Kitchens, Bathrooms Are Going Greener
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Saturday, March 10, 2007
Homeowners continue to want larger kitchens, and now they increasingly want eco-friendly materials for their floors and space for recycling centers, according to a survey.
Upscale bathroom features are also making big gains in popularity. Those include such upgrades as radiant-heated floors and multiple-head showers, according to the latest Home Design Trends Survey of members of the American Institute of Architects. The survey is based on kitchen and bath trends during the fourth quarter of 2006. Whirlpools, it seems, are losing favor.
A panel of 500 architecture firms working mostly in the residential sector were interviewed. Of those firms, 38.5 percent report kitchen and bath remodeling.
Kitchens are becoming one of the most popular rooms in the home, and there's a strong desire to open them up for entertainment.
Scott Frank, a spokesman for the architects group, said the upper-end appliances mentioned by two-thirds of the respondents are energy-efficient, compact or custom built-in, or they use stainless steel.
Renewable floor materials include bamboo, natural-fiber carpet, cork and stone, he said. He added that people are interested in eco-friendly features because they're not only in tune with current green trends but also practical assets to add to a home -- being both functional and economical to run.
Accessibility and universal design helpful for an aging population are on the rise in bathrooms, according to 47.5 percent of the respondents. Heated floors, multiple showers and towel-warming racks are popular features.
Lisa Stacholy, who runs an architecture practice in Atlanta, was one of the residential experts on the survey panel. She noted the drop in the popularity of whirlpools and the growing use of multi-head showers.
"I've had a lot of clients wanting a master bathroom with no tubs," she said, interpreting that as a response to today's lifestyles, often with both married partners working and having less time to soak in a tub.
"I've had more people asking for steam showers . . . and for showers that are twice as big that you can use as a mini-spa -- in a couple of cases, they've had built-in benches of ceramic tile with teak mats to sit on."
