Kitchen and Bath Trends
for 2006
October is national kitchen and
bath month. It’s when we get a
peek at the newest kitchen and
bath trends and what we can
expect to see in the coming year.
What will you be seeing in the
coming year for kitchens and
baths? Some interesting things,
that’s for sure, and some of
those things might just
surprise you.
The kitchen is at the heart of it
Today, the kitchen is the nerve
center of most every home. The
emphasis on kitchen design in recent years reflects the kitchen’s status as a home’s center stage, and design trends are moving this room into two new areas: kitchen as entertainment and the prestige kitchen.
The entertainment kitchen features islands for seating and cooking so the cook can be where the party is, too. These kitchens are also wired for television and Internet access, allowing party-goers to watch a football game while preparing gourmet appetizers or allowing mom to oversee the kids’ Internet usage. Watch for web-ready refrigerators, range hoods with TV screens, and refrigerated ovens that can take food from cold to cooked with a touch of a button.
The prestige kitchen
According to the American Institute of Architects, kitchen remodels will continue to be one of the hottest home improvements. An enlarged pantry is the newest renovation project for kitchens emphasizing the today’s need for both storage and good looks. Kitchens are moving away from simply cooking and going more toward gourmet food preparation and high design. In 2006, the trend of the prestige kitchen is expected to continue as America’s interest in food and cooking expands.
To accommodate this interest, we’ll see more choices and options in high-end professional appliances. Kitchens will see more stainless steel, particularly for counters and backsplashes. We’ll also seem more sleek European cabinet styles. Sinks will also reflect the urge for larger, roomier work areas, and home owners will have more choices in the larger one bowl sinks.
Kitchens are also reflecting more emphasis on design. Some of the hottest include the retro style which has a Fifties flair, the Tuscan or rustic style, and the cutting edge or contemporary style. A design trend that will continue to pick up steam is the use of focal points in the kitchen. Kitchens haven’t typically had a specific room feature like others in the house, but all that’s changing.
Kitchen focal points will range from a large picture window over the sink, a pizza oven or fireplace, a custom range hood, large commercial refrigerator, high-end commercial stove, and abundant architectural elements such as beams, use of stone, brick, or tile embellishments. Even islands can become a focal point by incorporating a different finish than the rest of the cabinets in the kitchen.
Bathroom as sanctuary
Like kitchens, bathrooms have also grown in size. Because of this, more and more time is spent in bathrooms so more functionality is the key in the coming year. Instead of just showering, wider and more varied custom body sprays will be available to soothe muscles. Kohler is introducing a line of shower tiles this year that can be placed anywhere you’d like a jet of water.
Unlike the kitchen, the bathroom won’t be seeing the same emphasis on technology, with one possible exception: touchless faucets. The same faucets used in public restrooms that turn water on by activating a sensor will also begin making their way into the home setting. Warming drawers for towels will also show up more often in bathrooms as the focus on bathroom comfort and indulgence continues. One particular big ticket item that’s very popular is the steam shower, and prices for steam units are expected to drop this year.
Prepare for Porcelain Parity
In the water closet, new, dual flush toilets will start showing up in American homes. Already standard in countries such as Singapore and Australia, dual flush toilets allow you to select the water amount you want to flush with based on the type of waste you’re flushing. The dual flush uses less water than flushing twice with a standard toilet when flushing solid waste.
On the design front, bathrooms are also becoming more architectural. Vessel sinks with their design flair will be seen paired with more single lever faucets. Together, these will ease the aching backs of an aging population, and the one-handed operation of single handle faucets makes turning on the taps easier and more efficient. This is a good example of accessibility that actually has more architectural appeal than its more standard counterparts.
In the coming year, the two most common themes in bathrooms and kitchens are customization and emphasis on design. Homeowners will have more choices to create the bathroom and kitchen of their dreams – and their particular needs – then ever before. When company comes in the future, it might just be the bathroom or the kitchen that’s shown off first.
More Kitchen and Bath Resources
HGTV.com – a good source for bath and kitchen design books
© 2007 Kathryn Weber, all rights reserved
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Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Everydayclean.com Cleaning Calender, that calender that puts you in control of your home by ending the power struggle. For more information log on to http://tinyurl.com/d9rh5.
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©2001-2007 Kathryn Weber
All rights reserved.
