BORN-AGAIN KITCHENS AND BATHS

WHAT'S HOT

In the bathroom, it’s transitional design. In the kitchen, it’s shimmering surfaces.

Sure, home renovation projects can be stressful. But they can also be fun and, once they’re completed, make a huge impact on your quality of life. And not every project has to be huge. A new vanity in the bathroom, different countertops in the kitchen or just a fresh coat of paint can make an older, dated home feel brand new.

With more people choosing to stay put due to the unpredictable real estate market, remodeling is faring well. And, as usual, kitchens and bathrooms are the most popular remodeling projects, both locally and nationally. If you’re considering anything from a minor facelift to a total rehab, you’ll be interested in learning about what’s hot in fixtures, furnishings, materials and colors.

The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) has identified some intriguing kitchen and bathroom design trends following its annual NKBA Design Competition and completion of its Design Trends Survey, which asked industry pros nationwide what their customers are asking for. Here’s a summary.

• Eclectic woods. Cherry cabinets used to be the gold standard, but designers reported a drop in use of cherry wood this year. More designers are using other woods, such as walnut, birch, bamboo or alder.

Light natural finishes on cabinets are also falling out of favor, According to the NKBA report, 30 percent of designers used light finishes this year as opposed to 55 percent who used medium finishes and 58 percent who used dark finishes.

Among painted cabinets, white continues to be the most popular option, used by 59 percent of designers this year. Other colors named by only 38 percent.

Another intriguing trend to note: distressed finishes are making a comeback. Just 5 percent of designers used distressed finishes last year while the number soared to 22 percent this year.

• Glass backsplashes. A nice backsplash can tie any kitchen together. Interestingly, the most popular material right now is not tile, as you might expect, but glass. More than half the designers the NKBA surveyed reported using glass on a backsplash. Glass provides a sheen that meshes with another trend: surfaces — and even appliances — that carry a polished high gloss.

Other commonly used materials include natural stone tile, ceramic, granite and quartz. Granite and quartz are popular because those same materials are also frequently used for countertops.

• Efficient lights. LEDs are more expensive than traditional bulbs at the outset, but they’re also more efficient and can save money on energy bills in the long run. No wonder, then, that 70 percent of designers report using them last year.

Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) don’t fare as well, despite using roughly one quarter of the energy of an incandescent bulb. Only 26 percent of designers report using them, due mostly to the poor quality of light they emit and the presence of mercury inside the bulbs.

• Pull-out faucets. According to the NKBA, pull-out faucets predominate because they’re so handy to use, especially when rinsing dishes.

Also, they come in an array of colors and styles and fit with any design concept. So it’s no wonder that 14 of every 15 designers surveyed reported using pull-out faucets this year. These versatile fixtures might be tamping down demand for pot-filler faucets, which were used by just 28 percent of designers this year, down from 41 percent last year.

• Medicine cabinets. The tried-and-true medicine cabinet had been swept aside in bathroom remodels over the past several years, replaced by decorative wall mirrors. However, as homeowners seek more efficient use of space, designers are now using this old reliable bathroom staple as a means to gain additional storage without the need for separate shelving or cabinetry.

Over the past several years, the use of old-school medicine cabinets in bathroom remodels had dropped to 36 percent. This year, however, 66 percent of designers reported incorporating a medicine cabinet into a bathroom remodel.

• Transitional style. For the first time since the NKBA began tracking kitchen and bath design trends, a blending of styles — known as a “transitional” style — has trumped traditional style.

The transitional style is a blend of traditional and contemporary, which the NKBA describes as finishes with “lines that are simpler than traditional, but a bit more elaborate than contemporary in order to create a modern classic look.”

Contemporary is the next most common style at 53 percent, up 10 percent from a year ago. Shaker, arts and crafts and cottage remain the next most frequently used styles.

• Solid surfaces. Roughly 30 percent of designers reported using solid-surface counters in their kitchen projects, and 34 percent of those surveyed said they used the same materials in the bathroom.

In both kitchens and baths, granite and quartz continue to rank No. 1 and No. 2. Marble is popular in the bathroom as a vanity top, and glass is beginning to take hold as well, which has more than doubled over the past two years, from 5 percent to 11 percent.

• Gray tones. According to the NKBA, gray “can allow for very attractive, distinguished looks without overpowering a design.” A third of designers reported using gray in kitchens while 40 percent used gray color schemes in bathroom projects.

Even so, white and off-whites continue to be the most popular color schemes in the kitchen and bathroom. Other popular colors for kitchens and baths include beige and “bone.” Brown, bronze and green have become more popular in kitchen remodels, while green and blue remain common colors for bathrooms.

• Polished chrome. After years of losing the popularity contest to brushed metal finishes, polished chrome is on its way back. Fifty-two percent of designers recently used the material in a kitchen remodel, while 65 percent reported using it in a bathroom.

Bronze finishes are also widely used in both kitchens and baths, with 41 percent of designers using them in both kitchen and bath remodels.

Only stainless steel has managed to buck the trend away from brushed finishes, rising slightly from 46 percent to 50 percent.

GO GREEN

AN ECO-FRIENDLY KITCHEN IS ALSO A HEALTHY KITCHEN

A green kitchen sacrifices nothing in terms of comfort and beauty. And it fosters a more healthful home environment while conserving natural resources and lowering utility bills. So more homeowners are opting for natural and renewable materials, such as stone and bamboo flooring as well as recycled-content products for countertops and backsplashes.

Green is healthier, too. The air in a typical home is full of pollutants, especially in the kitchen, where chemicals in cabinets, flooring, furnishings and paint “offgas,” and where smoke and cooking smells can escape into the rest of the house if ventilation is inadequate.

In a green kitchen, materials and equipment should be chosen for their health-positive or health-neutral qualities.

For example, ventilation and range exhaust systems with efficient and effective engineering design can quickly expel stale air from the home and bring in fresh, clean air.

A kitchen designed with the environment in mind will also have a range exhaust system that’s properly configured and sized so it uses no more energy than needed and will remove pollutants generated at the range top in an efficient, healthy and quiet manner.

Today’s homeowners are savvy about appliances; they want attractive, high-quality, user-friendly, Energy Star-rated products. Technology makes it easier to prepare meals that are better tasting and more healthful — and don’t require all day in the kitchen.

For example, the eco-friendly trend is having an impact on the growth of induction cooking, which is a quick, efficient method that uses a strong electromagnetic field to cause the pan to get hot instead of the cooktop. When the pan is removed, the cooktop becomes cool to the touch.

Even refrigerators are sporting better engineering design, with compartments that can help prolong the life of stored food. When a drawer is sealed, for example, it can decrease evaporative loss.

Filtered air can also prolong the freshness of food while filtered water can improve the taste.

ASK THE EXPERTS

If you’re considering a kitchen or bathroom remodel, what are some of the factors you need to consider? We spoke to members of the Remodelers Council of the Northeast Florida Builders Association and asked them to comment on products, trends, styles and approaches. Here’s what they had to say:

In the kitchen, taking the place of the small mail-drop desk of the last two decades, today’s media center includes an under-cabinet, flat-screen TV, space for a laptop computer, charging stations for iPads, iPods and other electronic devices and cubbies for mail, car keys and other essentials. In the bathroom, I like rich toned furniture pieces for vanity bases and linen storage instead of box cabinetry and ugly linen closets. Soft, cushioned furniture, a wall-mounted TV and the sound of smooth jazz piped-in through stereo speakers relieves tension and allow you to slow down for a few precious moments.

Michael K. Lenahen
Aurora Custom Homes & Remodeling

Our company specializes in universal design. So in the kitchen, good lighting is critical. So consider under-cabinet task lighting to keep countertop work zones well lit. Toekick lighting that can be dimmed is wonderful, not only for the neat effect but also for navigating safely at night or in the early morning without the jarring use of overhead lights. In the bathroom, if you’re remodeling the shower area consider adding plywood backing in the walls for future grab bar needs. Also, curbless showers with linear drains are the latest trend in barrier free and upscale shower design.

Scott Ross
Home Sweet Home Accessible

Design your kitchen into three primary work zones. In the prep zone, do everything from making a sandwich to rinsing, cutting, mixing and processing. This zone should contain a water source as well as trash and recycling bins. About 70 percent of the time spent in the kitchen is spent prepping. In the cooking zone, take the food you’ve already prepped and apply heat with the cooktop, oven or microwave. This zone should be next to, or across from, the prep zone. A water source is also nice. Only about 10 percent of the time spent in the kitchen is spent actually cooking, so this is the least-used zone. Finally, the cleanup zone is where the dirty dishes, pots pans and utensils are handled. This zone should be separated from the prep and cooking zones. Obviously, it also needs a water source and the dishwasher. About 20 percent of the time spent in the kitchen is spent cleaning up.

Katrina Hosea
BeeTree Homes

In the kitchen, I always recommend walk-in pantries and lots of light.

Larry Murr
Lawrence Murr Remodeling

Don’t forget the ceiling. The ceiling is often forgotten in a remodel. Ceiling treatments could include tray, recessed or coffered designs, rustic beams or tin or copper sheeting, to name a few. The ceiling is usually the largest single canvas in the room – take advantage of it.

Shawn Starr
DreamBuilder Custom Homes

We always recommend that you buy good quality plumbing fixtures that carry a lifetime warranty Even though most manufacturers claim that their products won’t rust or pit, the climate and water here prove otherwise. We also recommend that you buy the highest quality kitchen appliances your budget will allow, not only for energy efficiency but for other reasons as well. If you cook a lot, an oven that doesn’t radiate heat outward is a must, as well as a high-performing ventilation system to carry cooktop heat from the room. This will maintain a comfortable temperature in your kitchen. Also a well-insulated dishwasher with a stainless interior will keep noise to a minimum.

Cate MacCauley
EIS Construction

My must-do in the kitchen is LED under-cabinet lighting. The cost, while higher, isn’t a deal-breaker and everything about it is better. Much lower energy consumption, longer life-span, better quality of light than fluorescent and none of the heat of xenon or halogen. It simply can’t be beat. In the bath, my must-do is the Schluter shower system. It adds cost, but protects the home-owner and the contractor against warranty issues from leaks and mold. I have yet to remodel a bath and find the existing shower free of these defects. It’s a complete shower system, from the proprietary drain and high-density foam pan and curb to the waterproof fleeced polypropylene membrane that lines much of the shower wall, ceiling, floor, niches and benches. I simply won’t build a shower without it.

Jeff Brecko
Aurora Custom Homes & Remodeling

An air switch for garbage disposal is a more aesthetically pleasing type of switch to control your garbage disposal unit because it has pneumatic technology and uses air pressure, reducing the risk of electrical shock. It can be installed quickly and easily, plus you can choose where you want to install it, such as the sink itself, on your countertop or on a wall mount. 

Natalie Beach
Kitchen Envy

A soft-closing feature prevent drawers and doors from slamming, preserving the life of the drawers and the finish on the cabinetry as well as minimizing noise. Similarly, a self-closing feature means that the drawers always will be closed neatly rather than half open.

Ted Thomson
Thomson Select Cabinets

Before you undertake a kitchen remodel, the most important thing to consider is this: How do you want the room to communicate with the rest of the house? Do you want an open, inviting kitchen that connects with the other living areas, with the outdoors and with the dining or family rooms? Once you define the space and how it should best interact with the rest of the home, it’s time to create a dream kitchen that can truly function in harmony with your home, and your lifestyle.

Tom Trout
Tom Trout Inc.