The Latest Kitchen Design and Specification Trends

The National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) conduct an annual survey among its members for the sole purpose of identifying the freshest updates in kitchen design and innovation. Just this year, there are over 300 participating members who took part in the survey that gives us a clear picture of the different fashionable designs, materials and products that are utilized by their design team in creating and showcasing the best in today's kitchens.

Here's a quick look at the figures involving today's hottest kitchen design trends across the United States and all over Canada.

• The Use of Darker Paint Finishes - Painting kitchens with light, medium and dark hues has been a relatively common practice that's been around for the past year. Figures from the latest surveys show that light, medium and dark finishes are being used by 30, 54 and 55 percent of these respondents respectively. The NKBA also noted this year's 4 percent increase from the past couple of year's 44 percent use of glazed finishes.

• White Painted Kitchen Cabinetry - When it comes to the colors that are predominantly used in painted cabinetry, white has consistently been the foremost choice over the past year. Judging from the increasing trend in its use as far as three years back, it's pretty safe to say that this is something that's going to stay for a long time. Current surveys have shown that the prevalence of white-painted cabinetry have increased to 67 percent this year as compared to last year's 47-59 percent.

• The Use of LED Lighting - The LED or the light-emitting diode type of lighting is considered to be the best type of lighting by a huge percentage of kitchen design experts. Most NKBA member-designers all across the U.S. and Canada choose this type of lighting because of its energy efficiency aside from its aesthetic and stylish features. To date; 77 percent of all professional kitchen designers use and recommend LED lighting which shows a slight increase compared to last year's 70 percent. This significantly rising trend from 2010's 50 percent clearly shows that this kitchen design specification will not die out anytime soon.

• Satin Nickel Finished Kitchen Faucets and Metal Fixtures - Surveys conducted since 2011 shows that the most popular choice for materials and finishes used for kitchen faucets would be satin nickel. Its usage has jumped from 42 percent in 2010 to 60 percent currently. The growing popularity of oil-rubbed bronze and bronze finishes has also been noted. The increasing demand for these finishes could most likely be attributed to the decreased popularity of polished nickel and chrome. Polished chrome which has been quite renowned in 2012 has seen a remarkable downtrend from 52 percent to 47 percent according to the most recent survey. Figures gathered on the use of polished nickel on the other hand shows a decline from 25 percent to 20 percent currently.

• Glass Backsplash - Over the past three years, glass backsplashes had seen a greatly increasing following from 42 percent in the 2010 surveys to 64 percent to date. Meanwhile, according to the latest surveys, the use of natural stone tiles saw a drop from 60 percent to 55 percent and even though porcelain and ceramic tiles remain at the topmost position for three years in a row, its predominant use has seen a decline from 88 percent in 2010 to 77 percent as of the most recent survey.