Last month, we walked miles of aisles, that is to say, 13 miles in countless aisles in Chicago's behemoth McCormick Place convention center, at the International Home Housewares Show.  We scoped out the various booths where thousands of products were showcased, in several sections, including "Dine + Design," "Wired + Well," and "Clean + Contain."  And don't' think these booths are like anything you've seen at a typical trade show; they are massive in size, and are made to feel like glamorous showrooms.  Some have two levels, cooking facilities, hospitality suites, and so on....not to mention, all the necessary exhibition space where you can test drive products.  We saw so many new, innovative gizmos and gadgets, not to mention items that sported new takes on old favorites, at the gazillions of pavilions at the show, that it's hard to pinpoint just a handful.  But what we can target was the prolific use of color in all the things we saw....not that sleek, glittery chrome, shiny ebony plastic, and antiseptic white surfaces weren't in attendance-they were.  But color ruled.

Herewith a glimpse of some of the housewares we spotted that created rainbows of splendid hues, sometimes splashed on unexpected accessories and appliances. In the next week or two, we'll highlight a few specific lines or products we've singled out for other reasons.

Posted on April 29, 2010 - by