KBB - January 2015 - 51

these new innovations are being developed around accessibility issues,
and these options will ﬁnd their way into mainstream kitchens and baths.

John Petrie

NKBA Immediate Past President

This kitchen designed by Stapperfenne
features clean, tailored lines.

What factors do you think will affect the growth of K&B
remodeling in 2015?
People are willing to accept the new reality; they are retaining their
jobs and feeling ﬁnancially secure about 2015.

What kitchen design trends do you foresee for 2015?
We will see some new things like younger people looking to do kitchen
remodeling. The demand for transitional styling will continue, but people
want clean, crisp, tailored lines. They want something they won't see in
everyone else's kitchen. I have never designed the same room twice - the
dimensions are all different, the layouts are different.

What bath design trends do you foresee for 2015?
Every client I get believes they want one bathroom with a tub because
they feel like they are impeding the resale value without one. So if they
insist on this, the most popular choice is a freestanding tub, but they all
want luxury showers in the master as well. I see much more contemporary bathroom vanities - those that ﬂoat off the ﬂoor with lovely lighting
underneath, which provides a really nice effect. The contemporary style
is growing in bathrooms, but by nature, people want bathrooms that are
clean and require minimal effort on the part of the homeowner. Clients
are steering away from ornamental details on the front of the vanities and
want nothing that looks like it can hold dirt or dust.

What's your outlook for the K&B
remodeling market in 2015?
2014 was a phenomenal year. As fast and
steady as I already go, I had a hard time keeping up. Consumer conﬁdence is up, and clients
are eagerly shopping and looking to do bigger
kitchens and baths. Projects used to be smaller - countertops, etc. - and
now they are more encompassing. Homeowners are more interested in
getting to the foundation and improving the efﬁciency of the layout, and
I see this continuing. We have been traditionally busy around September
and October, but we were busier in 2014 than in years past. My outlook for
the kitchen and bath industry is that through May 2015 it will be stronger
than it has been in recent memory. I'm very encouraged.

What factors do you think will affect growth of K&B remodeling in 2015?
The economy, consumer conﬁdence and the housing market are
strong factors, although I see more that people are staying put and not
building as many new homes. People are interested in spending some
of the savings they have set aside to invest in their current homes. The
economy goes up and down on its own little roller coaster from time to
time, but even so people are realizing they have gone through the peaks
and valleys in the past and have gotten through them.

What kitchen design trends do you foresee for 2015?
I've thought a lot about this because I am making signiﬁcant investments in my own showroom for the ﬁrst time in a while - more than
changing out our countertops and updating displays. I expect to see a
continual movement toward more contemporary design and clean lines.

Are you seeing any design trends relating to a speciﬁc
generation?
New buyers in their 20s and 30s want less ornamentation - items that
are easy to clean and look and stay clean longer. Those homeowners
also want to be thought of as environmentally sensitive; they are concerned about the world they leave for their children. If given the alternative of green products that are no more expensive than non-green options, they will select green. They also want more home ofﬁce spaces for
telecommuting and want to spend more time in their homes even if they
are working. Family is starting to trump work responsibilities, and people
are not traveling as much. Kitchen home ofﬁces are being converted into
beverage centers and mail and landing areas; entire rooms are now being dedicated to home ofﬁces.

What will be new in K&B technology in 2015?
Charging technology via countertops and voice recognition technology are growing in popularity. For those who cannot reach a light switch,
there is voice recognition technology to activate the lights instead. A lot of

Petrie designed this contemporary
kitchen with minimal ornamentation.

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KBB - January 2015

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