As we step into 2024, there’s a noticeable air of optimism in the industry. 2023 was a significant year for True Residential, filled with moments and achievements that made it particularly memorable. We’d like to take a moment to reflect on what made it special.
The luxury Kitchen & Bath market in 2023 was as strong as ever, showcasing resilience in a toughening economic environment. Even while the last two quarters of the year showed K&B industry sales slightly slowing down, there were a lot of positives: the luxury market was not as impacted, with material price increases slowing down. Best of all? According to the NKBA/John Burns Kitchen & Bath Market Index (KBMI) Q3 2023 report, K&B professionals can expect a return to growth this year.
The True Residential Showroom in the A&D Building features a gallery wall that includes a unit displayed in a custom Antique Pink finish; Photograph by Oriana Rivera.
While longer lead times continued in 2023, at True, we continued to remain at the top of the industry, maintaining one of the shortest lead times in the luxury appliance sector. An NKBA study in the same year reported 79% of bottlenecks occurred in the luxury market—a factor we are able to avoid by manufacturing everything in-house. For full transparency and ease of use for both A&D professionals and consumers, we also began offering lead time information for each of our units on our site.
120” Joining Kit in Bluestone; Custom Automotive-Grade Liquid Paint Finish.
In February of 2023, we once again participated in KBIS where we unveiled Bluestone—a captivating, new blue hue imbued with subtle hints of gray and lilac. The addition of this new finish now allows for 72 unique color combinations in any of our full-size and indoor/outdoor undercounter units—it also grew our collection of richly-hued finishes that also read as neutrals. Aside from our very colorful booth—we had units in Sage, Juniper, Saffron, Ultra Matte Black, and more on display—we were thrilled to also introduce our 120” Joining Kits. This elongated version now allows for the grouping of various full-sized units with one unified grill. Lastly, we teased some new advances we’ve made with finishes that we believe will be huge in 2024—automotive-grade liquid paint finish options. While we showcased our capabilities at KBIS by displaying a sparkling metallic British Racing Green finish, we’re excited to introduce a full compilation of automotive-grade liquid paint finish options in the near future.
The True Residential Showroom in the A&D Building; Photographs by Oriana Rivera.
Last, but not least, in September 2023 we officially unveiled our inaugural, fully-dedicated, flagship showroom in New York’s A&D Building. The vibrant 1,600-foot-space highlights our unique, family-owned, American-made history along with our alluring finishes and high-end refrigeration solutions. It even includes our custom “Antique Pink” finish—which perfectly coincided with the pink craze which swept the country this summer around the Barbie film release.. Aside from a colorful gallery wall, we have themed spaces throughout, including a chef’s kitchen, an “outdoor” entertaining area, and a speakeasy-like Library Bar that showcases our brand’s heritage. Our showroom, or Design Center as we often refer to it, will serve as a year-round hub for timely educational programming for trade, product training and demonstrations, as well as events for the design community, customers, and consumers. We’re thrilled to start 2024 with so many exciting new introductions under our belt. Cheers to a new year!
