The 15 Best Things We Saw at the 2015 Home + Housewares Show

Last weekend Christine and I spent a day walking the International Home + Housewares Show in Chicago. With rows upon rows of kitchen products vying for your attention, you’re forced to get your ‘only awesome things’ radar on. Here are the 15 products we couldn’t help but notice from a few favorites like Smeg, Le Creuset, BlendTec, Revol, KitchenAid, and more.

Ohmygodsquee! Smeg, makers of the flirtiest fridge, are branching out into small appliances, available in an array of pretty, pastel hues. So fun!

Working off the popularity of their pumpkin cocotte, Staub is releasing a tomato-shaped cocotte that’ll be suitable for serving at the table any time of year (not just in autumn).

Master grain mill craftsman Wolfgang Mock has paired up with KitchenAid to design a special grain mill attachment for the KitchenAid stand mixer. Retailing for $199, it’ll turn your mixer into a home flour mill instantly! You can pre-order it from Breadtopia.

We saw a number of grain mills at the show, but this version from NutriMill was one of the most aesthetically pleasing. It had a relatively small footprint, and we could easily see it sitting out on the countertop. It’s retailing for around $350, and already available for purchase through Everything Kitchens.

The smaller S Series launched last year, but the new S55 model was just released a few months ago. It features preset programs, a brushed metal finish, and comes with an additional blend-and-go cup. This is the perfect Vitamix for space-challenged kitchens, or smoothie addicts who want to take their Vitamix on the road. Read more about it and purchase it here.

Now you can buy BlendTec’s Classic 575 models in a variety of colors! I’ve always been partial to BlendTecs, and this is a fun update.

We loved the shape and style of this glass teapot from Viva Scandinavia, with its stainless steel filter and its silicone and steel lid, available in a few colors. You can purchase the teapot here.

Not technically new (they launched last year and you can buy them at Sur La Table), but we thought they were worth a mention here. The non-slip silicone base is removable, but we don’t know why you’d want to ever remove it! It made the bowl stick fast to the table, with nary a budge.

Whoa. KitchenAid’s new Precise Heat Mixing Bowl can work as a standalone slow cooker or attach to the stand mixer to knead, whip, and stir anything that’s temperature sensitive. This is a whole new class of attachments! Retails for $300 and available now from KitchenAid.

We loved these charming, crumpled ceramic cups. Too cute!

The smiley cups may have been fun, but this black dinnerware isn’t kidding around. If you think it’s made of slate, you’re wrong — it’s actually black porcelain made to look like slate. And because it’s non-porous, it’s impervious to grease stains (my biggest annoyance with my slate cheeseboard).

Le Creuset’s new color is actually an old one. They’re bringing back shiny black, but with a twist: The new line has stainless steel knobs and black-and-white contrast pieces, like a black bowl with a white interior, and vice versa. It’s pretty glam.

Do your kids want to cook? This will safely teach them how. The set includes a finger guard for chopping, a peeler, and a kitchen knife with a rounded tip and educational ring to help correctly position the fingers and prevent little hands from slipping into the blade. So smart — adults could use something like this, too! Available now for $49.99 from Opinel.

This new beaker and science lab-inspired line of barware from Libbey would be right at home on this hipster mixologist gift guide.

The future is here, and it’s printing pancakes. With the Pancake Bot, you don’t just make pancakes, you create them. We saw it in action, and it really worked, crazily enough! I think it’s still in production. Read more about it here and here.

→ New KitchenAid Stand Mixer Color And in case you missed it, make sure to check out KitchenAid’s new 2015 stand mixer color, which debuted at the show.