Though it is important to express your own individual style when you remodel your home, there can be several advantages in knowing which styles, colors and products are finding favor among kitchen and bath designers this year. Take a look below to see the latest design trends report from the NKBA.

What can you gain from learning about current design trends? You can have more confidence in purchasing a new kitchen product when you notice it has been consistently well-received by other homeowners. Choosing décor items for your bathroom will be made easier if you select cabinet styles and finishes that are currently in vogue. Updating your kitchen and bath helps make your home a standout, should you choose to sell it.

The National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) surveyed over 300 of its member designers across the country and in Canada regarding their design choices to discover the following top kitchen and bath trends for 2013:

Kitchens and Bathrooms:
1. Transitional Style
Transitional has continued to surpass traditional as the leading design style for cabinetry in both kitchens and baths, taking a 10-pt leap this year!

2. Gray Shades
The popularity of gray color schemes has dramatically increased this year, growing in appeal because they create a chic, sophisticated appearance that many homeowners desire. Whites and off-whites are still the top color scheme, however, and beiges and bones remain in second place.

3. Quartz
Quartz continues to be the second most popular countertop material, but it significantly narrowed the gap with granite this year. The popularity of solid surface in kitchens also moved ahead.

Kitchens:
4. White Painted Cabinetry
White painted cabinetry finishes have stayed on top of the chart this year in both kitchens and bathrooms. The use of natural finishes has remained steady, with dark finishes the most popular.

5. Glass Backsplash
Over the past three years, the preference for glass backsplashes has grown dramatically. The material is second in popularity now only to ceramic or porcelain tile, which dropped somewhat. The use of natural stone tile has also diminished.

6. LED Lighting

There has been a significant increase in the use of LED lighting over the past year. This usage corresponds to a rise in homeowner awareness of the importance of energy efficiency, which indicates this trend is not just a fad.

7. Touch-activated Faucets
Touch-activated faucets are growing in popularity, however pull-out faucets still take first place, while pot filler faucets come in second.

8. Satin Nickel
Satin nickel is the top faucet finish, increasing in popularity this year. Bronze and oil-rubbed finishes have also risen. However, polished chrome, which staged a comeback last year, has dropped in usage.

Bathrooms:
9. Ceramic/Porcelain Tile
Ceramic or porcelain tile remains the most popular material for bathroom flooring, even though it has been in a slight decline over the past two years. Natural stone tile is in a distant second place.

10. Undermount Sinks
Undermounts have been the most specified type of lavatory sink over the past three years, even though they are in a slight decline this year. The next in line, integrated sink/tops, have seen a modest increase.

 

What's the Key to Hiring Someone to Get Your Project Done Right?

Have you ever wondered why it's so difficult to have quality work done around your home or business? Solving this mystery was a big part of why I started Louisville Handyman ten years ago. Like many of you, I grew tired of inconsistent workmanship and reliability when hiring people to do work around my home. Even working with an individual referred by others, I often found that the person's results didn't meet my expectations. Now, ten years after starting Louisville Handyman and growing it into the city's largest handyman service, I can provide you with some insights.

To get your project done right, you have to ensure the individual or business you are hiring has the right skills, right standards and right attitude. When hiring a new craftsman at Louisville Handyman, we normally begin with 100 applicants. After screening resumes, reviewing job experience, digging into skills, checking references and conducting multiple interviews, we generally find two people who should, by all accounts, be stellar Louisville Handyman craftsmen. Here's the surprise: even with all of our screening, only one of those two people usually have the skills, attitude and standards that we expect. In other words, to get to one person that truly has the right skills, right standards and right attitude, we have to get past the 99 that don't.

As a consumer, you should know that the cards are truly stacked against you. Think about it -- even with a referral from a friend, you don't really know what you are getting. For example, someone who did a good job laying ceramic tile for your neighbor may or may not have the skills to do your crown molding job. To make matters worse, the individual will rarely tell you he doesn't have the skills or experience, so it's buyer beware. The cards are also stacked against you because it is easy to get caught in the trap of jumping at a cheap price and forgetting to assess whether the individual or company has the skills, standards and attitude. We have completed literally hundreds of jobs where we were hired to fix work after someone chose the low bid. Rest assured that paying twice costs more than awarding the job right the first time. The last reason it's so hard to get high quality work is that attitudes change. Several times over these past ten years, I have had to fire an individual who had a track record of good work, but something changed in their lives and they didn't keep the right attitude to deliver great results.

So, what's the solution? I believe it comes down to hiring a company with an established reputation and multiple talented craftsmen. A company has to maintain a good reputation or they won't be in business long. You should always check a company's BBB rating before hiring them. By hiring a company with multiple craftsmen, you can get the benefits of having the best qualified person for your job assigned, instead of taking your chances on whether an individual has the right skills or not for your specific job.

Hopefully, this article helps solve the mystery.

Joe French
President
jfrench@louhandyman.com