2011 Kitchen and Bath Trends

Recently in the May/June 2011 issue of Urban Home Charlotte, there was an article about the 2011 top kitchen and bath trends based on a survey completed by members of the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA).  Some of these trends I agreed with completely, though other trends were more of a surprise.  This week I'll comment on the kitchen trends, and I'll save the bath trends for my next post.

Kitchen by BRONWYN Designs

1) Shaker Style

I was never a fan of the 'Old World', heavily glazed, fussy, over-corbeled, overdone look that has been popular for the past decade or more.  The irony of the 'old world', 'tuscan', or 'french provincial' style is that truly authentic European kitchens are very simple, functional, and hardworking.  Kitchens were never intended to be the huge, showy, public entertaining spaces that they have become.  In this new age of 'non-conspicuous' consumption, I think people have realized that a clean, classic design is one that is also timeless.

Image from Belgian Pearls blog

2) Dark Cabinetry & Painted Cabinets

I'll be the first one to tell you that I love white kitchen cabinets.  They are just so simple and clean and you can add color and texture with tile, flooring, lighting, and countertops.  Plus the beautiful colors of your FOOD look great against the white backdrop.

Kitchen by Barrie Benson, Charlotte Home & Garden Magazine

But alas, the NBKA indicates this trend is on it's way out.  I'm not disappointed though, because my mouth is watering when i see some of the fabulous new grey, taupe, and cream painted cabinets.  I love the way an antiqued brass pull looks against these colors, and how they really draw out the grey and taupe veining in a beautiful Calcutta gold marble countertop.  I'm not quite prepared for dark stained cabinets yet.....I still remember the dark red cherry stained cabinets of the 80's and early 90's too vividly.

Kitchen by Kay Douglass, South of Market

3) Wine Storage

Based on the article, wine refrigerators are on the decline and storage of wine at room temperature is becoming more popular.  Maybe that's because our wine fridges are being filled up with juice boxes?  Oh, sorry....that's just my wine refrigerator.

Image source unknown

4) French Door Refrigerators

A french door refrigerator is one with a freezer door at the bottom.  Yes, I can attest that these are becoming very popular, though they do take some getting used to.

Kitchen by BRONWYN Designs

5) Induction Cooktops

As far as cooking methods, I really love gas.  I love the look of a commercial gas stove, and I love how I can control the heat.  However, induction cooktops are gaining popularity and the price of a household induction cooktop has started to come down.  Basically an induction cooktop uses an electromagnet to transfer energy into your metal cooking vessel.  The advantages are that the amount of heat is extremely powerful and can be adjusted precisely and instantaneously, and that the cooking surface will not be hot after you remove the pan.  The disadvantage is that you must use a pot made of a magnetic material (like stainless steel or cast iron).  Unfortunately your beautiful antique French copper pots won't work with induction cooking.

Source unknown

6) LED Lighting

LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs are perfect for undercabinet lighting since they are cooler and more energy efficient.  But they are more expensive.   Xenon bulbs is another option you'll hear about, that is less expensive but not nearly as cool (temperature-wise) than LED.

Image from Elle Decor

7)  Pull out trash

Yes, yes, yes, absoutely.  In every single kitchen project I've worked on in the past year, my clients have requested at least one pull out trash bin, if not 2 (one for trash and one for recycling).  On the farmhouse project there will be four!  And I predict that in the year to come, there will be more and more requests for pull-out (or otherwise concealed, but accessible) food waste bins for composting.

Image source unknown

Consumers are becoming more and more educated and environmentally concious.  These trends all seem to be going in the same direction.  I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on these trends - are you a trendsetter or a trend-breaker?

Thanks for reading.  Have a great week!

Bronwyn