9 KEY THEMES AND FEATURES EMERGING IN BATHROOM DESIGN FOR 2024
NKBA's 2024 Bath Trends Report gives an inside look into upcoming trends in residential primary baths.
Bathrooms are dialing up the drama next year, reports the National Kitchen & Bath Association’s (NKBA) 2024 Bath Trends Report.
Comprised of data generated from a survey completed by industry experts, the report reveals the once-utilitarian room is now being outfitted with large steam showers, smart features, and even beverage stations. “Today’s architects, designers, and homeowners are rewriting the script for today’s baths—and the change has resulted in a revolution of the space,” says Pamela McNally, senior vice president, marketing and digital, at NKBA. “Baths are therapeutic sanctuaries, featuring everything from hydrotherapy and chromatherapy to heated floors and integrated audio. Never before has the residential bath been this elevated.”
See below for nine compelling trends from the report:
1. Wellness Wins: One report key theme was creating spa atmospheres that support relaxation and wellness, with 78% reporting a focus on health and wellness as a driving design attitude. More than half of respondents said the bath will be popular as a place of healthy living and wellness with retreat-like showers and spa-like designs.
2. Spa Showers: Popular shower features include built-in seating (69%), hand-held showers (66%), rain showers (61%), steam showers (51%), and body sprays (39%). When asked about configurations, most respondents (70%) favored zero transition/no door/open between the shower and the rest of the space.
3. Bath Beverages: A trend that was virtually unheard of a few years ago, a significant number of respondents (21%) to this year’s survey said there is interest in adding refrigerators to their primary baths for beverages, medications, creams, and makeup.
4. Sustainability Standard: When asked about trends in the next three years, it was noted that water and sustainability features will be popular across alternative energy-efficient water heaters (51%), low-flow toilets (45%), low-flow sink faucets (31%), and low-flow showerheads (30%).
5. Going Green: When asked about top color trends for the bathroom, most of the respondents (35%) reported green as the preferred hue. This outranked white (31%), blue (26%), gray (25%), and several others.
6. Back to Black: The leading finishes for faucets are black (51%), nickel or pewter (45%), chrome (28%), black stainless (24%), and stainless (21%). The least popular finishes for faucets are white (5%), bold colors (8%), copper (9%), and rose gold (12%).
7. Wallpaper Wave: Designers are leveraging wallpaper as a way to incorporate new statement colors to the bathroom, with 50% of respondents in agreement. This topped bringing in color through cabinets and vanities (49%), wall paint (36%), artwork (31%), and bathroom flooring (27%).
8. Turn to Tech: Among those surveyed, 32% identified integrated technology as the biggest change in bath trends over the next three years. For example, heated flooring with mobile apps and wall controls are desired, with nearly 50% seeking electric radiant flooring and 38% identifying a desire for connected smart mirrors.
Designers also said that in three years the top toilet trends will be smart toilets (60%) with automatic lids, seat warming, and self-clean features, followed by water-conserving toilets (52%), smart bidet toilet seats (47%), and bidets (30%).
9. Dated Details: When asked about trends on their way out, the highest percentage (49%) of respondents advised that Hollywood-style lights are out, followed by glass blocks (46%), all-white bathrooms (43%), vessel sinks (37%), oversized tubs (28%), and chandeliers in bathrooms (24%).
