Pull-out faucets stand out

The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) ran its 2012 NKBA Design Trends Survey over the last three months of 2011 and received responses from more than 350 NKBA member designers. The survey identified overall trends in kitchens and baths throughout Canada and the U.S., including trends in kitchen faucets.

Pull-out kitchen faucets were named the dominant type of faucet, with designers moving away from standard faucets with a detached side spray and instead going with pull-out models that integrate the two functions.

Slightly more than one-third of designers specified standard kitchen faucets in the survey, while pull-out faucets increased to 93 per cent. This means 14 of out every 15 designers who designed a kitchen over the last three months of 2011 incorporated a pull-out faucet. Pot-filler faucets were specified by 28 per cent of designers, down from 41 per cent in 2010.

Other trends for 2012 include:

• Polished chrome was specified by 52 per cent (up from 34 per cent last year) of NKBA member designers in kitchens and 65 per cent in bathrooms (up from 46 per cent last year).

• Polished nickel was specified by 25 per cent of designers in kitchens (up from 17 per cent last year) and up from 28 per cent to 32 per cent in bathrooms.

• Stainless steel was specified in 50 per cent of the kitchen designs (up from 46 per cent last year) and in 28 per cent of the bathrooms (up from 16 per cent).

• Medicine cabinets were specified by 66 per cent of designers for bathroom remodels, up from 36 per cent in 2011.

• In newly remodelled bathrooms, 26 per cent of designers specified solid surfaces, up from 26 per cent to 34 per cent for 2012. Granite has dropped from 84 per cent to 71 per cent, while quartz dropped in popularity from 56 per cent to 53 per cent. Marble increased three per cent to 41 per cent and the use of glass vanity tops has jumped in recent years, from five per cent in 2010 to 11 per cent for 2012.

• The number of NKBA member kitchen designers specifying cherry wood fell from 72 per cent in 2011 to 69 per cent in 2012, while maple fell seven per cent from 77 per cent in 2011 to 70 per cent for 2012. Designers specified lesser-used woods more often for 2012, including oak (22 per cent), walnut (13 per cent), birch (15 per cent) and bamboo (10 per cent).

• Dark natural finishes for kitchen cabinetry leads the pack in 2012, with 58 per cent of kitchen designers specifying the finish, up 15 per cent over the last two years. Medium natural finishes were specified by 55 per cent, while light natural finishes were specified by 30 per cent.

• In painted cabinetry, white continued to be the most popular choice among designers, being specified by 59 per cent, compared to other colours being specified by only 38 per cent of designers.

• Kitchen designers using glass backsplashes jumped from 41 per cent in 2011 to 52 per cent in 2012, trailing natural stone tile at 60 per cent and ceramic tile (including porcelain) at 74 per cent.

To view the entire survey, NKBA Reveals Top Kitchen & Bath Trends for 2012, visit www.nkba.org.