The Design Team at Beeson Decorative answers questions about the Newest Trends in Kitchen & Baths: Hannah Bolinger and Jessica Quison-Kress.
What are the newest trends in Kitchen & Baths?
We are seeing a lot of minimalistic design focusing on modern elements and keeping everything in its place. Customers do not want visible clutter. They want to see clean countertops, and there’s a big organization trend. Customers want the rollouts, drawer inserts, dividers, and love to be a part of the planning process when they see the endless options.
The K&B/Interior Industry really follows what is going on at Fashion Week. The trends that we are noticing include people are wanting bold pops of colors. Blue is very popular as “Naval” is Sherwin Williams color of the year. A lot of our cabinet manufacturers have been coming out with more blue hues and greens. We’ve also noticed that customers are also opting for a white kitchen, but choosing a turquoise range.
COVID has also caused customers to want anti-microbial/easy to wipe down materials in their homes.
What do you see next for kitchen countertops? Is granite still the most popular? Granite vs. Quartz? Butcher block?
Granite is still very popular due to durability/look, but granite needs to be sealed at least once a year for heavily used spaces. We are seeing a huge surge to quartz because it is maintenance free and the options are virtually endless. People are loving the Carrara look alike and the white with heavy gray or navy veining. The heavy veining can move the look of the kitchen to the next level by bringing a very organic look to a modern kitchen.
What’s new today? Hottest new thing in custom cabinetry?
Floating Vanities are the rage right now. We have quite a few customers asking us to create a custom floating vanity for them. They love that they can put lighting below to softly illuminate the area as a nightlight, and that you can clean underneath so easily.
Rohl – Armstrong Faucet with touchless technologyWe are seeing on our product feature videos from KBIS a lot of new faucets … tell us more about these new smart faucets?
As individuals become more health conscientious, a lot of customers are asking for the touch free faucets/smart faucets. We have one in the showroom that has a side button you hit with your finger/wrist to turn on and there’s a band of light around the button that shows you how hot/cold the water will be based on the color shown. Some of our manufacturers are in the process of perfecting their smart faucets to activate when your hand is waved below, so we are expecting those for maybe 2021.
What do you see as far as the taste of a 30-yr. old vs. a 60-yr. old?
What does each age group want?
The younger demographic is desiring individualism and their personalities to shine thru their space. This is the generation where sustainability and recycling is second nature, so that is something they tend to want in their space whether that is using materials that are “green conscientious” or recycled. They also love bringing in organic/natural elements, as most live in city apartments. They want the “live edge” wood tops and floating shelves, as well as plants to boost the oxygen/mood. We are also seeing a surge in mid century mod design which is awesome for the people who want a clean, fresh look to their space with a little character.
The older demographic is all about aging in place. A sixty-year old’s priorities are much different in that they are very conscientious of the fact that they are older and they want to stay in their homes as long as they can. Comfort is a priority and they are willing to put a little more into their budget to create an oasis to spend their retirement years. They are requesting easy to grab hardware, faucets they can turn on easily with their wrist if needed, spaces to have little to no steps, and for their kitchens to be designed in a way that they can easily access everything without assistance. We’ve had a lot of older customers say that their independence is very important to them and they want their home’s design to reflect that.
What’s happening in lighting?
We are seeing a cause shift to natural lighting, as people are noticing that certain lighting temps leads to eyestrain and headaches. People want softer lighting to create a more intimate, cozy setting. This doesn’t necessarily mean a dark room that isn’t well lit; they are using less can lights and more lamps and wall sconces. Designers are taking lighting courses and there are lighting designers that specialize in this area.
As far as fixtures, we are seeing people drift towards natural woods, and neutral colors. A lot of pendants have matte black metal or satin brass on them. We are seeing a lot of geometric and refined industrial lighting.
Do you see any trends towards 2nd kitchens in the homes?
We are seeing a trend towards secondary kitchens/kitchenettes in homes. It’s a great option to have in a heavily used space for entertaining guests and keeping the party in a central location. People requesting secondary kitchens often have friends and family coming over and the older people hang out in the main living area, while the teens and children hang out in the secondary space.
Hannah Bolinger and Jessica Quison-Kress