Outdoor Living Trends - July 2008

Popular home renovation trend in Summer 2008: Make the outdoors an extension of your home

Consumers are not only adding outdoor kitchens, but outdoor living rooms complete with sofas, hearths, and lighting too. Retailers have recognized this need and are offering many more options for outdoor furniture.

Source: Businessweek, June 2, 2008 www.businessweek.com

Cabinet Trends Favoring Clean Lines and Customized Storage

Consumer preferences:

• Moderately contemporary cabinetry
• Cleaner lines, less ornamentation, and lighter stains and paints
• Furniture look remains one of the hottest trends, even after 10 years
• Customized storage, including pull-outs, drawer dividers, deep base drawers, and specialized cabinets
• Some areas of the country are experimenting with exotic woods such as ebony, zebra wood, butternut, and alder
• Stainless steel knobs, pulls, and handles
• Some interest in "touchless" cabinets that are clean and sleek

Source: Kitchen & Bath Design News, June 2008 www.kitchenbathdesign.com

Kitchen Trends - June 2008

6/25/08 - Consumers Tell Us Kitchens are a Top Priority in Today's Homes - Kitchen & Bath Design News. June, 2008

The Top Five Priorities for people who own their home:

1. An all-new kitchen that is beautiful and fun to be in with family and friends.
2. Improved storage options and amounts.
3. A master bath and bedroom suite that are more luxurious.
4. Well-designed spaces that can be customized for each person in the household.
5. A large laundry room/workroom that is convenient but still separate from the rest of the house.

Other Findings:

• Outdoor Kitchens and outdoor living rooms and dining rooms spaces are becoming a priority as people expand their entertaining beyond the typical barbeque.
• Specialty spaces are more in-demand than ever: Sunrooms (36%), extra-large front porch (35%), oversized laundry room (34%), and mudroom (26%).
• Less popular requests right now: Home office, exercise room, playroom, and wine cellar.

Flexibility for the Future:
Consumers are planning for major changes in lifestyle, such as an adult relative moving in to their home (23%) or guest accommodations for grown children and grandchildren (66%). Baby Boomers expect that they will need one-floor living (50%).

Source: As published in the June 2008 issue of Kitchen & Bath Design News; survey results released at the April 2008 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show; survey conducted by Better Homes & Gardens magazine with 2,200 respondents. http://www.kitchenbathdesign.com/print/Ki...