Custom cabinetry trends

This kitchen, designed by Yuko Matsumoto of Altera Design & Remodeling, features a cool, dove blue wall covered in glass, with warm wood floors, white Carerra marble, stainless steel and taupe quartz..

The National Kitchen & Bath Association revealed the prevailing trends seen among nearly 500 submissions in the 2012 NKBA Design Competition, including fixtures, finishes, materials, color palettes, technology, shapes, focal points and overall geometry.
A top trend among design submissions was the use of glossy finishes and fixtures in kitchens and bathrooms. Shimmering countertop surfaces, shiny fixtures and accent lighting are popular in current kitchens, NKBA says. A complement to this larger trend is the infusion of color behind glass panels. A painted wall in the kitchen with glass panels overlaid can create a sheen of color with a smooth surface to accent shiny appliances and shimmering countertops. Glass tiles are also being used on floors and backsplashes in bathrooms to create a shiny or shimmery look. 
The incorporation of white into kitchen designs has also been reinvented, and the color is now popular in hues from snow white to shades of creamy, muted, milky tones. Suspended lighting is used in many kitchen designs to create a dangling focal point or highlight artistic pieces. Additionally, kitchen designs are putting traditional technology in non-traditional spaces. For instance, kitchen cabinets are being designed with incorporated fridge drawers or a steam oven under the sink, where plumbing would be traditionally found.
Current room designs are also symmetric, which can create stability and balance. Rooms possessing pieces that counterbalance each other and with other symmetrical placements within the design often generate purpose and contentment, NKBA says. Designs starting with a particular shape are repeated in various sizes, colors and textures, both in the kitchen and bathroom. Open-plan bathrooms are also more popular than ever, with design focused on efficient space, using few or partial walls. For more on NKBA’s 2012 design trends, visit www.nkba.org/press/releases/pressreleases2012/12-04-25/The_National_Kitchen_Bath_Association_Reveals_Top_Trends_from_2012_NKBA_Design_Competition.aspx.

Pyrolave surfaces can be ordered in reddish-orange shades to add impact to surfaces.

Pantone, a color company for design professionals, announced its 2012 Color of the Year as Tangerine Tango.
From residential and commercial kitchens to bathrooms, tabletops, swimming pools, fireplace facades and outdoor living spaces, the glazed lava stone surfaces fit well in contemporary or traditional settings, the company says.
Pyrolave surfaces can be ordered in reddish-orange shades to add impact to surfaces.
“The world doesn’t need more gray, and the blues are covered, too. What consumer products need is a jolt, a shot of energy and boldness, all of which comes from Tangerine Tango, the reddish-orange hue that Pantone announced as its top color for 2012,”  the Associated Press said.
Pantone says Victoria + Albert’s freestanding tubs, made from eco-friendly Englishcast, can be decorated with Tangerine Tango shades using either oil or water based paints. Pyrolave surfaces can be ordered in similar sunset shades to add impact to designs. In addition, Atlas Homewares offers its vibrant Indochine series of knobs and pulls. For more design ideas to incorporate the Tangerine Tango color, visit www.pantone.com.

The National Kitchen & Bath Association launched a non-design certification for kitchen and bath professionals.
The certification, Certified Kitchen & Bath Professional, was developed to enable kitchen and bath professionals in all non-design segments of the industry to demonstrate their experience, education, and expertise. To achieve certification, applicants must pass a multiple-choice exam and have at least five years of experience in the kitchen and bath industry with 40 hours of NKBA-approved education. The Certified Kitchen & Bath Professional curriculum is broken down into the following areas: 30 percent residential construction, 26 percent general business knowledge, 25 percent materials and products knowledge, and 19 pecent project management. This certification was developed through the efforts of two Certification Task Forces, two third-party consulting agencies, and NKBA staff, executive committee, and board of directors, as well as results from two surveys of 1,000 NKBA members.
To apply for certification, email CKBP@nkba.org.

The National Kitchen & Bath Association announced Consentino North America as the winner of its 2010 NKBA President’s Award.
Cosentino North America was recognized by NKBA Immediate Past President Mark L. Karas at the State of the Industry Address, held in Las Vegas during NKBA’s 2011 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show.
“The National Kitchen & Bath Association is honored to present this year’s award to Cosentino North America, a company that has shown great support of the industry by serving as a key exhibitor at KBIS, hosting numerous local chapter events, and demonstrating a renewed commitment to the kitchen and bath dealer,” said Karas. “This firm has clearly been a source of strength for our association and our industry throughout 2010 and into 2011.”
The NKBA President’s Award was created in 2009 to recognize companies that are committed to helping the industry and the association. 
“We are honored to receive this significant award from the NKBA,” said Eduardo Cosentino, chief executive of Cosentino North America. “As Cosentino’s presence continues to grow in North America, it’s imperative that we continue to support the association and provide the resources and support that kitchen and bath dealers need to grow their businesses and be successful. The goal to strengthen the kitchen and bath industry as a whole is a guiding vision for our company and it’s extremely rewarding to be recognized for our commitment to date.”

Survey results from Staples Advantage, the business-to-business division of Staples Inc., suggest that having a fully-stocked office kitchen can lead to more productive employees, according to buildings.com. 
The survey found that 73 percent of office workers said a well-stocked kitchen would make them happier at work and 57% indicated that it could lead to increased productivity.
“Making small investments in the company kitchen can lead to significant benefits in any workplace,” says Lisa Hamblet, vice president for the facility solutions and services business of Staples Advantage. “Our recent survey found that 72 percent viewed the office kitchen as more than just a place to get coffee. To them, it represents a place for impromptu meetings, as well as a space to help keep energy levels high. This provides an opportunity for employers to create a workplace kitchen that boosts their workforce’s productivity and camaraderie.”
The survey’s results indicate a possible market of expansion for cabinetmakers looking to design and create these office kitchen spaces for businesses.

The National Kitchen & Bath Association announced the ten winners of its 2010/2011 NKBA Student Design Competition, which awards more than $13,000 in scholarships and prizes.
The winners will be honored at NKBA Design Competition Awards on Tuesday, April 26, at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas. The event will also recognize the professional designers who created the best kitchens and baths of the past year.
NKBA Student Design Competition received more than 320 entries from students at colleges and universities across North America for its 2010/2011 competition. The competition challenged entrants to design a condominium unit in a high-rise building on Lake Michigan in downtown Chicago. 
The following students were selected as winners in the “kitchens” category: Mary Anne Jarrell of Seminole State College as first place winner; Elaine Treadwell of Art Institute of Pittsburgh as second place winner; Bettina Rasmussen of Portland Community College – Sylvania as third place winner; Virginia Lewis of West Valley College as honorable mention; and Rebecca Butikofer of Brigham Young University – Idaho as honorable mention.
The following students were selected as winners in the “bathrooms” category: Alexis Cannariato of Brigham Young University – Idaho as first place winner; Kimberly A. Fetzer of Brigham Young University – Idaho as second place winner; Elizabeth Enberg of St. Louis Community College as third place winner;  Elaine Treadwell of Art Institute of Pittsburg as honorable mention; and Jennifer McKell of Brigham Young University – Idaho as honorable mention.
NKBA is also accepting entries for the 2011/2012 NKBA Student Design Competition, which will challenges the students to renovate a 19th century Federal Style Row House according to client needs.

The National Kitchen & Bath Association announced the finalists in the 2011 NKBA Design Competition, honoring the best kitchen and bath designs of the year.
“The NKBA, along with our sponsors, is proud to offer member designers from across the country the opportunity to be recognized for their level of skill in applying innovation and creativity to kitchen and bathroom design,” said David Alderman, 2011 NKBA president.
NKBA selected three finalists in each of nine categories: small kitchens, medium kitchens, large kitchens, open plan kitchens, powder rooms, small bathrooms, large bathrooms, master bathrooms and showrooms. The winning designs will be announced at the Design Competition Awards on April 26, during NKBA’s Kitchen & Bath Industry Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center

The National Kitchen & Bath Association has announced the 2011 inductee into the Kitchen & Bath Industry Hall of Fame, Capital Cooking Equipment Chairman Surjit Kalsi.
The hall of fame honors individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the industry. Kalsi introduced the concept of commercial-quality ranges for residential use and developed the world’s first all-stainless steel outdoor barbecue line. He invented the world’s first pyolytic self-cleaning oven, the low input natural gas pilot, the universal gas burner, retention flame burner and the first dual flow gas burner. He is considered one of the foremost experts in cooking range design and manufacturing. “I am humbled and deeply honored to receive the news that I am to be inducted into the 2011 Kitchen & Bath Industry Hall of Fame,” said Kalsi. ”It is a rare and uplifting feeling that what I did for survival is being recognized by the NKBA selection committee as ‘changing the face of the appliance industry.’”