Potential buyers for both multifamily and detached residences will want more contemporary kitchens and baths with cleaner lines, the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) reports.
The NKBA recently released its 2015 Kitchen & Bath Style Report, which documents what the industry's leading kitchen designers forecast will be the top features, amenities, and design styles this year. More than 400 NKBA members were surveyed for this report at the end of 2014.
Transitional styles—classic updated with a contemporary twist—takes the top spot for kitchen projects. On the decline for 2015 are Tuscan, Provincial, and Country styles.
"More clients are open to contemporary styles; (they're) not as hard to sell," Phill Johnson of Kornerstone Kitchens near Orlando, Fla., told NKBA.
The association also noticed a shift to the kitchen as the hub for family gatherings and churning out the creative juices. "We have experienced an increase in popularity for incorporating furniture-styled dry bars into kitchen designs," one respondent of the survey, Tori Johnson of Geneva (Ill.) Cabinet Gallery, said.
Here are the top 10 kitchen and bath design trends for 2015:
Kitchen
1. An accessible kitchen
Photo: Andrea Rugg
Research has found more Americans want to age in place, and accessibility is a key design factor for the kitchen. But the NKBA research found more perks to using universal design, with respondents saying it provides easier access for all, including improved storage solutions.
2. Pet Friendly Kitchens
Photo: Houzz
Instead of finding ways to block the kitchen from pets, more homeowners are trying to find ways so that their kitchen can better accomodate pets. "We installed a built-in self-filling water trough for the family dogs," one survey respondent said.
3. Whites and off-whites
Photo: Joshua Lawrence
According to the NKBA, 81% of the association's designers said clients want a brighter kitchen, and a combination of whites and off-whites seems to do the trick. A close second are shades of gray, at 77%. "Gray is the new neutral," one respondent said.
4. Pullouts and rollouts for cabinets
Photo: Joy Yagid
More than 90% of respondents said pullouts are in high demand when it comes to storage. Pullouts for trash and recycling rank at number one, at 92%, followed by lazy susans (85%) and spice pullouts (62%). This allows homeowners to have less clutter on their countertops, allowing that streamlined look.
5. The cooking hobbyist's kitchen
Photo: Roland Hardy
Built-ins and undercounter appliances are taking over demand for freestanding ones. With platforms like Pinterest promoting a wellness-centered, cook-at-home lifestyle, the NKBA noticed demand for multiple appliances to accomodate multiple cooks and clean-up crews. The steam oven has increased demand, and so has the double wall oven.
Bath
6. Polished chrome fixtures
Photo: Laura Moss Photography
Research found that polished chrome is the fastest growing choice for bathroom faucet finishes, with 80% of responding designers saying homeowners specified this. On the decline are bronze and oil-rubbed bronze fixtures.
7. Wooden vanities
Photo: Arnal Photography
Floating vanities are all the craze right now, especially if they are made out of wood. "We're getting more requests for floating vanities and furniture-looking pieces," one respondent said. Also on the rise are open-shelving style vanities.
8. Pebble floor tiles
Photo: Mike Small
So long vinyl and linoleum. More homeowners are going for elegant-yet-still-affordable ceramic tile. Natural stone tile, which includes the "pebble tile" pictured here, are on the rise, and respondents say homeowners are asking for them to be used for both floor and shower wall.
9. Accesible, no-threshold showers
Photo: PreviewFirst.com
More than 60% of respondents designed no-threshold showers for their clients in 2014, the survey found. This is up eight percentage points from 2013 and is expected to increase dramatically in 2015.
10. Undermount sinks
Photo: Arnal Photography
The study found that undermount sinks are predicted to grow strongly in 2015, having already been the number-one style used by 90% of designers in 2014.
Related Stories
| Nov 19, 2013
Top 10 green building products for 2014
Assa Abloy's power-over-ethernet access-control locks and Schüco's retrofit façade system are among the products to make BuildingGreen Inc.'s annual Top-10 Green Building Products list.
| Nov 15, 2013
Greenbuild 2013 Report - BD+C Exclusive
The BD+C editorial team brings you this special report on the latest green building trends across nine key market sectors.
| Nov 15, 2013
Metal makes its mark on interior spaces
Beyond its long-standing role as a preferred material for a building’s structure and roof, metal is making its mark on interior spaces as well.
| Nov 13, 2013
Installed capacity of geothermal heat pumps to grow by 150% by 2020, says study
The worldwide installed capacity of GHP systems will reach 127.4 gigawatts-thermal over the next seven years, growth of nearly 150%, according to a recent report from Navigant Research.
| Nov 8, 2013
Net-zero bellwether demonstrates extreme green, multifamily style
The 10-unit zHome in Issaquah Highlands, Wash., is the nation’s first net-zero multifamily project, as certified this year by the International Living Future Institute.
| Nov 6, 2013
Dallas’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2030 advances with second phase of green codes
Dallas stands out as one of the few large cities that is enforcing a green building code, with the city aiming to be carbon neutral by 2030.
| Oct 30, 2013
15 stellar historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and renovation projects
The winners of the 2013 Reconstruction Awards showcase the best work of distinguished Building Teams, encompassing historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and renovations and additions.
| Oct 30, 2013
11 hot BIM/VDC topics for 2013
If you like to geek out on building information modeling and virtual design and construction, you should enjoy this overview of the top BIM/VDC topics.
| Oct 28, 2013
Urban growth doesn’t have to destroy nature—it can work with it
Our collective desire to live in cities has never been stronger. According to the World Health Organization, 60% of the world’s population will live in a city by 2030. As urban populations swell, what people demand from their cities is evolving.
| Oct 25, 2013
$3B Willets Points mixed-use development in New York wins City Council approval
The $3 billion Willets Points plan in New York City that will transform 23 acres into a mixed-use development has gained approval from the City Council.