New survey results highlight evolving trends in kitchen and bathroom design

Homeowners are moving toward electric appliances and looking for long-term “value” adds.

New data from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Home Design Trends Survey is revealing the latest trends in kitchen and bathroom design.

Demand for kitchen related home features, such as working pantries and outdoor kitchens has remained desirable. Induction cooking appliances are becoming much more prevalent and topped the list of kitchen products growing in popularity.

Bathrooms remain a popular focus, as more upscale features like larger walk-in and doorless showers, towel-warming drawers, and stall showers without bathtubs top the list of desirable features. Additionally, there was accelerated demand for more easily accessible bathroom features such as no threshold showers and smart toilets.

“The design focus on home kitchens and baths continues, but homeowners are being mindful in making sure the upgrades make economic sense in the current economic environment,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. “The entire residential sector is under pressure, and high borrowing costs and uncertain future home prices are making households more cautious about undertaking new projects.”

Findings of the report also revealed residential architecture firm business conditions for the fourth quarter of 2022, which included:

• Project billings, inquiries, and design contracts ended 2022 showing weakness.

• Project backlogs at residential architecture firms continued to decline from their peak in Q1 of 2022 but remained near all-time highs in Q4.

• Residential firms in all regions reported weaker business conditions in Q4 of 2022.

The AIA Home Design Trends Survey is conducted quarterly with a panel of more than 300 architecture firms that concentrate their practice in the residential sector. More information on the latest survey results can be reviewed on AIA’s website.