Kitchen and Bath Trends for 2016

Kitchens and Bathrooms are probably the two most used rooms of the house. It’s no wonder that the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) in Las Vegas had one of its largest turnouts.  While there are always tons of products and designs on display, the biggest hit in Kitchen and Bath Trends for 2016 came from the transitional-style bathrooms and kitchens. According to members of the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA), this modern style heavily focuses on built-in storage areas, neutral colors and amenities to make one’s life easier.

For those non-designer folks, transitional-style simply means to include elements of both traditional and contemporary design. Eclectic in nature, it’s a mix of natural and man-made materials as well as finishes and textures. In a kitchen, transitional design blends a functional kitchen with a sit-down dining area, a comfortable living room or an outdoor space. The flow between eating and unwinding is seamless in this kitchen layout.  For example, by incorporating sliding glass doors into your transitional kitchen/outdoor design, you can allow guests to easily step from the kitchen to a patio sitting area for casual garden dining. Or by lightening the color palette, adding bamboo flooring and showcasing appliances rather than hiding them with panels.

For bathrooms, open shelving and floating vanities are increasing in popularity, as well as wall-hung toilets, undermount sinks, freestanding bathtubs and hand showers. Although traditionally bathrooms have used either white or bone colored tubs, sinks and toilets, NKBA designers believe gray will become far more popular in the coming year. Which makes me super happy as a designer because I love working with grey as another neutral and it will look beautiful with chrome and brushed nickel fixtures. Bathtubs are being overshadowed by no-threshold showers, although freestanding and soaker tubs still remain popular. Here are some great pics from Centsational Girl who attended the show.

Heated flooring and towel warmers, steam showers, smart toilets, bidets, and humidity-sensing fans are all becoming expected amenities to make life easier and more comfortable.  Homeowners now want wood floors, quartz and granite countertops, outdoor options, built-in coffee stations, pocket doors and plenty of charging stations in their kitchens.  For those who want to install a USB port outlet in their home check out this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ieGMWhs3IA.  Farmhouse and industrial kitchens are two styles that have really pulled ahead, along with mixed-color cabinets, and contrasting materials for the countertops and island counters (like wood mixed with stone). Specially-designed spaces for your pets are rising in popularity, like hidden feeding stations and pull-outs to store toys in, while wet bars are becoming a must-have for any kitchen size.

In fact, dark bathrooms which infuse drama, confidence and boldness, if done right can be very sensual and beautiful, and are on the rise. I’m calling this trend the new “man-cave”. Most people wouldn’t dare to design a space with all dark tones like these especially since the amount of natural light coming from a window is limited in most bathrooms. By adding beautiful light fixtures into your bathroom it will help to illuminate the space and add some drama. Here I’ve gathered a collection of bathrooms that show the allure and sophistication a dark bathroom can bring to your home, courtesy of One Kind Design.

A design show wouldn’t be complete without some Best of Awards. Below are some of the highlighted winners:

Whether you’re in the market for a new kitchen or bathroom makeover, you’ll want to be in the know on these latest trends and designs.  Hope this helps to bring your masterpiece to life in the year to come!