5 bathroom design trends for 2012

4. Shades of gray

When artfully incorporated into a space, gray color schemes can allow for very attractive, distinguished looks without overpowering a design—the key reason why gray is now used as the backdrop for the NKBA logo. In kitchens, gray was used as the overall color scheme by only 9 percent of designers as we moved into 2010, but that figure nearly doubled (to 17 percent) last year and then nearly doubled again (to 33 percent) this year. Over that time, the use of gray color schemes has risen just as dramatically from 12 percent to 21 percent to 40 percent in bathroom remodels.

Whites and off-whites continue to be the most popular color schemes in the kitchen and bathroom, followed by beiges and bones. Brown is the third most popular color in kitchens and the fourth most popular in bathrooms, just behind gray. In the kitchen, bronzes/terracottas have risen over the past two years from 20 percent to 25 percent to 31 percent, while greens have increased from 18 percent two years ago to 32 percent today. Green was the color trend in bathrooms last year, being specified by 25 percent of designers, and its use has remained exactly the same this year. Blue has emerged as the fifth most popular color in bathrooms, rising from 23 percent to 30 percent, according to NKBA.

Source: NKBA         Photo: Benjamin Moore/courtesy of NKBA