whole team loved the Voice Mirror and thought of so many ways it would be a wonderful addition for home use. The Séura brand has an impressive backstory, starting as the inspiration of a husband-and-wife team working out of their garage and evolving into an award-winning manufacturer of ever-evolving TV and mirror applications. 

It’s not surprising that boutique hotels are at the forefront of innovative design with looks and products that are a step ahead of what’s available in residential markets. BDNY was a great experience and a beautiful “sneak peek” into future design trends we expect to see making their way into home applications and consumer showrooms across the country. BDNY is a not-to-be-missed experience and we are already looking forward to next year!