Kitchen & Bath Design News marks a major milestone this month, as the magazine celebrates the 40th anniversary of its launch, fresh on the heels of its annual celebration of the finest in kitchen, bathroom, showroom and specialty project design.
KBDN’s inaugural issue, published in September of 1983, was launched as little more than a trial balloon, aimed at gauging interest among dealers, designers, distributors and other key players in the kitchen/bath product chain – including, of course, cabinet, appliance, countertop, plumbing, hardware and other manufacturers being targeted as potential advertisers.
But what was launched as strictly a trial balloon quickly proved to be a hit.
Almost overnight, the fledgling publication struck a positive chord in a dynamic and growing industry hungry for a fresh new voice, a content-rich tabloid format, and a magazine unbeholden to trade associations and other special interests. KBDN’s single-issue kickoff was followed by the publication of 10 issues in 1984, before being increased to a monthly frequency in 1985. And that was the start of what has become a successful, and highly gratifying, four-decade run.
Aimed at addressing the critical issues affecting its readers, KBDN delivered comprehensive, timely coverage of industry news, as well as expert advice on space planning, marketing, sales, showroom operations and profitable business management strategies. In-depth research provided valuable insights into homeowner demographics, lifestyles and consumer buying trends. Special emphasis was given to problem-solving kitchen and bath designs, profiles of innovative businesses, and the latest in products and services. Seminars on these topics, and more, were delivered to key markets across the U.S.
In many ways, the arc of KBDN’s lifespan coincided with a Golden Age of sorts for kitchen and bath design,
a decades-long window during which the industry became the undisputed crown jewel of the nation’s residential- construction trade.
KBDN came of age as the kitchen and bath landscape was shaped and reshaped by societal changes, ergonomic advances, technological innovations, changing tastes and the talents of design professionals who found new ways to meld function and form.
The magazine reported on key developments as the market shifted from a customer base populated by homogeneous, mainstream buyers into a diverse, fragmented landscape of households with widely differing lifestyles, incomes, living arrangements, cultures, buying patterns and functional considerations.
It conveyed how styles changed, how clients evolved, how retail and supply-side competitors entered and exited the landscape in a dizzying blur, and how technology impacted everything from management and design to marketing and sales.
It chronicled the unfolding saga of how kitchens were raised to an unmatched level of prominence as the multi-purpose centerpiece of the home; how bathrooms evolved to personal retreats that showcase homeowners’ sense of luxury, taste, sophistication and style, and how the industry evolved into a sophisticated, vibrant, fashion- driven entity combining glamour and high-tech with personal taste and cutting-edge design.
In the meantime, KBDN established its long-held reputation as the dominant market leader in monthly circulation, advertising pages and reader preference, as well as the leading business, design and product resource for the kitchen and bath trade.
Four decades after its debut, Kitchen & Bath Design News continues to serve an industry that’s far different than it was in 1983, evolving, in its own way, in a publishing industry that has undergone similar change – marked now by cutting-edge platforms that extend far beyond print into the realm of e-media and more.
What remains constant amidst all the change, however, is that KBDN remains as true to its editorial mission in 2023 as when the magazine was launched, changing without losing its focus, evolving while clinging to its core values.
Hopefully, the next 40 years will result in much of the same. ▪