The National Kitchen and Bath Association surveyed over 300 of its member designers to identify the top kitchen design trends for 2013. The top trends that emerged from the survey include: 1) White painted cabinetry continuing to increase in popularity, reaching 67% usage. 2) Darker cabinet finishes gaining popularity, with 55% of respondents using dark finishes. 3) Glass backsplashes growing dramatically in popularity to 64% usage. 4) LED lighting increasing in usage to 77% as energy efficiency awareness rises. 5) Touch-activated faucets gaining popularity to 32% usage. 6) Satin nickel finishes for faucets increasing to 60% usage.

1. 6 Kitchen Design Trends for 2013
NKBA members say these kitchen
concepts will be big this year

2. How is the info gathered?
Each year, the National Kitchen and Bath
Association (NKBA) surveys its members
to identify the latest design and
specification trends in kitchen and bath
design.
This year, more than 300 NKBA member-
designers participated in the 2013 NKBA
Design Trends Survey, reporting the
materials, product types, and styles that
they specified in their kitchen and bath
designs over the final three months of
2012.
Photo courtesy of Custom Kitchens by John Wilkins, Oakland, Calif.
While broad trends won’t be evident in
every local market, the following are the
top overall trends that emerged for
kitchens across the United States and
Canada.

3. Trend 1: White painted Cabinetry
Among painted cabinetry, white has
stayed on top of the chart since last
year. Given its remarkable, upward
climb over the past three years, it’s
clearly no fad.
The popularity of white-painted
cabinetry jumped from 47 percent
to 59 percent in 2012 and further
increased to 67 percent this
year, according to NKBA.
Photo courtesy of Normandy Remodeling, Hinsdale, Ill.

4. Trend 2: Darker Finishes
Use of light, medium and natural
finishes has remained more or less
consistent over the past year.
Light finishes are currently used by
30 percent of respondents, medium
finishes by 54 percent, and dark
finishes by 55 percent.
Use of glazed finishes, which held at
44 percent in 2011 and
2012, increased by four percentage
points this year.
Photo courtesy of Tru-Built Construction, Lincoln, Neb.

5. Trend 3: Glass Backsplash
The preference for glass splashes
has grown dramatically over the
past three years: from 42 percent
in 2010 to 64 percent this year.
At the same time, while natural
stone tile showed consistent
growth during 2011 and
2012, usage dropped from 60
percent to 55 percent in the latest
survey.
Ceramic or porcelain tiles held its
top position for the third
consecutive year, but overall usage
fell by 11 percentage points Photo courtesy of NKBA.
between 2010 (88 percent) and
now (77 percent).

6. Trend 4: LED Lighting
Photo courtesy of trendzona.com.
Energy-efficient lighting is widely used by member designers in both the United States and
Canada. As consumer awareness of energy efficiency has risen, it comes as no surprise that
light-emitting diode, or LED, lighting is being specified by a higher percentage of
designers, increasing from 70 percent to 77 percent over the past year. The significant uptick
from 50 percent in 2010 indicates that this trend has serious staying power.
Meanwhile, there has been no significant change in the use of compact fluorescent lighting
(CFL) and incandescent bulbs, with current usage at 26 percent and 41 percent, respectively.

7. Trend 5: Touch-activated Faucets
Growing in popularity are touch-
activated faucets, specified by 32
percent of member
designers, versus only 20 percent
of designers in 2011 and 2012.
Pull-out faucets are still in the top
position, as they have been since
2010, with usage rising from 88
percent in 2010 to 94 percent this
year. Pot-filler faucets grab the
second spot this year, gaining five
percentage points over the past
year to 33 percent.
Photo courtesy of Delta Faucet.

8. Trend 6: Satin Nickel
When it comes to faucet finishes in
kitchens, satin nickel has been on
the top since 2011, its usage
increasing from 42 percent in 2010
to 60 percent this year. Bronze or
oil-rubbed bronze finishes are also
being specified more often, growing
from 41 percent to 50 percent in
the past year.
The increased popularity of these
three finishes most likely comes at
the expense of polished nickel and
polished chrome. The latter, which
Photo courtesy of Blanco.
had seen a rise in usage in
2012, dipped from 52 percent to 47
percent in the latest survey;
polished nickel dropped from 25
percent to 20 percent.

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