Like Mark, I too found evidence of designers and manufacturers trying to bring the color avocado back into the kitchen. Personally, I can see it as an accent color, but I would not want to look at large swathes of it during breakfast.

This version of avocado is a Formica solid surface countertop and backsplash. Did you know that they make solid surface, quartz and granite products, not just laminate? Well, they do.

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Not surprisingly, “green” has been a big buzz word throughout the entire Builders’ Show. Just about every booth I’ve visited has made mention of some sort current or future green product or even product lines. Obviously this is good news, but at the same time, we shouldn’t be throwing ourselves an environmentally friendly party just yet.

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Show homes tend to inspire great jealousy in the heart. Today was no different. In a day devoted to scouting out the latest design trends, I toured three different single-family homes and three townhomes looking for decorating, layout and product ideas.

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A few things that caught my attention during the first day of the International Builders’ Show:

Avocado, The Remix
A few days ago Kitchens.com editor Kim Sweet sent me an email about Elmira Stove Works’ new line of retro appliances that were avocado colored. I would imagine many would be hesitant to let this greenish color back into the kitchen after years of shunning it, but if you saw the UltraCraft’s display of avocado-colored cabinetry at the Builders’ Show, you might just change your mind.

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Today began with whirlwind tours of the Thermador, Bosch and Gaggenau booths. A few highlights:

Thermador’s Professional and Masterpiece wall ovens.

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They call the International Builders’ Show “the Big Show” for a reason: It features more than 1.5 million square feet of building products and draws more than 100,000 industry professionals from around the world. With thousands of new product introductions, demonstration homes galore, and seminars on everything from design trends to housing’s economic outlook, this trade show generates excitement like none other.

Via daily blog entries, the Kitchens.com editors will bring the 2007 International Builders Show straight to your desktop. You’ll discover the newest kitchen looks and ideas as soon as we do. The show starts February 7–watch this space!