Pro-ID

This year's International Home + Housewares Show will be remembered as year of the re-usable water bottle! It seems Karim's Bobble which debuted last year has spawned a sea of endless options—whether your preference is for stainless, plastic, or glass—there's one for everybody. An OXO rep attributed the rapidly emerging sustainable bottle market to rumors that many cities and states will soon ban the sale of plastic water bottles. We'd like to see that happen!

For the last couple of years there's been an increased use of brightly colored silicone rubber in almost every category of consumer goods for the home. Maybe the BPA scare sent consumers running for food grade silicone, or did it just get cheaper and designers are finally exploiting its heat resistant properties and color options? Whatever the reason, Karim can't take credit for this one.

This year also saw a huge variety of indoor fire pits and grills that run on gel fuels and alcohol for the urban dweller who has no space (or firewood). Don't miss more highlights from the show featured in ourextensive video interviews and profiles: all indexed here.

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