Is a home remodeling project one of your top goals for 2024? A comfortable, stylish, and efficient home is essential to our daily life, and this is especially important when it comes to kitchens and bathrooms. These spaces influence how you live and work in your home, as well as your enjoyment of home life. Start by considering which rooms are most in need of an update, and then look at your key design goals for these spaces.

It helps to get inspired by the latest design trends to see what styles, storage features, and technological advancements are popular for kitchen and bath design. Here are a few of the top trends this year:

Designs for Aging in Place

If you have found your forever home, updating your design to fit your lifestyle rather than moving makes sense, right? More homeowners than ever are subscribing to this principle, opting to remodel their key home living spaces as they move into a different phase of life. This means you can stay in the neighborhood you love, near family and friends, and not worry about moving your possessions to a new location!

Universal design concepts are ideal for managing home life across multiple generations as they create designs suitable for all accessibility needs, including all age groups. These design concepts work for any home and are ideal if you have multiple generations under one roof or people with different mobility needs.

When it comes to aging in place at home, there are many simple design choices you can make to create a home that is safe, stylish, and accessible. By designing for aging in place, you will create the kitchen or bathrooms that work as well for you in 10 years as they do today. Best of all, today’s accessible designs are as stylish as practical, so you don’t have to sacrifice one for the other.

Start with a design that focuses on simple, clean lines and minimizes sharp corners that can result in bumps and bruises. Slips are a top concern when aging, so be sure to install flooring that has some texture to it and avoid slick, glossy flooring. Create customized storage that is easily accessible, such as pull-out and swing-out storage solutions. For upper cabinets in a kitchen design, consider installing pull-down shelves to bring items to you rather than having to climb on a step stool.

In a bathroom design, go for an open shower style that can be accessed easily, even if you need a mobility aid in the future. Be sure to incorporate multiple showerheads, including a handheld version in case someone in the home needs assistance showering. Grab bars are a must-have in a bathroom designed for aging in place and should be installed in key locations like the shower or next to the toilet.

Easy-to-use faucets are ideal, so go for versions that don’t require a firm grip, such as a single lever or motion sensor. Similarly, when it comes to lighting install rocker switches in easy-to-find locations in your kitchen or bathrooms. Consider installing some motion sensor lights or voice-activated lighting so you can see easily when moving around at night.

Thankfully you can find all these essential items in styles and finishes that will fit right in with your design aesthetic!

Top Design Trends for Kitchen and Bath Design 2024

Bidets…Need We Say More?

Yes, you read that right, bidets are becoming a hot item for the latest bathroom designs. No longer just an odd extra in your hotel room on that vacation in Europe, today’s bidets are typically seats integrated with your toilet. They form part of a high-tech revolution hitting bathroom designs, letting you personalize your space and create a relaxing retreat. Along with smart mirrors and lighting systems, smart toilets are an addition to a bath remodel you won’t want to miss.

Top Design Trends for Kitchen and Bath Design 2024

Toilets with a bidet seat let you use a remote control to change settings to suit your personal cleansing preferences. It typically includes a heated seat for added comfort. You can also set preferences for water temperature and pressure, as well as seat temperature and air-drying. A built-in nightlight makes nighttime trips to the bathroom easier and safer. Self-cleaning features use a wand and UV light to make it simple to keep your toilet bowl clean. It’s a must-have in this year’s bathroom designs to enhance your experience and make life easier!

Top Design Trends for Kitchen and Bath Design 2024

Custom Cabinet Storage Solutions

In a kitchen or bath design, your cabinetry defines your room’s layout, creates a workspace, and designates zones for different activities. It also influences your room’s style with the lines, door style, color, finish, and cabinet hardware you choose. Your cabinetry also houses essential storage that keeps your room clean and clutter-free and makes it easy to find items when you need them. Without this storage, your color scheme, countertop material, and flooring choices are meaningless as you will be left with messy surfaces and a disorganized home.

Top Design Trends for Kitchen and Bath Design 2024

Thankfully storage accessories continue to evolve to meet the demands of a busy home. Work with your design expert to determine how much storage you need and what type of storage. Include accessories for all your key items, such as:

  • Spice pullouts and pantry storage in the kitchen,
  • Roll out shelves, pullouts, and drawers with dividers in the bathroom or kitchen.
  • Pull-out laundry hampers in the bathroom,
  • Pull-out trash and recycling in the kitchen,
  • Mixer lifts for stowing heavy stand mixers, with a lift-up shelf that brings it to countertop height when you need it,
  • Corner storage, such as swing-out shelves or lazy susans,
  • Drawers for lower cabinets, with custom dividers for everything from utensils or knives in the kitchen to makeup or jewelry in the bathroom, and
  • Deep drawers for pots, pans, gadgets, and more.
Top Design Trends for Kitchen and Bath Design 2024

Lighting Ideas to Elevate Your Space

We all know how important lighting is to your home, but it is even more important in busy spaces like the kitchen design or master bathroom. By carefully planning lighting at the design stage of the remodeling process, you can make sure you have a multi-layered lighting plan that fits your needs at any time of day or night. This guarantees you can see clearly when doing key tasks like chopping vegetables or reading a recipe. It also allows you to use different light sources to change the tone of your room, taking you from bright task lighting to softer ambient light.

This year’s lighting designs let you control your lighting even more with smart lighting designs. Light sources, levels, and colors affect your mood and can set the scene for everything from a work video call to a dinner party.  App- or voice-controlled smart lighting lets you change your light levels with ease. You can even automate your lighting to turn on and off at particular times or save pre-sets for particular scenarios to allow you to easily create the atmosphere you want.

Decorative light fixtures also feature in this year’s bathroom and kitchen design trends. From sconces that accent your bathroom wall to bold pendants over a kitchen island or a contemporary chandelier above a dining table, these light fixtures accessorize your room’s style. Choose fixtures in a size that fits your space, so you don’t overwhelm a small room. Select materials and finishes that suit your style – to blend with hardware and other accessories or in a unique color or material to stand out as a focal point.

Top Design Trends for Kitchen and Bath Design 2024

Multi-Purpose Island Designs

Islands are a staple of most kitchen designs and come in a range of sizes and styles to suit your space. In a busy kitchen design, they tend to become the focal point of activity, creating extra work and storage space, defining work zones, and offering space for casual dining. They also impact your room’s style, as they sit in a prominent location at the center of the kitchen design. This year’s kitchen designs highlight the role of the island even more, enhancing its functionality and making it a more sociable space.

Kitchen islands with seating are moving toward a more conversational arrangement, where seats wrap around 2 or even 3 sides of the island creating a more sociable setup. If you have space, you could even install a tabletop end or a T-shaped island, with one section dedicated to dining and entertaining. Organize the rest of your island into work zones, depending on how you plan to use the space. Install storage with drawers and pullouts so you can easily access everything you need. You might include a sink in the island, an undercounter beverage refrigerator, a microwave drawer, or other appliances depending on your requirements.

Top Design Trends for Kitchen and Bath Design 2024

Evolution of Color Schemes

While white and gray continue to be popular choices for classic kitchen and bath design styles, color schemes are evolving. The latest focus is on nature-inspired neutrals like wood and earthy tones as well as blues and greens. These colors give your space a grounded feel with an immediate connection to nature.

Natural wood is an ideal choice when you are using high-quality wood cabinetry. It works well with a modern slab-style cabinet door, but equally enhances cabinets with a Shaker style or simple embellishment. Medium and dark wood stains are also growing in popularity as they create a warm, welcoming atmosphere for these rooms. Wood also pairs well with painted cabinetry, such as white or cream, to create the popular two-tone cabinet style.

Top Design Trends for Kitchen and Bath Design 2024

Other nature-inspired colors are also popular for kitchen and bath design color schemes. Greens in shades like sage and olive, or blue tones that echo the midnight sky or your favorite lake all work well in cabinetry, tile, and accessories. They help to create a more peaceful atmosphere in your home and improve the time you spend in these rooms.

Top Design Trends for Kitchen and Bath Design 2024

Hardworking Sinks

Your sink is already the focus of so much work in your kitchen design, but could it do more? From prepping vegetables to stowing dirty dishes during a party, washing pots and pans, and cleaning hands, the simple kitchen sink is a powerhouse. The trend to include workstation sinks takes this one step further. These large, single-basin, multi-functional sinks have accessories that easily fit into the sink at different levels, such as utility racks, wash bins, cutting boards, colanders, and more. This makes it easier to move from one task to the next at the sink and avoid a cluttered mess.

Top Design Trends for Kitchen and Bath Design 2024

Textured and Patterned Tile Designs

Along with color choices, textures and patterns are another way to enhance your room’s design style. Tiled surfaces, including floors, backsplashes, and shower walls are a blank canvas when planning a bath or kitchen design. They can become a neutral backdrop for your cabinetry and accessories or transform into a focal point. This year sees a focus on introducing more patterns in these surfaces, such as herringbone or picket tile, or textures like wave tiles, natural stone, or tiles that mimic natural surfaces. Adding these elements to your design gives it depth and creates a space that appeals to all the senses.

Top Design Trends for Kitchen and Bath Design 2024

Eat-In Kitchen Designs

Most kitchens are used for more than storing and cooking food. They tend to be the place where everyone gathers, from family dinners to sharing a cocktail with guests. Whether your kitchen is enclosed or open plan, including space for dining, creates a comfortable space to gather for meals or a cup of coffee. This is the ultimate family-friendly kitchen design where you can cook and dine in the same space while talking to family or friends.

There are many ways to accomplish this, depending on your available space and personal preferences. Add conversational seating to your kitchen island, as discussed earlier in this blog. Or include a dining table in the kitchen area or as part of an open-plan kitchen/dining space. If you have the room, consider a cozy breakfast nook, banquette seating, or comfortable soft furnishings near a window to create space for relaxation and conversation.

Top Design Trends for Kitchen and Bath Design 2024

Plan Your Ideal Home Design in 2024!

Are you inspired to kick off your home remodeling plans this year? Start thinking about your top remodeling goals, including which spaces need to be updated and what your priorities are for enhancing your home’s style and functionality. Take some inspiration from the latest design trends, but most importantly choose design features that fit your requirements for style, functionality, and budget. Take the next step by planning a visit to our Lansing, MI showroom to browse styles and materials and meet one of our designers!