2011 Bathroom Trends

Bathrooms have a brand new look, thanks to these fresh 2011 bathroom trends.

Every year the members of the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) get together to discuss up and coming trends in the marketplace -- More than 100 designers who worked on a kitchen or bathroom during the last three months of 2010 participate in a survey and reveal the hottest styles for 2011. Here, Stephanie Pritchard, a kitchen and bath designer at Middleburg Design Company in Middleburg, Virginia, weighs in on the biggest bath trends of 2011. Don't miss our report on NKBA's 2011 Kitchen Trends.

Bathroom Trend #1: Green Color Schemes
"The trend in color for bathrooms has been softer, more neutral tones, like sea greens, with natural elements like bamboo and stone added to the space," she says. And she's right: While whites, creams, beiges and browns are still the most commonly used colors in bathrooms, green color palettes rose from 14 percent to 24 percent over the course of 2010.




Bathroom Trend #2: Quartz Countertops
A year ago, 85 percent of NKBA bathroom designers incorporated granite into a recent design, compared to just 48 percent for quartz. That gap has narrowed to 83 percent for granite and 54 percent for quartz. "The trend in bathrooms is to create more of a spa-like or hotel-like feel," Pritchard explains. "People are making their homes equipped with the items they love when they go on vacation, such as high-end countertops. They want those aspects of luxury incorporated into their own bathrooms."



Bathroom Trend #3: Vessel Sinks
Under-mount sinks continue to dominate in new bathrooms, but vessel sinks have become the clear second choice among designers, as 51 percent of NKBA designers used them in the final quarter of 2010, up from 39 percent a year ago. "Vessel bowls remain popular due to the switch to a more transitional or contemporay home," Pritchard says. "It creates a cleaner, more calming feel, while eliminating the chance of clutter since vessel sinks are typically mounted on less countertop space."


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Here's a video about how to makeover a small bathroom.