Gallery Highlights New Products for National Home Show Attendees

In an effort to highlight new products for attendees at this year's National Home Show, the show's production manager, Karen Coons, called on designer Adam Berkowitz of Equal Design + Development to curate a booth called Gallery New. The 1,200-square-foot, museum-style setup at the Direct Energy Centre is a first at the National Home Show (which began Friday and runs until Sunday), and features everything from building materials to lighting and flatware—all of which are being showcased by exhibitors at the show.

"As far as the timing of the year, it's perfect because April is the beginning of outdoor living season, so I took that opportunity to do the indoor space and the outdoor space so we could show a whole range of products," said Berkowitz, who met Coons when he worked as a product developer at Umbra. His indoors picks include Griipa, a new adhesive technology, while outdoor products include a Nuevo patio furniture set that fits into an oversize wicker ball for storage and a portable fireplace from Ecosmart Fireplaces.Berkowitz also focused on environmentally friendly products like renewable cork and teak flooring, HEPA filters, and solar-powered garden tools. "Essentially, environmentalism, newness, technology, and cool factor were all very important to me," said Berkowitz, who made an effort not to make the space feel cluttered. He also furnished the space with bee-inspired art from Adrianne Rubenstein, a local artist whose work he admires.