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IHA’s blog features informative posts written to keep the housewares industry educated and informed about key strategic issues and IHA member services.

Design Stars – Design Highlights from the gia Product Design Awards

Discover Design, the premier design destination at the International Home + Housewares Show, offers a collection of companies showcasing the latest products, product design, and collections found in housewares. Exhibitors are based on recommendations from and approval by the retail and design community. At the 2016 Show, several exhibitors from Discover Design were selected…

Informing Innovation: Designing the Future of Food

Meet LinYee Yuan, MOLD; Kavita Shukla, Fenugreen; Kyleigh Wawak and Eleanor Sandford, gravitytank; Brad Crepeau, Food Cycle Science We think about food several times a day, but may not think about food design when we rush for our morning coffee or dig into our dinner. Design is more than a beautiful food arrangement prepared by a restaurant chef. Design and food connect in…

Design Debut: Meet Doug Foreman and the biēm Butter Sprayer

Design Debut brings the very latest new products to the Show. These entrepreneurs come from the dynamic start up culture and often establish their companies with Kickstarter support. For example, the biēm Butter Sprayer, which transforms a real stick of butter to a spray in seconds, launched on March 1st. This new hand-held device gives users a much more efficient way to use…

The Smart Kitchen: Trends and Early Success Stories

By Vicki Matranga Design Programs Coordinator Informing Innovation: Meet Greg Kahn, GK Digital Media, Santiago Merea, Yummly; Jenny Cooper, Google and Mike Fretwell, Jarden Consumer Solutions Home environments, kitchen appliances, phones—how do they connect and why? Physical products that respond to our activities and communicate with each other and with services promise…

Informing Innovation: Designers Get Social

By Vicki Matranga Design Programs Coordinator Social media has changed business and culture rapidly in just a few years. Makers and sellers of new products and services spot trends and track consumers’ preferences via numerous social platforms. Today we are speaking with four designers who are influenced by the same developments. They give us their views on how social media…

Informing Innovation: Meet Tom Boettcher, HumanLabs

By Vicki Matranga Design Programs Coordinator The connected world faces new and complex questions for society and personal life. Tom Boettcher, the opening speaker of the Innovation Theater’s four-day schedule, is uniquely positioned to outline some answers about the Internet of Things. Tom is a Mensan, electrical engineer and founding CEO of HumanLabs, Inc. Not only a…

Discovering Design: Meet Larch Wood Enterprises Inc.

Tucked in the forest of scenic Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, a small crew of skilled artisans respectfully cut and finish locally sourced Canadian larch wood lumber. With a combined 100 years+ of woodworking experience, the talented crew at Larch Wood Enterprises manages the humming saws and presses to fashion distinctive “end grain” cutting boards, each a one-of-a-kind…

Informing Innovation: Meet Jerry Bowman, Institute of Food Technologists

By Vicki Matranga Design Programs Coordinator Jerry Bowman brings more than 25 years of experience to his current position as vice president of communications with the Chicago-based Institute of Food Technologists, a scientific society with more than 17,000 food scientists and technologists as members. He oversees all aspects of marketing communications, media relations,…

Home Retail Group shares soar as Steinhoff beats Sainsbury’s offer

The Guardian reported today that the parent of Argos, Home Retail Group found another bidder. As the Guardian reported, “Shares in Argos owner Home Retail group jumped 12% on Monday after the emergence of a £1.4bn rival offer from the South African retail group, Steinhoff.” For more information, click here.…