Courtesy NKBA

The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) has released its 2023 Design Trends research. The annual report provides insight into the styles, colors, product features, materials, and technology that will dominate kitchen and bath design over the next two to three years.

“Kitchens and baths are bigger and more involved,” says Tricia Zach, head of research at NKBA. “The study revealed that consumers want spaces to be multifunctional to meet their at-home work, education, and entertaining needs.”

Key findings of the report include:

Courtesy NKBA

In Kitchens

Homeowners are looking to open the look and feel of the kitchen while adding elements that hide clutter, maximize island function, and extend the space into the outdoors. According to the report, the top designs include large islands that function as dining tables (76%), taking down walls so the kitchen is open to other areas of the home (74%), a working pantry (72%), easy to clean flooring (70%), outdoor living areas (60%), and sanitary counter surfaces (60%).

Walk-in, built-in, and butler’s pantries are emerging as the top pantry types, as people are hoping to not only store food but also to have a dedicated working area for small appliances and to store pots, pans, and serving dishes.

Sustainability is also important to many homeowners, with 100% LED lighting, separate storage for recycling, and increased natural light via low-E windows and doors as the top three green features.

For styles, transitional (70%), contemporary (59%), modern (55%), organic/natural (51%), and farmhouse (47%) are the leaders, while greens, blues, whites, wood tones, and grays are the top-of-mind colors for kitchens.

“Whites will be a popular neutral with nature-inspired greens and blues for warmth and inspiration ... hints of metallic add glamour or rustic feel,” says the report.

Due to the earthy, muted, and moody tones, designers will utilize bold colors for backsplashes (55%), artwork (45%), accent furniture (41%), paint (41%), wallpaper (40%), and fabric accents (40%).

In kitchen technology, homeowners are excited about smart controls via mobile devices or voice control, touchless faucets, integrated lighting, and smart appliances. The most prominent tech features include steam cooking/air frying tech integrated into ovens (73%), dedicated areas for mobile device, laptop charging, or viewing (73%), mobile app to control appliances (51%), and motion sensor faucets (50%).

For finishes, quartz and quartzite are top countertop selections, influenced by easy care and desire for a sanitary surface, while granite follows in third. Slab and long subway are the most popular backsplash patterns, due to the reduced amount of grout lines to maintain. Hardwood, engineered wood, luxury vinyl plank/tile, and ceramic tile remain the top kitchen flooring materials.

Lastly, single bowl kitchen sinks in stainless or composite rank No. 1 over workstation, apron/farm, and double bowl options. Dishwasher drawers and secondary dishwashers will become more prominent in the coming years, French door refrigerators remain supreme, and venting hoods will be a focal point with both wood and stainless steel as popular choices for materials.

Courtesy NKBA

In Bathrooms

Owners are creating a spa atmosphere that they can enjoy as they age in place. Top emerging trends are removing bathtubs to increase shower size (77%), removing walls to increase primary bathroom footprint (63%), and connecting to closet/dressing area (58%).

Sustainability trends also extend to the bathroom, with 100% LED lighting, electric radiant flooring, and EPA WaterSense faucets/shower heads/toilets, as top features.

Somewhat similar to kitchens, top bathroom styles include transitional (69%), contemporary (59%), organic/natural (59%), and modern (57%), while top of mind colors include blues, greens, whites, grays, and neutrals. Designers will utilize bold colors on vertical surfaces, vanities, and artwork to create contrast.

For bathroom technology, homeowners are excited about heated floors, temperature/moisture controls, voice/app controls, smart toilets/bidets, and smart mirrors. The top three most prominent are heated floor tech (69%), thermostat smart control for flooring/shower (67%), and humidity/venting detector that adjusts based on activity (55%).

In finishes, light colored quartz and quartzite are top countertop selections. Ceramic and porcelain tile with underfloor heating will be popular for flooring and large format tile and slabs will also be prevalent, due to fewer grout lines and maintenance.

Large two-person showers with open entrances rank No. 1 for shower options, over a swinging shower door, wet room, or sliding shower door. And for bathtubs, free standing and soaking tubs will be most prominent in primary bathrooms.

To learn more about the report and even more of its key findings, visit the NKBA website.