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TILE DEALER MAGAZINE |
Kitchen and Bath Trends: Where
Remodeling Dollars Go
The home remodeling business is booming! According to the National
Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), $224 billion was spent
on remodeling in the US in 2004. That’s a remarkable increase of
nearly 500 percent since 1990! And, according to the Alliance to Save
Energy, kitchen remodeling alone can recoup 70-90 percent of the cost
when the home is sold.
The increase in remodeling may be correlated with consumers who view
their homes as an expression of their personal styles and individuality,
according to Ryan Abruzzo, marketing and product manager at TileAmerica!,
Ludlow, Ma.
“A house is like a wardrobe. Remodeling trends always begin with
fashion, and then trickle down into the home décor market,” says
Abruzzo. “Consumers are spending more money decorating their homes,
and what we’re seeing is that they are choosing materials and designs
that are “in.”
Transforming Kitchens and Baths into Personalized Havens / From Utility
to Entertainment
Lifestyle trends drive much of remodeling’s current fever. Homeowners
are paying more attention to the kitchen and bath, which previously were
considered strictly utilitarian areas, according to Abruzzo. And they
aren’t just modernizing or updating – they’re restyling.
Kitchen spaces are increasingly entertainment areas, and even house home
offices. Bathrooms continue to adopt more luxurious, spa-like appointments.
John Babcock, design director of Kitchen Views in Newton Center, Mss.,
a full-service remodeling firm, agrees that, “Kitchen and bath
remodeling has really become somewhat of a ‘fashion’ industry.”
Babcock points out that as the home’s entertainment spot, kitchens
are decorated in more detail. With the detail comes more daring. People
are getting away from beige and while and moving more towards color.
Many of these are bright and cheerful, and very contemporary. Orange,
for example, has made a major comeback and is a very trendy color today.
Also, metal and matte finishes combined with exotic woods have piqued
the interest of homeowners nationwide.
“Consumers are taking more risks as kitchen and bathroom design
is more about standing out rather than fitting in,” says Abruzzo.
Tile and stone play a big role in bathroom décor, as homeowners
seek to create more of a relaxing haven than solely a functional space,
adds Abruzzo. For spas, people opt for natural stone as it provides softer,
soothing colors which also give a sense of space and openness.
Mayan Metzler, president of MyHome, a full service design, remodeling,
renovation and construction firm in New York City, notes a growing interest
in mosaics. “We are installing a lot of mosaics of all types,” he
said. “There has been a bit of a move away from marble, while Jerusalem
stone is a big stone trend. Generally, the very natural ‘look’ (that
is, stone with tumbled or acid-washed surfaces) is still very popular
in all stones, with more travertine and limestone being used.
Tile in Any Material Drives the Design
“Tile is the best thing that ever happened to the kitchen and bath
remodeling industry. It has unlimited application potential and comes
in countless
varieties to create a more personalized style in the home,” says
John Yates, owner of Maine Kitchen Design (MKD) in Yarmouth, Maine.
Marcio Muller, national sales manager with Eliane USA, porcelain tile
manufacturers, reports that the porcelain tiles sales have tripled in
2004, compared to 2003.
“The use of ceramic and porcelain tile is as popular as ever. We
have definitely seen an incre4ase in the usage of porcelain and ceramic
tiles in the remodel segment,” sail Muller. “Ceramic tile
provides sophistication, durability, ease of maintenance, and for those
reasons it has become a product of choice when remodeling. We are now
seeing new applications, new areas, the use of upscale products, decorative
products and customized installations.”
Porcelain, ceramic tile and decorative metal tiles for borders, inserts,
and backsplashes are also growing in popularity with homeowners.
This is something that Mario Klappholz of Ceramic Consulting Corporation
has noticed as well. His firm represents a company called Creative Metalized
Products. The company offers tiles with artistic designs that are a fraction
of the weight of solid metal. The solid metal veneer can be specified
in bronze, brass, copper, silver or pewter that is only 1/32 of an inch
thick. The surface treatments include an aged look with green or blue
patinas, iron rust, satin and high gloss finishes “Metal tile has
made a major comeback in America,” Klappholz stated. “In
the ‘30s and ‘40s, you’d see it used in elevator banks
and sometimes as ceiling tile. Now, it is being widely used as a focal
accent element specified in combination with other surfacing products.”
Glass tile is one of the fastest growing trends. (Editor’s note:
See the Choice is Clear: Glass tile in the May/June issue of TileDealer)
More and more homeowners have decided to use glass tiles because of their
unique design options, ease of maintenance and the fact that they are
totally non-absorptive.
“We have seen a great increase in the amount of glass tile specified
for remodeling,” said Ann-Britt Malden, creative marketing director
of Hakatai Enterprises, a glass mosaic tile importer and distributor,
based in Oregon. She said that the blendi9ng of glass tile colors is
on the rise.
Granite countertops – from slabs or tiles – have become a
given in renovated kitchens. Patrick Perus, vice president, marketing
and development for Polycor, the second largest supplier of natural stone
in North America, notes, “Granite ranks second only to diamonds
in its degree of hardness, may be specified in myriad surface finishes,
is extremely damage-resistant and is basically stain resistant, as well.
When cared for properly, it can last a lifetime. It’s a great material
for many aspects of remodeling.
“Many people,” continued Perus, “are choosing granite
tiles that match their countertops, for flooring field tile or as accents
within
a field of other hard surface flooring materials.”
Tile Dealers Embrace Remodeling Boom
“Dealers can embrace this [tile] trend to make their showroom feel
like a nice, high0end home,” says Yates. “For example, I’ve
enhanced MKD by adding exotic tiles of all types to floors, walls, showers
and back splashes.”
This fall, Yates also plans to unveil MKD’s new showroom expansion,
which adjoins its present location. The space will include a completely
functioning, gourmet kitchen with a stunning curved wall covered with
glass and ceramic mosaics and a fully operating master bath built entirely
out of multi-colored glass mosaics.
“This will create a showroom with the requisite ‘wow’ factor
for my end users,” says Yates. “I also look forward to watching
my clients ‘try on’ the showroom’s new gourmet kitchen
and master bath to determine if these will ‘fit’ into their
own wardrobe!” |
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