kbb Birmingham has revealed which forward-thinking brands have won its 2026 Innovation Awards, with this year’s winners decided live at the event.
Held in partnership with Blum, the kbb Birmingham Innovation Awards is now in its 11th year, and aims to recognise forward-thinking and technically advanced products that have the potential to significantly impact the future of the KBB sector.
This year’s 10 shortlisted finalists were all displayed in the event’s Innovation Showcase during the exhibition, where visitors could see the innovative products firsthand and speak to their developers.
This year’s People’s Choice Award winner – voted on by show visitors – was Sensio Lighting with its Affinity Magnetic Track Lighting System. Sensio’s flush-fit, cable-free magnetic track for under-counter or furniture lighting received the most votes from visitors, which also allows magnetic spotlights and LED strips to be affixed and moved easily while being powered by a single cable.
Meanwhile, this year’s Judge’s Choice Award went to Flova UK, for its DripFree Rainshower. The 2026 panel of judges – which included kbbreview’s own managing editor, Andrew Davies – were impressed by its ability to draw residual water back into the shower head immediately after being switched off. Its designers say this should eliminate drips, preventing stagnant water in its nozzle and significantly reducing limescale build-up.
Finally, the Sustainability Award winner for 2026 was Finsa, with its bio-based wood particle board, Fimapan Bio BDecor. The product is manufactured with adhesives of biological origin obtained from tree bark, a paraffin of vegetable origin and thermos-fused decorative options said to be impregnated with bio-resins.
“We had an amazing time at kbb Birmingham! It was a fantastic opportunity to showcase our Habitat 360 range and connect with customers right across the KBB sector,” commented Ben Highes, Finsa’s UK sales director. “Topping it all off by winning the Sustainability prize for our FimaPan Bio BDecor at the Innovation Awards was a truly proud moment for the Finsa team.”
Other finalists this year included Grohe’s Rapido Shower Frame, Samsung’s Bespoke AI Front-Load Washing Machine Series 9, and Waters Baths of Ashbourne’s Infinity Stream.
The kbb Birmingham Innovation Awards are totally separate from the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards, which took place at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole on Monday March 1, 2026. You can see the full list of winners from that event here.