#andersenwindows

Just like 2016, “Trade Show Season” is coming to an end and DNA polished our trade show shoes and took to the floor at Greenbuild in Los Angeles. After spending the day onsite at the Convention Center, it was made clear that the underlying theme for sustainable building products this year is ‘preparing for the future through thoughtful, long term planning and ongoing education’.

Brands like Shaw Contract were presenting ‘gen2030 goals’ in their booth and will leverage #greengoals2030 through ongoing commitment campaigns moving forward that encourage achieving said goals. 

Andersen Windows brought artist Tom Murphy into their booth to present his collection of photos from Yellowstone National Park, where Andersen has joined in the YES! Initiative to help “preserve the view from outside [our] windows” long term. 

Utopian Villas brought one of its (very, very cool) tiny homes to the floor and encouraged a ‘simpler lifestyle’ through downsizing everything at home to support in sustainable efforts. They also donated the home to a sustainable community of tiny houses for homeless people after the show.

Speaking of donating homes, SGC Horizon hosted the “Green Zone” with sponsors like LG, Valspar and Delta and the building is now in Compton, Calif. serving as an education center to under privileged students.

While it was enlightening to learn about the future of ‘green’ in building products and we are thrilled to see what’s in store, we’d be remiss not to share everyone’s favorite water cooler conversation after a trade show -- the coolest things we saw.

In no particular order, our top three favorite things:

The tiny houses from Utopian Villas. They are able to fit more than what meets the eye into these homes and they are gorgeous. Perfect for living on the countryside or at the beach.

Kohler never disappoints when it comes to these shows and this year, they introduced a digital shower that allows you to choose exactly what temperature you’d like the water to be, its pressure and how long it lasts. Their hope with this is that users will set the timer at 6 minutes to save water and have executed a #CommitToSix campaign where they’ll donate $1 to water preservation for everyone who makes the pledge.

View Dynamic Glass set up a virtual reality game in its booth and attendees could play to see what it looks and feels like to control your windows from your phone. You could feel the heat or the cool as you changed the temperature through the game. It was a lot of fun. 

These days you don’t have to leave your house for anything. Even to remodel the house you haven’t left. It can all be done online or through an app. Whether you are looking to upgrade your curb appeal, prepare your deck for a new season, find the right paint color or use a virtual room designer to update every room in your house, you can do it from the comfort of your couch. You know, the one you’re considering replacing. 

Starting at the front door, with Baldwin Hardware’s Lock Designer, you can design a one-of-a-kind door knob, lever or rose online. When you’re there, you can “try on” any finish to any door style including a bamboo door. The lock designer allows for you to describe your personality to help guide in the correct selection. Are you contemporary, traditional, rustic or couture? 

Replacing windows is a big investment and can quickly become overwhelming if you let it. Andersen Window’s has created Renewal by Andersen to assuage some of those feelings by offering an app that allows users to see how new windows would look in any home. After simply uploading a photo of your home, the app creates a 3D model and offers previews, personal customizations and more before the homeowner makes a final decision. 

Benjamin Moore believes that inspiration can be found anywhere and has created an app that gives consumers the opportunity to match a color that inspires them to one that they offer. If that color is so inspiring, the app also offers a preview to what it would look like on your house or in any room you choose. 

Looking to replace your furniture? Ikea offers an augmented reality app that gives you the opportunity to see any of their products in your home. You can simply scan a photo of the piece you’re interested in directly from the physical catalogue and then place the catalogue in the space in your home where you envision the new item. This will give you a virtual peak into what it would look like when it arrives. 

Finally, appliances can be especially tough because of the different measurements. Lowe’s has offered a solution to this with its Tango app. This app gives customers the opportunity to take measurements through augmented reality and view each new appliance in the desired location before making a decision. Lowe’s will show the appliances that will fit in the space rather than several that may not upon purchase and installation. 

And those are just a few of DNA’s favorites. What do you think? Are consumers comfortable enough yet to “buy before they try” when it comes to home and building products? What are the benefits and where lie the concerns? We would love to hear what you think. At Greenbuild or the Remodeler’s Show? Let us know we would love to meet with you.