10 Design Trends for New Kitchen and Bath Products in 2024

10 Design Trends for New Kitchen and Bath Products in 2024

Many product manufacturers use the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) and International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Las Vegas to debut new products and features. This year’s events, combined as Design and Construction Week, drew 117,000 attendees to 2,400 exhibitors spread out over 1 million net square feet of indoor and outdoor space. And each year, walking the vast halls, overhearing buzzwords and seeing which displays attract the big crowds can be a little like gazing into a crystal ball that shows where home design is heading. Here we highlight 10 home design trends at the 2024 show, held Feb. 27-29. Look for more stories in the coming weeks for deeper dives into the latest kitchen and bath products and features.

1. Health and Wellness

By far the most-talked-about trend happening in the kitchen and bath world is a tripling down on health and wellness. Anything to nourish, rejuvenate and calm the body is getting full attention.

Few things drew more oohs and aahs at the show than Kohler’s new Anthem+ shower system. It allows homeowners to create a shower with up to 12 water output points plus add steam, controlling everything from a single digital interface. A setup might include multiple body sprays, shower heads and handheld sprayers as well as a steam function for the ultimate spa-like shower experience. The system is available now, and more features, such as lighting control and sound capabilities, will be added later this year.

At last year’s show, several steam features garnered lots of attention. This year, it was saunas turning heads. In December, Kohler announced it had acquired Klafs, a German home sauna company. On display at the show was its newest creation, the S11 sauna, which was designed in collaboration with the famed Studio F.A. Porsche (yes, of sports car acclaim). It combines dry heat with sound and lighting features to create a soothing experience.

Perfect Wellness, a New York City offshoot of Italian company Effe, also showcased a new home sauna. The company also offers Finnish-inspired outdoor sauna cabins.

Purified water played an important role at this year’s show. Delta announced the Clarifi shower head filter, which reduces water impurities such as chlorine and sediment, which may cause dry skin and hair. The filter arm attaches to existing supply lines and shower heads. It will be available in winter 2024.
Similarly, Kohler’s new Cinq filtered water shower head uses five layers of filtration, including activated charcoal, to remove toxic metals, chlorine, sediment and other impurities. The filters need to be replaced every six months. A built-in dial reminds users when to replace the filter.
Reverse osmosis also was a topic of conversation at the show. Delta announced its Clarifi tankless reverse osmosis system, which filters out from drinking water more than 90 contaminants, including lead, microplastics, chemicals, PFAS, pharmaceuticals, nitrates and heavy metals. There’s also a feature that adds minerals some homeowners prefer for taste and feel, such as magnesium and calcium. It will be available in winter 2024.

Likewise, Brizo announced its Pristive tankless reverse osmosis system. It also reduces more than 90 contaminants from drinking water. It features, like the previously mentioned Clarifi, a slim design that takes up less space than a traditional tank system. Pristive also features remineralization and will be available in fall 2024.

2. Beauty

Of a piece with health and wellness is a trend toward beauty features and products. Exemplifying this is Kohler’s new SpaViva hand shower, which features two spray types as well as attachments that magnetically dock to the shower head and rotate at three speeds. A face brush attachment features small, densely packed silicone bristles to deep-clean pores. A body brush has large silicone bristles. A body massager, shown here, features five massage points. A body scrub attachment exfoliates skin. SpaViva won the gold in the Wellness Trailblazer category at the Best of KBIS 2024 awards.

Here’s a look at one of the silicone bristle scrubbing attachments in Kohler’s new SpaViva hand shower head.
Kohler also launched the Collage medicine cabinet. Configurations can include interior and exterior lighting (you can control the brightness and color temperature of the exterior lighting), as well as integrated power outlets, accessory and makeup storage bins, and side cabinets with tinted glass doors.
Here’s a look at the makeup storage and organization solution inside Kohler’s new Collage medicine cabinet.

3. Vintage Looks

Sometimes looking forward requires looking back. Several brands announced new styles with decidedly vintage looks. Perrin & Rowe’s new Southbank collection of kitchen faucets draws on the midcentury architecture of London’s South Bank neighborhood. The faucets have curves and contours that echo midcentury furniture as well.

Last year, for its 150th anniversary, Kohler launched the Heritage Colors collection, dipping into its archive and reviving two original colors, Peachblow and Spring Green, for sinks, tubs and toilets. Now the company has expanded the collection to include three archival green hues — Fresh Green, which launched in 1971; Aspen Green, shown here, which is from 1978; and Teal, from 1987.
Franz Viegener debuted several kitchen and bath faucet collections, including Groovy, shown here, which channels the 1960s with a grooved, retro look.
Moen’s new Smyth line takes inspiration from architectural details found in the 1925 Cleveland Public Library building to combine contemporary and vintage styles. Fluting on the turned handle recalls furniture knobs, and the rounded-square spout evokes Shaker design elements.

In fall 2023, Kohler announced new collections designed in collaboration with popular interior designer Shea McGee of Studio McGee. Working with an archival historian at Kohler, McGee dove deep into the company’s archives to integrate timeless details. The new Malin vanity, shown here, leans on classic Shaker style and includes reeded fronts, delicate door framing and mushroom knobs.

For the Seagrove vanity, McGee channeled midcentury modern style with tapered legs that have beveled edges and curved profiling. Drop-ring pulls sit flush with the cabinet front. The vanity comes in double- and single-sink formats in various sizes and two colors. The Light Clay finish, shown here, is a warm neutral hue.

4. Bridge Faucets

Speaking of vintage looks, it’s hard to deny the comeback of bridge faucets. This typically traditional style is seeing a resurgence of popularity with updated details that root it in the modern world.

Kohler and Studio McGee collaborated on the new Edalyn kitchen faucets, which include a bridge model, shown here. It features elegant curving detailing.

Perrin & Rowe’s previously mentioned Southbank collection includes a bridge faucet, shown here in a polished chrome finish.
Delta launched its Renaldi kitchen collection with a bridge faucet inspired by classic columns. It will be available in fall 2024.
Riobel is taking a sleek, modern approach to the classic bridge faucet in its new Lateral collection.

5. Details, Details, Details

Sometimes it’s the subtle details that can make a product special. A look at products launched at KBIS 2024 reveals that product designers are obsessed with the little details. It was almost impossible to walk 10 feet at the show without hearing words such as chamferedchanneledknurledflutedhexedfacetedetched and hammered.

Kallista launched its new ONE Collection x P.E. Guerin, which features hand-hammered details on the handles. The faucet shown here, from the collection, is in unlacquered brass and polished nickel.

Fantini’s new Venezia line includes Murano glass handles in various colors and styles. Shown here are handles with multifaceted detailing.
As at last year’s show, knurls seemed to be the buzzy detail showing up on a wide range of metal finishes. Pfister debuted its Hillstone bath collection, which includes the faucet shown here with knurled detailing on the handles.
Ruvati revealed its new HexBottom workstation sink, shown here. The bottom of the sink features an etched geometric print with a subtle texture that protects against surface scratches.
Here’s a detailed look at the etched detailing on Ruvati’s new HexBottom sink.

6. Warm Neutral Countertops and Surfaces

As we noted earlier this year in our 2024 design predictions, homeowners are craving warm neutral colors in their rooms, rather than the stark whites and cool grays that dominated in recent years. This shift is also evident in many new countertop and surface styles launched at KBIS. Instead of crisp white backgrounds on surfaces, there were lots of warm creams and taupes. Caesarstone’s new Gold Finch quartz, shown here, is a good example.

“It’s evident that homes, especially kitchens, are undergoing a transformation, shifting away from the starkness of cool whites toward a palette imbued with color and warmth, evident in both remodels and new construction projects,” said Summer Kath, executive vice president of design at Cambria, in a press release. The quartz surface company launched several new warm neutral styles, including Annaleigh, shown here. The new products are available for preorder now.
Laminam, a porcelain surface manufacturing company, debuted several warm styles. Here’s Cristallo Gold in the new Diamond series, which is available now.
Neolith, a sintered stone company, debuted its creamy Calacatta Roma style, used here for the walls, flooring and countertop.

7. Sustainability and Eco-Friendliness

Sustainability, recycling, conservation, eco-friendly processes — these topics have been in a lot of design conversations lately. And it’s clear that manufacturers are paying attention. These topics often were the first ones to arise when visitors entered booths at KBIS.

Kohler’s WasteLab, a waste reuse division, announced the Vox sink. It’s the company’s first sink to be constructed of more than 70% recycled materials, including ceramic and cast iron waste left over from the manufacturing of other products. The sink is handcrafted and has a stone look.

Also from Kohler’s WasteLab, in a collaboration with artist Nada Debs, is the new Transcendence tile collection. The tiles are made nearly 100% from recycled materials and feature a pattern based on archways common in Turkish baths. The tile won silver in the Sustainable Standout category at the Best of KBIS 2024 awards.

Silica, and how to reduce it in engineered countertops, was an important topic among countertop and surface manufacturers at KBIS. Silica is a mineral common in quartz, and when not safely handled by workers during the cutting of countertops, it can lead to health problems. Wearing a mask and cutting quartz surfaces with water can help mitigate the problems, but companies are quickly shifting to processes that drastically reduce the silica content in the slab surfaces before they reach fabricators.

With that in mind, porcelain, a naturally silica-free material, is emerging as a popular countertop and surface choice. It’s heat-resistant and stain-resistant and can be used outdoors. It also can be cut thin enough to be used as flooring. Caesarstone added seven new looks to its porcelain Ooak (One-of-a-Kind) collection, including Marenstone, shown here. The new colors will be available in spring 2024.

All of Laminam’s surfaces are porcelain, and therefore silica-free. Shown here is the new Arabescato Gold style from its I Naturali collection, which mimics the looks of natural marble stones found in Italy, Brazil and Spain. The collection is available now.
Neolith, the sintered stone manufacturer, announced a silica-free line coming in June 2024. It will launch with two styles, Arctic White and Abu Dhabi White, both shown here.
Silestone launched its XM line, which will have no more than 10% silica. Its first collection is the Parisian-inspired La Chic Boheme. The Blanc Élysée style is shown here on the island, countertop and backsplash.

Appliance manufacturers are also tackling the environmental impact of their products from a variety of angles, including reducing the products’ energy consumption and emissions and “greening” their materials.

One potentially revolutionary technology unveiled at the show is featured in the 30-inch panel-ready SlimTech Insulation column refrigerator from JennAir, shown here, which won gold in the Game-Changing Innovation category at this year’s Best of KBIS awards. Its doors have a proprietary powder vacuum-sealed interior that removes the need for bulky polyurethane foam insulation. Not only does the new material dramatically reduce the wall thickness and allow for more capacity inside the refrigerator (among other consumer advantages), but it also has the potential to be recycled at the end of the refrigerator’s life — something that up until now has been a challenge with refrigerators. The insulation technology will be available in select JennAir column fridges later this year.

8. Seamless Kitchen Appliances

While colorful retro refrigerators and ornate gas ranges were eye-catchers at the show, many of the newest and buzziest products from major appliance manufacturers have been designed to fly under the radar. Picture wall ovens in understated matte black or satin stainless finishes, and refrigerators and dishwashers concealed by panels, all sitting completely flush with surrounding surfaces to create a sleek, seamless, contemporary look.

Miele’s ArtLine design line, which debuted at the show, is a good example. Shown here are appliances from the line in a new Obsidian Matte Black finish. Available this spring, the black glass-fronted appliances have a velvety glass finish and a sleek profile thanks to their handleless design and integrated displays.

9. Small-Space Appliances

The general trend of small-space living, whether in backyard accessory dwelling units (ADUs), tiny houses or urban condos, is translating to high demand for compact appliances — and expanded offerings.

At this year’s show, Smeg showed off this newly available 24-inch Professional series induction range, and Sharp had a display kitchen featuring 24-inch-wide appliances. Look for more examples and more appliance trends spotted at this year’s KBIS show in an upcoming article.

10. Cool High-Tech Features

One of the buzziest booths at KBIS was the small but mighty booth of FreePower. The company creates a wireless charging device that can be integrated into any countertop material. It says that if a fabricator can cut a hole for a sink, it can precisely fit a FreePower system in the space. The system can charge up to three devices at once; it shows a lighted box through the surface when charging and disappears when not in use. It can go into a kitchen countertop, as shown here, a bathroom countertop, a nightstand, a home office or any stone or engineered surface in a home. The system won the Best in Show award during the Best of KBIS awards, and is available now.

Here’s the FreePower device used in a nightstand.
Ruvati drew crowds to a nifty glass rinser feature in its new wet bar workstation sink. Bartenders and restaurant workers might immediately recognize the usefulness of this feature. Place a cocktail tumbler, beer glass, wineglass or coffee mug facedown on top of the fan-like area, press down, and jets of water blast the interior of the cup from below.
Kohler’s new undulating Rista sink is 3D-printed in ceramic and hand-finished by artisans.

Many of the newest appliances in both the kitchen and laundry spaces are “smart” — for instance, a washer that’s able to automatically gauge and dispense the precise amount of laundry detergent for optimal cleaning, or an oven that users can preheat via an app.

At the show, some of the latest ovens functioned like kitchen assistants. For example, the Signature Kitchen Suite 30-inch double wall oven, pictured here, from the new Transitional series, has a built-in camera combined with artificial intelligence technology. It can identify ingredients placed inside, offer recipe suggestions through its ThinQ app, then let users monitor the dish as it cooks. The camera can even take snapshots and capture time-lapse videos that users can post to social media.

What would a bath exhibition be without a high-tech futuristic toilet? Last year, Kohler debuted Numi 2.0 in a black finish. This year, it brought a white finish to the luxury toilet. The toilet has voice control functions, a heated seat, various wash modes with water pressure and temperature settings, a dryer option, a night light and automatic cleaning with UV light and electrolyzed water. The seat opens automatically when you walk up and closes when you leave.

Suzanne Ennis contributed to this article.