Wellness-focused, eco-friendly and minimalistic kitchens and baths will be popular over the next two to three years, according to NKBA’s “2024 Kitchen and Bath Trends” reports. These spaces have evolved to serve various functions and meet the needs of homeowners who are enjoying their homes, indoors and out, far more than before. Kitchens are areas for socializing and health-minded cooking, while baths have become relaxing oases to get away from it all – culminating in changes that can be seen throughout these spaces. The following are the emerging and key kitchen & bath trends over the next two to three years.
1. Sustainability
High-tech appliances that help homeowners be health-minded while cooking will be in demand in kitchens. Design: Lori Kurnitsky, NCIDQ; Co-Designer: Michele Plachter | Photo: Christian Garibaldi
Sustainability in the kitchen will continue to be top-of-mind for homeowners and designers alike in both the kitchen and bath. Key sustainable kitchen areas include appliances, flooring, lighting and faucets. Some designers reported that kitchens will have a focus on reducing (selecting long-lasting products to reduce the need for replacement), reusing (donating old kitchen cabinets and/or appliances) and recycling or composting through the allocation of storage for waste management systems. As going green becomes a larger part of home design, induction will increasingly be more in-demand over the next few years.
Bath designs will be eco-friendly, too, with energy-efficient water heaters, 100% LED lighting, EPA WaterSense low-flow faucets and toilets and separate shower controls for adjusting water flow and pressure. Additional solutions will include large, high performance, low-E windows, electric radiant flooring and flooring made with recycled materials, VOC-free paints and stains and more.
2. Wellness
The skylight in this bath elevates the space into a nature-inspired sanctuary. Design: Kendall Ansell; Co-designer: Katelyn Woods | Photo: Janis Nicolay
The kitchen will be a place for wellness and nutrition. Design will be focused on nutrition and healthy eating, featuring more refrigeration space with better flexibility (e.g., columns, drawers, convertible) to accommodate healthy lifestyles, as well as appliances with integrated cooking functions like air frying and steam cooking. Also popular will be mobile app solutions that make it possible to control cooking appliances remotely, while other technology will support precise cooking as opposed to just low-medium-high.
There will also be a focus on self-care and well-being in the bath, which will have a spa atmosphere that supports wellness journeys with features for mental relaxation and physical rehabilitation. These spaces will feature large showers, wet rooms with steam, body jets and sprays, touch pad controls and more.
3. Nature
Clients want nature and organic-inspired materials in the kitchen and are asking designers to use various strategies to bring them in. The use of biophilic, wood-looking and natural materials was also among the biggest emerging trends, and top-of-mind colors will include greens, woods, whites, blues, grays and browns. Given that the addition of color is forecast to be the biggest shift in this space, these biophilic hues will be an important part of the space.
Additionally, expect to see larger windows, glass doors and window walls that invite the outdoors in.
Baths will become a relaxed retreat for quieting the mind, resulting in organic/natural design themes that connect to nature and the layering of warmer whites, earthy greens and wood tones. These spaces will feature more blues and greens, mixed with textures such as natural woods to create a spa or coastal beach atmosphere. Windows looking out to the exterior of the home will also bring in natural light and surroundings.
4. Personalization
This customized kitchen solution is designed to suit clients’ needs, providing a drinking area for their pets. Design: Sarah Robertson, AKBD, Studio Dearborn | Photo: Adam Kane Macchia, Macchia Photography
In the kitchen, homeowners will want individualized controls and settings via apps, such as lighting settings for varied times of day and ovens that support delayed starts and temperature control precision. Another in-demand feature will be customizable sinks that serve as workstations and simplify prep, cooking and cleanup. Tech and storage solutions will be personalized, too: Pantries, islands and cabinets will have integrated outlets and individualized organization modules. Living in place will be part of the personalization trend in the kitchen space, with islands and cabinetry designed to be used by people of all ages.
Individualized, integrated technology will be big in the bath. Popular solutions will include app/keypad controls for water, personalized vanities with integrated outlets, floor temperatures and smart mirrors, toilets and showers. Like in the kitchen, customization will also take the form of living in place solutions like easy-to-use faucets, zero-transition showers and grab bars.
5. Minimalism
Elegant and streamlined, this minimalistic bath space is easy to maintain and provides plenty of practical storage space. Design: Patricia Calasich | Photo: Mayra Roubach
Kitchens will have minimalistic designs that are uncluttered and easy to clean, with elements blending seamlessly or invisibly into the rest of the space, notably lighting, sinks, flooring and refrigeration appliances. Modern, European cabinets with flat-panel designs with no hardware and push-to-open technology will fit cleanly into kitchen spaces, and countertops will seamlessly extend into the backsplash, helping them fit into the design and be easier to clean. Quartz, a heat-tolerant, extremely easy-to-clean and stain-resistant surface, will be a popular countertop choice – and induction cooktops, integrated into countertops, will also be in demand.
As for baths, their designs will also be simple and smooth for easy maintenance and a clean look. Mid-century, modern and contemporary designs will be part of this emerging trend. Large-format tile/slab designs in showers, tub surrounds and flooring will be used to minimize grout lines and upkeep, and vanity tops in quartz with low undermount sinks for low maintenance will extend into the backsplash for a seamless look and easy cleaning.
—By Elisa Fernández-Arias, NKBA business writer
Top photo: With clean lines, a connection to nature and functional, user-friendly solutions such as expansive storage, this space exemplifies many of the trends to expect in both the kitchen and bath in the next few years. Design: Nar Bustamante | Photo: Fred Donham
