San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
KITCHEN AND BATH REMODELING TRENDS FOR 2021
Pandemic has influenced design choices for most-used rooms in a house
Kitchens and bathrooms have remained the most cherished areas in the home for good reason: We spend a lot of time in these rooms and prefer to do our food prep, eating, and personal business in comfort within a well-equipped space.
But it’s easy for these popular areas to quickly look and feel outdated, requiring a modernization every few years. That’s why it pays to keep your finger on the pulse of the latest kitchen and bathroom remodeling trends, such as those reported recently by Fixr.com.
Among the key design drifts identified in a recent survey of top designers and industry professionals, Fixr.com found that:
• 54 percent of experts are mixing and matching metals in the kitchen.
• 78 percent opt for quartz and quartzite.
• 78 percent indicate an increased focus on easy-to-clean surfaces.
• Gourmet kitchens, higher-end appliances and touchless features are increasingly in demand.
• 53 percent point to spa elements as the biggest bathroom trend for 2021.
• 56 percent have observed bidet and bidet toilet seats rising in popularity.
Cristina Miguelez, a remodeling special-
PAGE 10 ist with Wilmington, Delawarebased Fixr.com, said it’s obvious that the long-lasting pandemic has had a strong impact on these trends.
“With the increase in time spent at home and not being able to go to different places, homeowners found themselves cooking more homemade meals and spending more time with their families,” she said. “This is one of the main factors influencing homeowners to invest in higherend kitchen appliances and gourmet kitchens, which can transform their environments into something more enjoyable and make cooking a lot easier.”
The rationale behind easier-toclean surfaces is also evident.
“With the rise of disinfection consciousness, most people realize how hard some surfaces are to clean and keep sanitized, which can cause cross-contamination inside the home,” Miguelez added.
Busy lifestyles play a part in this trend, too, said Bri Bell, a dietitian and kitchen expert with Frugal Minimalist Kitchen in Toronto.
“Having easy-to-clean surfaces saves homeowners time and effort, allowing them to spend more energy on activities that bring joy or relaxation,” Bell said.
When it comes to metal mixing and matching, Susan Peters, designer/owner of 9108 Designs in Clifton, Virginia, believes this trend is long overdue.
“The days of everything having to be exactly the same color and finish in your kitchen are disappearing. Mixing and matching metals makes the room different from your neighbor’s kitchen and brings a more curated look,” Peters said. “Carefully selecting metals that complement each other can really help your space when it comes to originality.” Miguelez agreed. “Stainless steel has been the preferred choice for many years. Just like there is a general trend toward warmer and bolder colors, people are ready for more dynamism and color in their kitchens,” said Miguelez, who cites brass, copper and chrome as popular alternatives to stainless steel.
Tim Bakke, director of publishing at The Plan Collection, an online provider of home design plans in Scarsdale, New York, isn’t surprised that homeowners are increasingly focused on implementing spa elements in their bathrooms.
“The past year of lockdowns due to COVID-19 only increased the appetite for spa features, as people spend more time at home and look for ways to relax and escape the grind of everyday living,” he said. “The most popular spa elements are standalone soaking tubs and large performance showers that may have multiple showerheads or at least a large rainfall showerhead.”
Bidets and bidet toilet seats have long been popular in Europe and Asia, so it was likely only a matter of time before these products started to gain traction in the United States. Many attribute the toilet paper shortage of 2020 to this trend, although personal pampering has a lot to do with it, as well.
“Perhaps just the luxury of having a bidet is appealing to certain people,” Peters said.
Bakke isn’t convinced, however, that the recent penchant for bidet products is sustainable.
“We now see the toilet paper is no longer so scarce. It seems as if every 10 years or so the bidet is touted as the next big thing in the bathroom, but it never really takes hold here beyond the marketing buzz,” Bakke said, pointing to the urinal as another fixture that hasn’t caught on as a bathroom staple in American homes.