Trends for 2023 Remodeling

KBIS, the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show, is the largest kitchen and bath showcase in the nation, where every year industry leaders in the design and building industries gather to mingle among the national and international vendors with whom we do business. This year the event was once again held at the Las Vegas Convention Center for four days in February. Each day presented show-goers with different events, including industry speakers and opportunities for business growth and social interaction with people of all levels of expertise and wisdom. The highlight was the over 400,000 square feet of new product displays, interactive new software lectures, and dazzling demonstrations.

For Lorain Design, our focus was on the vast showcase of new product lines that we typically use for kitchen and bath remodels, as well as finding ways to cultivate new ideas and expertise for the unique and high-end interior design projects that come into our office. We were glad to bring a comfortable pair of shoes because the vendor displays were endless, each one more intriguing and seductive than the next. Some of the trends would surprise you: here are just a few highlights:

Faucets and Kitchen Plumbing

Seems like everyone is doing ‘gold’ faucets these days, but we saw a whole new spectrum of metallic finishes, from machine-honed stainless steel to soft warm-toned golds, to combinations of dark bronze and bright copper accents. We even saw one faucet made of wood! Brizo introduced the Frank Lloyd Wright collection, featuring a unique faucet with teak wood accents where the water poured from the side of the spout rather than the traditional front-and-center action. Another unique faucet idea came in the form of Moen’s all-in-one kitchen faucet with push-button activation for reverse osmosis filtered water, eliminating the need for two separate faucets to have filtered water right at the kitchen sink.

Kohler introduced a kitchen faucet that actually hangs from the ceiling! The ingenious faucet used a pully system with circular pivoting movement at the ceiling, an extendable hose centered over the sink, and a wireless control puck that can be tucked away when not in use. Lastly, we saw a pop-up faucet that lowers to hide beneath a cutting board covering your kitchen sink until you need it. These options are part of a trend to hide the operational functions of kitchens for a modern minimalist look, increasing your Kitchen’s clean surface area for better use when entertaining. Very cool!

Appliances

The big trend in appliances is clean, sleek-lined refrigerators, and stainless steel is no longer the only trendy choice of door finishes. We saw sleek units with French door operation with no handles in front, just recessed handles under the door edges and at the top of the drawer freezers below. Glass refrigerator door panels can be made with artwork printed on the back of the glass or any number of optional colors that can be mixed and matched.

The price range for refrigerators remains vast, and we remain convinced that when it comes to the cost of refrigerators you really do get what you pay for. Specifically, the lower-end price point may get you some great design styles, but the higher price point yields better quality and longer-lasting value.

Kitchen Cabinetry There are a lot of new cabinet makers on the market who offer good value. As with refrigerators, there is great value in what you pay for. We discovered several options for new modern door styles, good frame construction, new wood species and stains, and stylish wood-look textured laminate finishes. When considering new cabinet suppliers, we’re always looking for good solid cabinet box construction, drawers with dovetail joinery, and cabinet suppliers who consider the efficiency of the cabinet installation once the cabinets arrive on-site. These are some things that we think about, and going to the event to see the displays in person and talk to the product reps really informs us and helps us keep the top options available for our current and future clients.

Countertops We saw new ways to showcase the natural look of stone with Silestone’s and Ceasarstone’s new collections of stone replicas in man-made quartz. The newest quartz counter materials are tinted with slightly warmer tones than the real stone they are inspired by. The newest quartz counters are often lower sheen, honed counter surfaces, and are tending toward a warmer color palette than the more austere cool tones of the recent past.

There are many exciting options for countertop surfaces, including new ways to use them. Some of the trends we saw include using a thin veneered stone surface for the face of cabinetry, solid single-surface shower pans with integrated drains, and complete bathroom and kitchen sinks that function with a smooth clean aesthetic of the all-in-one solid-surface material. The use of stone is also popular with integrated cooking systems where the induction burners are hidden below the surface of the countertop material, making for an almost invisible cooking surface that can really add to a clean, modern look in any kitchen.

Summary The newest Kitchen and Bath remodel trends we are seeing translate into new and exciting opportunities for homeowners. Some clients may want to explore the newest materials and really push the envelope of design. Others will always know exactly what they want and exactly what their limits are. There is no wrong approach to a project. Every collaboration is a process toward dramatic design possibilities. The bottom line is that as a design firm, we continually strive to stay invigorated with new ideas, and remain steady in our commitment to better our client’s projects with new thinking and just plain good design.