Homeowners are coming clean when it comes to the bathroom amenities they desire. People are refreshing their bathrooms to minimize clutter, provide an escape from stress, and promote wellness, according to a 2020 National Kitchen and Bath Association report.

"Since the start of the pandemic, we are spending more time seeking places of comfort in our homes," said Adam Gibson, whose eponymous design firm is based in Indianapolis, Indiana. "As a result, the bathroom has become a place where people want to feel pampered and cocooned."

The NKBA's "Living Impacts Design" report highlights consumers' inclinations based on more than 750 completed industry surveys. Influential changes to bathroom design include: homeowners' need to escape from a hectic world, the desire to simplify life, and universal design practices, according to the research.

"Design trends aren't fleeting when construction is dictated by how people really live," said the master certified kitchen and bath designer and aging-in-place specialist Gibson. "A bathroom can be used by many people, but is still a very personal space."

Simplified

The first step to a super bathroom design is to make sure it remains squeaky clean. Cabinets and countertops with clean lines are easier to wipe down and disinfect. Creating customized shelf or drawer storage for everything from medicines to Dopp kits means there's a place for everything, so everything is put back in its place.

Marble countertops are a popular choice, but Gibson says engineered stone or quartz surfaces are waterproof and stain-, heat- and scratch-resistant, and can be manufactured to mimic stone. Because a quartz countertop lacks surface holes, it does not support bacterial growth or require sealing.

Connected

Comfort and accessibility -- while also being connected to the greater world outside -- is the environment people desire most in their bathrooms.

"In a bathroom, people want to access nature through natural light and plants," Gibson said. "People also want to tap into the world at large through technology."

A homeowner can aspire to build a top-of-the-line "smart" bathroom, one in which the lighting, shower settings, heating/cooling and audio/visual systems are automated and can be activated by a keypad or through voice-controlled technology. Also, water-saving features are hitting the mainstream in bathroom design. Using a high-efficiency toilet and water-saving fixtures saves dollars and makes sense for conservation.

Gibson says designers shouldn't make light of a bathroom's illumination, either. "A single fixture mounted above the mirror creates harsh shadows on the face. To be seen in the best light, people should have a mirror or medicine cabinet with lights on either side," he said. "The ultimate in connectivity is to be able to shave in great light, while watching the morning news."

Universal

In a bathroom, universal design features wider doorways, nonslip flooring, multilevel countertop surfaces and readily accessible switches and home controls. Universal design concepts are simple modifications that inherently make a space more livable and accessible for everyone, including those with physical limitations.

"More designers are thinking about universal design as a concept so people can age-in-place," Gibson said. "The key is to make bathroom accommodations accessible without making the space look institutional."


Large, zero-threshold showers -- designed with built-in shower seats -- are easy for everyone to use, including persons in wheelchairs. Shower doors are built wider, with grab bars that are cleverly disguised as towel bars, Gibson says.

Healthy

Bathrooms also can be a place to help heal the body and promote wellness. A free-standing tub with a whirlpool setting provides a therapeutic soak in bathrooms where there is also a separate zero-threshold shower option.

While the construction of a home's entryway powder room was popularized during the 1918 Spanish flu outbreak, today, Gibson is spreading a newer way to combat the coronavirus. Due to homeowners' requests, Gibson is designing home foyer sanitizing stations that include a free-standing sink and storage for shoes and packages.

"People walk into the home and there's a place for everyone to take off their shoes and wash their hands before entering into the living space," he said. "While this sanitizing station isn't a full bathroom, it is a watershed movement in design, which has come from people's need to be conscious of cultivating clean hand-washing habits."

Keep it Clean

-- To find a certified kitchen professional, go to the National Kitchen and Bath Association's website: www.nkba.org and click the "Find a Member" link.

-- Adam Gibson Design, AdamGibson.com

As the weather gets colder, the use of the backyard patio is heating up. Homeowners who want to create an entertaining space outside -- even into the winter -- prize the patio's appeal. Although summertime is prime patio-time, a patio can be more than a fair-weather friend to those who want to entertain during the coronavirus pandemic, says Emily McGee, spokesperson for the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association (HPBA), based in Arlington, Virginia.

"Anecdotally, at the HPBA, we have been seeing home trends showing people were increasingly using outdoor living areas prior to the coronavirus outbreak," she said. "The pandemic has only accelerated people's interest in being able to entertain outside, due to open air and physical distancing guidelines."

A patio is an outside concrete or paved area usually located in a home's backyard. While wooden decks tend to feel more like an extension of a house, a patio integrates more with the landscape, because it is poured or paved onto the ground itself. Custom-built patios have evolved from mere concrete slabs into sophisticated outdoor rooms that really cook, with outdoor kitchens and fireplaces.

Creating an outdoor oasis on the patio extends the entertaining season into colder weather. "An outdoor kitchen, fireplace and outdoor furniture are amenities on a patio that make you want to spend time there," McGee said. "And, manufacturers are always creating more products that make it easier to create an outdoor family room."

Concrete is still one of the most popular materials used to construct a patio. However, the iconic, gray square slab of the 1950s has evolved into a concrete patio with decorative stamping and staining. Before pouring concrete or laying stone or brick, make sure you're working with competent contractors who have experience installing patios. After the design is drawn, the site needs to be prepared, so that the patio slopes away from the house and drains properly.

A patio should be built with outside-rated bricks, tiles and pavers because these materials have less than a 3% water absorption rate, which means they won't crumble during numerous freeze-thaw cycles in colder climates. In addition to using outside-rated materials, it's important to use waterproofing membranes, especially if materials are bonded to concrete.

Before a patio pour, make sure you have a permit (if required) and a detailed plan in place for where outdoor features will be built-in or placed, McGee says.

"The design of a home patio depends on the space and how it will be used," she said. "When planning for a patio, the first step is to NOT be overeager and buy the patio furniture first."

Fire and Ice

Outdoor fire features are a growing segment of fireplace installations and a natural way to create a warm space for gathering or entertaining on a patio.

A patio's design can be metaphorically set ablaze with a fireplace's flames ignited either through wood or gas. With enough planning, a fireplace can be located nearly anywhere, but before becoming consumed with an inferno of ideas, it's best to involve a professional installer certified by the National Fireplace Institute (NFICertified.org).

No matter where a fireplace is located outside, expect it to bring an elemental experience to your patio. "I think being drawn to a fire is primal, " McGee said. "There can be snow falling, but you can still be warmed by a fire."

Today's gas-burning fireplaces are made to look beautiful with or without the flames dancing, whether it's turned on or off. A dramatic log set can be arranged in a vertical bonfire or flames can emerge from fire-safe rocks or colored crystals to emulate an Eastern design influence.

A Brisk Barbecue

For many who entertain, "eating out" can mean walking into their backyard outdoor kitchen. The centerpiece for any outdoor cooking is the grill, but there are many kinds available for different types of cookery: smoker; pizza oven; Argentinian-style 'Gaucho' grill; or Japanese-inspired Kamado ceramic grill.

"Many people 'winter-cue' all season long," McGee said. "If a homeowner barbecues and smokes year-round, it can be more important to have an outdoor kitchen setup with countertop space to handle hot, smoked meats coming off the grill."

Any appliances, countertops or cabinetry in an outdoor kitchen must also stand up to both steaming and/or freezing temperatures. Be certain that any appliance installed outdoors is manufactured for outside usage and marked with an UL (Underwriters Laboratory) seal approving it for outdoor use.

Fixed overhead structures or pergolas are also popular on a patio and give a sense of an outside room by creating atmosphere, privacy and protection from the outdoor elements. Outfitted with a big screen television, this space can be a place where people bring their entertaining A-game.

Sit a (Cold) Spell

Patio furniture featuring chairs, tables, chaise lounges, outdoor sofas and umbrellas can come in a variety of materials, ranging from metal and wood to rattan and resin.

If entertaining outside is part of a homeowner's holiday plan, your furniture can also bring the heat. "There are any number of fire-pit tables and patio heaters that will keep the chill out of the air," McGee said. "If you have a gas fire pit, special accommodations will need to be made in the planning phase of your patio construction and make sure you follow manufacturer's guidelines when it comes to setting up patio heaters."

McGee says it's good to have a furniture layout of the patio before purchasing anything. "Entertaining on the patio doesn't need to be high-tech," she said. "You can encourage people to bring their own lawn chair and blanket, because with a fire going and food on the patio, you can be cozy outside, too."

Patio Points

-- Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association, HPBA.org, click "Locate a Retailer"

The kitchen is a home's hot spot. But a kitchen's design trends aren't trendy when its composition and construction are dictated by how people really live, says Jonas Carnemark, whose eponymous design-build firm is based in Bethesda, Maryland.

"The self-isolation caused by the coronavirus pandemic has placed a magnifying lens on home design, especially in the kitchen," says the 33-year certified kitchen designer, as designated by The National Kitchen and Bath Association. "The kitchen isn't just a place where people prepare and eat food. It's the heart and hub of a home, where everyone gathers before and after meals, too."

The NKBA's "Living Impacts Design" research was released during the first quarter of 2020, and highlights consumers' kitchen inclinations based on more than 750 completed industry surveys. Influential changes to kitchen design include: plans for aging in place; homeowners' need to escape from a chaotic world; a desire to live with less; and more people working from home, according to the report.

"When designing kitchens, people want an open, minimalistic space in which many can gather, and yet have a space that feels cozy and calming," Carnemark says. "The NKBA research highlights and objectifies trends we've been seeing in the kitchen, such as quality builds in terms of sustainability and functionality."

Designing kitchens that really cook on all levels is a necessity in today's home.

Whether the cook is on-the-go, with little time for meal prep, or a more health-conscious experimental epicure with the desire to prepare fresh foods, the kitchen is now accommodating many styles and skill levels.

Connected Living

"The kitchen is the natural place in the home to gather, and as a result, people want to feel connected -- both to each other and the world at large," Carnemark says. "People want literal access to the outside world and nature from their kitchen or digitally, through electronic devices."

The first step to more connected kitchen living is tearing down walls. A formal, separate dining room has been tabled in favor of incorporating many types of seating as the kitchen area occupies more square footage.

Today's kitchen has a living area outfitted with sofa, stuffed chairs and a big-screen television that is wired for movie marathons, big game day gatherings and Zoom calls. In this space -- which can include a bar area and fireplace -- families can chill out and lounge around in a comfortable atmosphere with easy access to the kitchen and food.

A kitchen that also encourages outdoor living is the environment many homeowners desire. The installation of sliding doors from the larger kitchen area to an outdoor patio encourages gatherings to spill outside.

Simplified Living

With an open floor-plan kitchen design, everything is on display, so it's important to keep the space clutter-free. Carnemark relies on his Scandinavian sensibilities when designing kitchens that have both form and function.

"Americans are desiring a minimalistic style design aesthetic in their homes, whether you're borrowing inspiration from the German Bauhaus movement or the Japanese wabi-sabi philosophy," he says. "The idea is to fill your house with experiences and people, not possessions."

Invest in high-quality building materials and craftsmanship, so less time is spent fixing or replacing broken items in the kitchen. Cabinets, countertops and backsplashes with clean lines are easier to wipe down. Customized storage for everything from servingware to spices means there's a place for everything, and everything is put back in place.

"A well-stocked and organized pantry means the food you have doesn't go to waste," Carnemark says. "And if everyone knows where items are located in the kitchen, you're more likely to have more involvement in mealtime preparation and cleanup."

Healthy Living

It's impossible to not consider one's health during the age of coronavirus, but a move toward preparing plant-based dishes, using nonprocessed meats and whole grains predates the pandemic, Carnemark says.

"People are growing their own herbs, whether it's in pots on the counter or in garden beds right outside the kitchen," he says. "We are dialed into the Earth by consciously using sustainable materials during the building process."

Cool zones are hot in the kitchen as designers are figuring out a colder kitchen flow. Refrigeration and freezer appliances can be built-in or freestanding, stowed under the counter in drawers or standing upright as wine columns. "The refrigerated zones anchor a kitchen's workflow," Carnemark says. "Based on refrigeration, you can build multiple stations in the kitchen, from meal prep to drink and snack drawers."

Living in Place

Universal design concepts have universal appeal for homeowners and refer to a broad spectrum of modifications that can inherently make a space more livable and accessible for both aging and differently abled individuals.

In the kitchen, universal design can be the embodiment of one-level living with wider doors, nonslip flooring and readily accessible switches and home controls, Carnemark says.

"Universal design concepts aren't just precepts to be applied to homes for aging populations; it's just good design," he says. "Wider clearances around the kitchen island and multileveled countertop work spaces just make sense so more can pitch in and help."

Overall, creating an environment in the kitchen and adjacent areas that is comfortable and accessible -- while being technologically wired for lighting and Wi-Fi, with clean and organized cabinets using natural and durable finishes -- makes cooking time more charmed, and less a chore.

"Multigenerational living is a reality now in many homes, thanks to the pandemic," Carnemark says. "These new living situations have their own synergism and opportunity to connect in the kitchen."

Pro Tips

-- To find a certified kitchen professional, go to The National Kitchen and Bath Association's website: www.nkba.org and click the "Find a Member" link.

-- Carnemark Design and Build, carnemark.com, 301-657-5000