Eight More NKBA Kitchen "Trends" for 2011: Looking Back or Looking Forward?

by Gale

As I said last month, I'm always on the lookout for new ideas to share with you. That was why I was puzzled to discover in a press release from the National Kitchen and Bath Association that they were using research from their member kitchen and bath designers and calling it the “11 Kitchen and Bath Trends of 2011.” Maybe I’m wrong, but I think of trends as being able to look forward to the future… not backwards to what has already happened. I listed the first three last month. Here are the others and I'll let you make up your own mind about the forward-thinking of these trends:

Shake It Up
The Shaker style began a rise in popularity in 2009 and gained momentum in 2010. History repeating itself again!

Dark Finishes
Dark natural finishes overtook medium natural, glazed, and white painted finishes to become the most specified type of finish toward the end of 2010. Maybe this is reflecting the mood of the country?

Inducting a New Cooktop
Induction cooktops haven’t overtaken gas and electric models, but they’re closing the gap. When does 34% of the market represent a statistical significance?

LED Lighting
Incandescent lighting continues its journey to obsolescence. While 50% of NKBA member designers incorporated incandescent bulbs into their designs at the end of 2009, only 35% have done so a year later. The truth is the U.S. Dept. of Energy is mandating this change beginning in 2012, not NKBA designers.

Trashy Designs
A greater emphasis is being made to address trash considerations in the kitchen. Some 89% of kitchens designed by NKBA members in the final quarter of 2010 include a trash or recycling pull-outs. Where else were they going to place the garbage?

Quartz Countertops
Quartz continues to take away market share from granite in the market for bathroom vanity tops. A year ago, 85% of NKBA bathroom designers incorporated granite into a recent design, compared to just 48% for quartz, but now, that gap has narrowed to 83% for granite and 54% for quartz. Granite seems so yesterday?

Green Bathrooms
No, we’re not referring to eco-friendly spaces—we literally mean green bathrooms. A year ago, green color palettes were used by only 14% of NKBA designers, but at the end of 2010, that figure had risen to 24%. I would have guessed that the NKBA would be promoting really going green with water-saving and energy-saving designs.

Satin Nickel Faucets

photo courtesy of Moen

This trend relates to both 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% to 63% in the kitchen and from 45% to 57% in the bathroom, while the percent who specified a brushed nickel faucet fell from 61% to 48% in the kitchen and from 66% to 38% in the bathroom. Nickel by any other name is still nickel?

Having Enough Room for Your Stuff

By Gale

Even in the biggest kitchen, there never seems to be enough room for your stuff. There must be a gravitational force that attracts things to the kitchen, and then they stay, invited or uninvited. But do not fear there is more space in your kitchen than you think.

Start with your upper cabinets. Can you access all the contents without a step ladder? When you visit the very top shelves, are you surprised at what you find? There is a whole new generation of cabinet inserts designed to maximize your inner space. While they will not keep the disorder down, these cabinet aids will help give you greater storing capability. You are on your own when it comes to controlling your clutter.

Spice Island

Take advantage of the lost space where the stove meets the cabinets with shallow shelving of your favorite spices and most frequently used seasonings. The Marion Cabinets in maple from Omega Cabinetry has accessories such as these shallow shelves which are useful in many places. For more information, log onto www.omegacab.com.

Open and Shut Case

Forget about a broom closet. Try this slim line cabinet that easily glides out from a dead space. It even has room for a handy bucket on the bottom level to hold smaller sprays and cleaners, and it is designed to keep you and your cleaning supplies very organized. The paneled Cloister cabinets in maple from Plain and Fancy Custom Cabinetry are designed with these convenient inserts.

Going To Pots

A two-tiered pot rack that pulls out easily makes the cooking process easier. Having the lids where they should be reduces your need to kneel down on the floor and scramble for the appropriate size lids. The Two-Tierd Cookware Shelves are from Rev-A-Shelf Cabinet Accessories, and more of their innovative products can be found on www.rev-a-shelf.com.

Kitchen Trends: Looking Back or Looking Forward?

By Gale

I am always on the lookout for new ideas to share with you. That was why I was puzzled to discover in a press release from the National Kitchen and Bath Association that they were using research from their member kitchen and bath designers and calling it the “11 Kitchen and Bath Trends of 2011.” Maybe I’m wrong, but I think of trends as being able to look forward to the future… not backwards to what has already happened. Let me give you a few good examples:

A Place for Wine

While the incorporation of wine refrigerators seems to be on the decline according to The National Kitchen and Bath Association, un-chilled wine storage is growing in popularity. While only 39% of surveyed designers incorporated wine storage areas into their kitchens at the end of 2009, just over half—51%—did so as 2010 came to a close.

What does that mean? Either we Americans are not aware that there is a need to optimize our wine, so it does need to be stored properly, or maybe we are drinking it faster so it does not have time to spoil! I think that wine bottles stored for “show” is a really a total waste of space.

How you store your wine will affect the flavor, color and character of each bottle. Even those bottles kept for a few weeks or months can be positively or negatively impacted by the type of home wine storage you have. For most wine lovers, having the right kind of wine storage unit is imperative. Think about temperature, light, humidity, storage angle and ventilation... and a wine cooler. And use those cubbies for some other purpose.

Bonjour Réfrigérateur 


The French door refrigerator has strengthened its position as the type specified most often by NKBA member designers. Freezer-bottom models specified by 8% of designers fell very slightly from 60% to 59%, while freezer-top refrigerators were only as 2010 drew to a close—down from 10% a year earlier. Translated from the statistics, this means that French door refrigerators, which are almost all freezer-bottom design, are still relevant to designed-kitchens.

I think what is relevant is that most of us hate to bend down or even worse, get on our hands and knees to retrieve something that lurks in the back of our refrigerators. And as time goes on, we want even our fridges to be more accessible. I, for one, do really want to find those unused cartons of leftover food before they become pungent. Keeping everything chilled at eye level means that I never have to bow down to the refrigerator god again!

A Worthy Vessel 


Undermount sinks continue to dominate newly remodeled bathrooms, with 97% of NKBA bathroom designers having specified them over the last three months of 2010, up from 95% a year earlier. However, vessel sinks have become the clear second choice among designers, as 51% of NKBA member designers have specified them in the final quarter of 2010, up from 39% a year ago. Why are they touting the Number Two choice?

Vessel sinks have been in the market for a number of years and are a “certain look”, which is not always practical but is usually pretty. I like having the extra countertop space that the Number One choice, an undermount sink, provides. It is a cleaner look and one that is important in the kitchen as well. Technology has also allowed the mixing of materials for undermount, say a stainless sink marries with a solid surface counter, or an acrylic sink works well with a laminate top.

Next month: 8 more ‘trends’

(Up)Date Night Part 3 by The Lean Remodeler

We've followed Dave and Dana through the process of remodeling their kitchen, and it's time for the big reveal! If you haven't seen our earlier segments (or just want to watch them again) you can find the first and second webisodes in our first (Up)Date Night series on our YouTube page.