At a pop-up JennAir Experience, brand leaders and design juggernauts discuss breaking boundaries, driving progress in a sea of stagnation
As luxury kitchen appliance brand JennAir kicks off the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) with JAXBOX — a pop-up version of its experiential showrooms — the brand beckons attendees to experience its Defiant by Design talk series, rooted in the brand’s Bound By Nothing™ ethos and created to fearlessly deliver on its commitment to progress. JAXBOX, the brand’s pop-up experience housed unexpectedly in shipping containers, will be the backdrop as JennAir leaders and industry visionaries come together for daily in-depth conversation.
The Defiant By Design talks will be moderated by representatives from Architectural Digest, the international authority on design and architecture. AD provides exclusive access to the world’s most beautiful homes and the fascinating people who live in them, bringing its audience a wealth of information on architecture and interior design, art and antiques, travel destinations, and extraordinary products. Every day AD inspires millions of readers to redesign and refresh their lives through a multiplatform presence that includes print and digital editions, social media, signature events, and the brand’s website, archdigest.com.
Tuesday, January 21 | 3 p.m.
Experience is Everything: How the JennAir Showroom Transformation Empowers Today’s Designers:
Jon Hall, JennAir product and brand marketing director, invites attendees to encounter the brand’s showroom evolution — from the inception of the JennAir Experience (JAX) showrooms across the country to its flagship JAX at the A&D Building in New York City. In this conversation, Hall will uncover the industry insights propelling the JAX transformation and the debut of JAXBOX at KBIS today, and how the brand, through its highly personalized JennAir Experience showrooms, has built an award-winning tool for designers and the clients they serve.
About Jon Hall: At the helm of a completely transformed luxury brand, Hall is responsible for most recently spearheading the overhaul of JennAir in March of 2018 under its new brand ethos, Bound By Nothing™, which included a full brand relaunch, the debut of 200+ new products to market and a national showroom transformation, and picked up leading industry awards along the way.
Wednesday, January 22 | 3 p.m.
Reject 2020 Trendspotting: New Luxe Design is Timeless, Knows No Limits:
As JennAir welcomes attendees for day two, interior designer Jeremiah Brent and JennAir Global Design Studio Leader Michael Seeley come together for an analysis of trends — by two industry experts who have completely rejected them. In their place, these designers, through their respective work, create spaces and products that prioritize experience over function, personalization over auto-pilot decision making.
About Jeremiah Brent: An artist from an early age, Brent taught himself how to design and build furniture. Expanding upon his technical skills, he parlayed his love of artistry and fashion into decor and quickly gained notoriety in the interior design world. Brent founded his design firm in 2011 and has since transformed countless homes, restaurants and public spaces across the country.
About Michael Seeley: Seeley creatively leads and represents the large international, cross-functional team of creatives responsible for all product design, interaction design and design strategy for the brand. This dynamic team is strategically compiled of highly-skilled trade experts ranging from artists and strategists to technologists and craftsmen. As a 12-year industry expert in luxury home appliances, Seeley is passionately dedicated to the relentless pursuit of progress and disruptive innovation to constantly improve life at home.
Thursday, January 23 | 1 p.m.
Material Sourcing: Traveling the World for Utterly Bespoke Design:
There’s never been as much access to or interest in design as witnessed today. Designers can — and do — pull inspiration and materials from a limitless pool, allowing them to create projects and products that are highly personalized, obsessively crafted and built to last. In this conversation, interior designer Athena Calderone and JennAir Global Color, Material and Finish Senior Design Manager Jessica McConnell discuss elevating design work into bespoke art forms.
About Athena Calderone: Whether she is layering flavors in the kitchen, setting a bountiful table, or designing an entire room, Calderone is renowned for her graceful yet juxtaposing pairings. Across her creative endeavors, she is fueled by her belief that thoughtful design brings people together. In March 2020, Calderone will release her second book, Live Beautiful, which is both a showpiece of exquisite design and a guide to creating a home that is thoughtfully put together.
About Jessica McConnell: Choosing progress over stagnation, McConnell is responsible for driving the JennAir game-changing design direction and brand reset fueled by hundreds of new products across two distinct design expressions, RISE™ and NOIR™. With acute attention to detail, McConnell led the creation of the JennAir brand’s industry-exclusive statement pieces, including Cuts, Burlesque and Smoke & Brass.
Through its Defiant by Design Talks, JennAir beckons KBIS attendees to break convention in pursuit of progress. Attendees seeking priority access are invited to sign up here.
To learn more, visit JennAir.com, @JennAir on Instagram and Twitter.
About JennAir
Defying physics with the invention of downdraft ventilation, Lou Jenn forged the path to an open concept and changed the kitchen forever. Founded in that progress, JennAir fearlessly carries his torch — hell-bent on burning down the tired conventions of luxury. JennAir crafts distinctive luxury kitchen appliances that push form and function to transform spaces. With exceptional performance, masterful execution and provocative design, JennAir offerings are powerful, yet bespoke to individual tastes, shattering norms to deliver the progress that today’s luxury consumer deserves. To speak with a concierge at the JennAir Epicenter or learn more about the new offerings from JennAir, please visit JennAir.com or join us on instagram.com/JennAir, facebook.com/JennAir, twitter.com/JennAir and youtube.com/JennAir.