The Top Kitchen and Bath Trends You Need to Know

After 3 days of exhilarating yet exhausting examination to the nation's premier product introductions at the Kitchen and Bath Show (KBIS) in Orlando this week, I’ve boiled down the top trends you should know about if you're planning a new Kitchen or Bath in the coming year.

1. The Sink is the new Kitchen Workstation.

Nearly every sink manufacturer is now offering 4ft and wider sinks with a new system of chopping boards, suspended colanders, suspended mixing bowls and dish drying racks sliding on multiple levels. The system let’s you wash, prepare, serve, entertain and clean all in one place. Often shown in the kitchen island, this system intends to change the way your kitchen works, centering most of the activity in one zone. These extra-long sinks sometimes feature 2 faucets, inviting multiple people to work side by side for a more social food-prep experience.

2. Smooth slab cabinet doors and flat frame shaker styles are the only cabinet door styles trending in 2018.

Raised sand-blasted-looking textures with colored washes from taupe and light grey to charcoal stains add interest to simple un-adorned cabinet styles. Two-color combinations are the new norm - sometimes combined on the same wall and sometimes one color on upper cabinets and shelves and a second color on the lower cabinets are being featured by stylish cabinet manufacturers. Painted white or grey options are still popular along with a new rich deep painted blue among cabinet manufacturers with more selection.

3. Panel-front “column” refrigerators, counter depth refrigerators and flush face ovens are making smoother kitchen cabinet walls with less interruptions.

Eliminating the projection of a standard depth refrigerator from the rest of the cabinets levels out the front face of the cabinet wall significantly. In addition, almost all refrigerator manufactures now offer “panel-ready” refrigerators designed to have a matching cabinet panel attached to the face of the refrigerator blending it in seamlessly with adjacent cabinets. Wall ovens are also mounting more flush with the cabinet face, so the entire kitchen has a more modern European look.

4. Quartz Countertops continue to reign supreme with trends toward satin sheens and matte textures that look like concrete and natural rock being introduced to the marketplace.

Nearly every quartz manufacturer has their version of white and grey Carrara or Calacatta marble, some with bolder more dramatic patterning and some with more subtle color variation, but the lower “satin” sheen level is replacing the traditional polished look. Urban-inspired concrete looks and natural rock designs separated the leading quartz manufacturers from the followers.

5. Wall-mounted vanities and freestanding tubs are the new must haves for Bathrooms.

Bathroom vanities that are up off the bath floor on legs or wall-mounted can still offer plenty of functional storage while eliminating the bulkiness of traditional toe-kick vanity cabinets. Exquisite and sexy freestanding tubs are also all the rage, serving as a functioning sculpture in your bathroom. With many sizes and shapes to choose from, you’re sure to find one to fit where your old tiled-in tub resided but with a much more stylish look.