More than 350 National Kitchen & Bath Association member designers took part in the 2012 NKBA Design Trends Survey to cite the materials, product types, and styles that they’ve incorporated into their kitchen and bath designs over the final three months of last year. Feinmann, Inc., a Boston design and build firm, has employed many of the following trends in their recent projects.

1. 2012 NKBA Kitchen and Bath Trends Incorporated into Feinmann, Inc. Projects
More than 350 National Kitchen & Bath Association member designers took part in the 2012 NKBA Design
Trends Survey to cite the materials, product types, and styles that they’ve incorporated into their kitchen and
bath designs over the final three months of last year. Feinmann, Inc., a Boston design and build firm, has
employed many of the following trends in their recent projects.
• Cherry wood cabinetry is declining in popularity, and no single wood species is rising to take its place.
Lesser known woods such as oak, walnut and hickory are gaining market share. Demand for bamboo has
doubled from 5% in 2010 to 10% in 2011. “We have seen an interest in using renewable materials
among our clients as sustainability has entered the consciousness of the public more broadly,” says
Feinmann architect Barney Maier.
• Glass blacksplashes: More than half - 52% - of kitchen designers now use it, trailing only natural stone
tile and ceramic/porcelain tile. But glass is gaining on the other materials. "If you're reluctant to commit
to a full glass blacksplash, why not intersperse some glass into the space? We installed three art glass
pendants in a kitchen and then built on that element by embedding a pattern of glass tiles in the
backsplash, which tied the whole kitchen together," Feinmann senior production manager, Tammy
Russo, explains. The initial higher upfront cost of LED lighting is no longer a deterrent for most
consumers. Specified by 50% of NKBA kitchen designers going into 2010 that number jumped to 54% the
following year and has soared to 70%. The number of consumers requesting CFLs keeps dropping. In
remodeled kitchens, it stands at 26% today.
• Pull-out faucets are replacing the standard faucet with a detached side spray. In the final three months
of 2011, 14 out of 15 kitchen designers incorporated a pull-out faucet in the project. Pot filler faucets
are losing their appeal, perhaps because the pull-out can do double duty.
• Browns and grays: Putting aside the always popular whites, gray color schemes in both kitchen and bath
has been gaining in popularity. Brown is the third most popular color in the kitchen and fourth in the
bathroom, right behind gray. In the kitchen, bronzes and terra cottas have risen in favor. Green is still
popular in bathrooms, but blue is the new upstart color.
• According to Feinmann designer Kate Yurgelun, “Many clients are choosing to have open shelves in their
kitchen for easy access to the dishes that they use every day. Frequently used bowls and mugs are easy
to grab when they within arms’ reach, as well as bowls or cookware by the range. This can also be a nice
way to display favorite serving pieces, as well as adding a pop of color to the kitchen. Easy access and
less clutter is what clients are aiming for.”
• Move over brushed chrome and satin nickel because polished chrome is back. Polished finishes are
gaining more converts across the board and the other categories are sinking in popularity. Only stainless
steel managed to hold its own, rising from 46% to 50% in the kitchen and increasingly significantly in the
bathroom from 16% to 28%.

2. About the Author:
Feinmann is an award-winning Boston design and construction firm that creates smart, beautiful spaces for
discerning residential clients. For more information please visit http://www.feinmann.com.