NKBA Reveals Kitchen & Bath Trends

 A member survey by the Hackettstown, N.J.-based National Kitchen & Bath Association revealed seven kitchen and four bathroom trends to watch in 2011.Kitchens1. Shake It Up - Shaker-style cabinets supplanted Contemporary as the second-most popular style. Traditional remains the most popular style.2. Dark Finishes - Dark natural finishes overtook medium natural, glazed and white painted finishes.3. A Place for Wine - Wine refrigerators seem to be on the decline, but unchilled wine storage is growing in popularity.4. Bonjour Refrigerateur - The French-door refrigerator has strengthened its position as the type specified most often.5. Inducting a New Cooktop - Induction cooktops haven't overtaken gas and electric models, but they're closing the gap.6. LED Lighting - LED (light-emitting diode) lighting use has increased from 47 percent to 54 percent while incandescent lighting continues its journey to obsolescence.7. Trashy Designs - A greater emphasis is being made to address trash considerations. Some 89 percent of kitchens include trash or recycling pulloutBathrooms1. Quartz Countertops - Quartz continues to take market share from granite in relation to bathroom vanity tops.2. Green Bathrooms - Not eco-friendly spaces, literally green bathrooms. A year ago, green color palettes were used by only 14 percent of NKBA designers, but at the end of 2010, that figure had risen to 24 percent.3. A Worthy Vessel - Under-mount sinks continue to dominate newly remodeled bathrooms; however, vessel sinks have become the clear second choice.4. Satin-nickel Faucets - This trend relates to bathrooms and kitchens. From the end of 2009 to the end of 2010, the percent of NKBA designers who specified a satin-nickel faucet rose from 41 percent to 63 percent in the kitchen and from 45 percent to 57 percent in the bathroom.