5 bathroom design trends for 2012

Each year, the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) surveys its members to identify the latest design and specification trends in kitchen and bath design. This year, 350 NKBA members took part in the survey. Here are five emerging bathroom trends they identified. Note that four of the five can apply to kitchens as well.

1. Medicine cabinets

The tried-and-true medicine cabinet had been swept aside in bathroom remodels over the past several years, replaced by decorative wall mirrors. However, as homeowners look for more efficient use of space, most designers are now turning toward medicine cabinets as an effective way to gain additional storage without having to increase the footprint of a room, attenuating the need for separate shelving, cabinetry, or other storage options.

After being specified by 43 percent of NKBA member bathroom designers leading into 2010, medicine cabinets dropped to 36 percent last year. However, as we enter 2012, some 66 percent have recently incorporated a medicine cabinet into a bathroom remodel, according to NKBA.

Source: NKBA         Photo: NuTone/courtesy of NKBA