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Creating an Elegant Waterfront Dream
Hicksville, NY — Sometimes, some of the best projects start with a complex story. Such was the case with this recent renovation, which involved a tear down and rebuild of the Northport, NY home sited on the shores of Long Island Sound.
The homeowner and builder (Jato Builders) had visited several firms looking for a collaborative kitchen designer who could help bring to fruition the client’s vision for an elegant residence with a coastal design vibe.
“She’s very particular and she just wasn’t making a connection with anyone,” recalls Ellen Lopez, CMKBD/founder/principal designer, EL Design Studio, in Hicksville, NY. “That’s when I received a phone call from a friend and fellow designer who asked if I would be interested in the project. The homeowner came to my studio and we hit it off immediately.”
Focus on the Waterfront
One of the challenges in finding the right designer was finding someone who could navigate the challenges associated with the relatively large space and the homeowner’s wishes. Specifically, she wanted a kitchen that was unique – i.e., nothing ‘cookie cutter’ – with a functional layout. She also wanted a focus on the waterfront and elegant materials and finishes – including those that would play off of the reflective and shimmery chandelier she had already selected to float above the adjacent eating area.
Lopez’s client wanted a design that included elegant materials and finishes – including those that would play off of the reflective and shimmery chandelier she had already selected to float above the adjacent eating area. The breathtaking vista of the Long Island Sound played a significant role in the kitchen’s design.
“The whole design concept actually started with the light fixture,” she says. “We wanted to keep everything elegant to live up to it, yet keep it toned down a bit so it wouldn’t be overpowering.”
The breathtaking vista of the Long Island Sound also played a significant role in the design.
“The view is the focal point,” she relates, adding that the home’s location is very peaceful and serene. “We didn’t want to detract from it.”
To accommodate, a wall of windows and patio doors with transoms and arched mullions stretch the length of the kitchen and into the adjacent dining room. The color palette and material selection also pay homage to the view.
“We wanted to bring the North Shore of Long Island’s color palette into the house, which we achieved with a variety of materials and wood tones,” Lopez explains. The resulting mix of soft, natural tones is accentuated with a perfect balance of accent colors to provide definition and detail.
For example, Cambria Skara Brae quartz countertops and accent walls, which are tucked behind wooden floating shelves, feature dramatic earth-toned veins set against a bone white background that draw the eye around the room and capture the ebb and flow of the water beyond the windows. Its light and dark tones are repeated in the custom EL Design Studio cabinetry, which is accented with Rocky Mountain Hardware and walnut interiors. The former color tone is represented by the perimeter cabinets and the latter is echoed in the island, which is sheathed in a custom finish that reflects the colors and textures of rocks and pebbles outside. To visually minimize its large dimension, Lopez topped the island with a combination of quartz and custom-figured maple. The wood, from Grothouse, is stained dark and rich to add elegance, depth and strength.
“In a sense, the combination of materials tricks the eye,” she states, adding that elevating the wood eases the transition between the surfaces and gives the wood an impressive and stately appearance. “I didn’t want just one giant piece of stone. Instead, the mix of materials, and the light versus dark, is more interesting and inviting.”
Lopez incorporated plenty of seating, a prep sink and the Thermador range into the island. Hovering above, the ventilation hood – built collectively by Birchcraft Kitchens and Grothouse – also includes antiqued mirrors that reflect the water.
The Importance of Work Flow
Because Lopez’s client loves to cook, creating a functional layout was critical…and challenging, given the fact that she had an extensive appliance wish list that included two wall ovens and a 36″ range, two dishwashers, a microwave drawer and a built-in coffee machine. Plus, she wanted a walk-in pantry with entry provided from within the kitchen.
Lopez accented the pantry door with antiqued mirrors to add interest. Plus, the mirror offers a reflection of the water. Inside, the designer included several unexpected details, including glass/wire mesh upper cabinets, open shelves and a wood countertop.
“It took three iterations to find the perfect layout that established a good work flow in an aesthetically pleasing space,” she indicates.
With one wall dedicated to the view, and therefore unavailable for wall or tall cabinetry, the designer focused on creating rhythm and flow with a small work triangle consisting of the Kohler Whitehaven Cashmere farmhouse sink and Thermador range and refrigerator. Tucked within is the Miele coffee machine and a Thermador microwave drawer.
A separate Thermador column freezer is a few steps away on the opposite side of the arched entrance into the great room. Turning the corner, Lopez placed two additional ovens. Across from another arched entrance, this time into the formal dining room, she included a television, countertop with additional storage and the entrance into the hidden pantry, which sits behind the wall. To add interest, Lopez accented the door with antiqued mirrors.
“I created the entry to look like a tall cabinet, rather than a door,” she explains. “Plus, the mirror offers a reflection of the water so everyone, including those seated at the nearby banquette with their backs to the window, can see the view.”
Inside the pantry, Lopez included several unexpected details, including glass/wire mesh upper cabinets, open shelves and another Grothouse wood countertop. 
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Manufacturers Examine Supply Stresses
The DPH manufacturer concentrates on quality product and superior customer service. We are expected to provide both at competitive prices and with as little friction as possible, and I would say, most of us do. However, as we’ve witnessed the ‘Amazoning’ of the marketplace, amplified by a pandemic world, DPH manufacturers are fighting to maintain stability between logical expectations and ‘the Amazon effect.’ While we all appreciate the convenience of an Amazon marketplace, not all products can be treated equally. Unlike some other industries, hardware, plumbing, appliances and lighting often have specific shipping, installation and service needs.
Manufacturers are often viewed simply as marketers and salespeople, but as you may have seen when visiting a factory, manufacturing is a multi-faceted and complex business. Manufacturers in the U.S. and around the world are more tightly bound together through raw materials, labor and freight than may appear from a finished product.
TIES THAT BIND
Raw Materials: These are tied to industries as varied as oil and microchips. Most can be, and are, sourced nationally, but some must be sourced internationally. The flow of these products is regulated by countries, politics and commerce vagaries all around the world. In a normal year, price increases are expected and applied where necessary. In a COVID year, price increases have been compounded by national and worldwide slowdowns in supply, and increases are reflecting the upheaval.
Ben Alliker of HamatUSA explains, “2020 was not kind to many parts of the construction industry, mainly due to increased demand and decreased supply. Appliances and lumber both faced an initial crunch, and appliances remain on short supply and long lead times. For many DPH manufacturers, it was a mixed bag. Kitchen products, unlike a shower valve or new freestanding tub filler, don’t require an extensive remodel project. It’s relatively easy to install a new kitchen sink and faucet into an existing kitchen. Because of a huge number of people staying home across the world, and the relative ease of installation, HamatUSA saw a huge spike in demand over the summer and into the fall for kitchen sinks and faucets – both in the U.S. and in foreign markets.”
Production and Inventory: For manufacturers, this is handled in a wide variety of ways. That is to say some manufacturers work on a made-to-order, just-in-time basis with very little inventory, while others continually produce and maintain large inventories. There are pros and cons to both, but both take deft skills to balance output with demand and costs with profit.
Freight Costs: Costs associated with shipping have skyrocketed. The freight industry has been working throughout the pandemic, putting themselves at risk, but also realizing their undeniable necessity to the buying public. Their charges are reflecting their increased importance. ‘Fuel surcharges’ have become more common. Most DPH manufacturers have decided to keep freight rates as stable as possible, absorb many increases and/or set free freight levels.
LABOR AND SERVICE
Returns and Restocks: There is no easy fix for returns and restocks, which have become a flash point. We know, stuff happens. We all want to make these transactions as painless as possible. However, returns in our segment are not as easy as logging on and printing off a return label or simply scanning a QR code. Returns and restocks are expensive for everyone and cannot be ‘solved’ by simply raising prices to try and speed up the process. The customer changed their mind? It happens. But a faucet, toilet, steam unit, drain or tub cannot simply be Rambo-taped back into its packaging and dropped off. Return transport, reception and inspection, repair (if necessary), repacking (if possible) and return to inventory are only a few of the things that need to happen to a return. But, let’s be honest. We all know that a consumer wants a new product, so reselling product is difficult and frowned upon. What can be done with returned goods in our industry? How many ways are there to reduce, reuse, recycle? Manufacturers are often caught in a difficult position to satisfy consumers even when issues are not manufacturing related.
“Absorbing the costs associated with returns would most likely come with a price increase,” says Barbara Kratus of Infinity Drain. “Ultimately, it’s the consumer who will pay for it in the end, whether it’s Prime delivery or no-questions-asked returns – just as they do now on Amazon or any other online retailer where it’s baked into the price.”
Harris Wattles of Amba Products adds, “Re-stock fees are put into place for a variety of reasons, and a price increase simply to help offset a reduction/elimination of restock fees is not the answer to the problem. Increasing our prices for this reason will only make it harder to compete with other brands, especially the low-cost companies that you frequently see on Amazon, further eroding a company’s image while likely pricing our products out of the market.”
Labor Costs: In manufacturing, these are more competitive than ever. Recruiting, hiring and retaining the best people at every position is not exclusively difficult to showrooms or agencies. Most jobs in DPH manufacturing are not on assembly lines, but rather require trade training or artistic skill.
“Production facilities (during COVID) had less time/resources available for new product production. As responsible suppliers, we had to initiate protocols to keep production teams safe and healthy,” Alliker explains. “That universally meant less people in the factory at one time, and different production schedules, and thus decreased production capacity. We have seen COVID-related delays to the supply chain for new components as they also deal with COVID realities.”
Service: This is the other main component to successful manufacturing. We all remember bad service when we encounter it, and good service doesn’t always get recognized but is expected at all levels. Good service can be a simple smiling voice or a clear instruction about how to turn something on and off. Good service to a consumer can be slowly walking through how to operate a control, or good service can become bad service by not changing out that same control, that is working properly, because the user doesn’t like how the control operates. There is a fine line between the customer always being right and easy, on-site solutions.
Labor Costs: These are now jungle competitive in the field. Skilled tradespeople have never been as busy as they are now. Product support for warranty issues or installation inspections is a critical component in the overall experience of a product offering. Your warranty can be 100 years, but if you can’t get a professional to a job site, it’s not worth much. And we are all dependent upon how professional and experienced the tradesperson working with us can be during the initial installation or follow up servicing.
“I think products that incorporate tech could inspire young people to enter the trades,” says Kratus. “There are incredible innovations in building materials! We have to tout that at all levels of the building process.”
Patrick Weidl of ThermaSol adds, “ThermaSol, like many of us, is reliant on two trades – plumbers and electricians – to install the products. Have their expectations changed? Yes, absolutely. To meet those expectations, we introduced virtual trainings as it relates to product knowledge, installation and general 101s.”
The web runs the world. It would be an understatement to say that the web has gotten us through a lot this past year and we have all learned new angles to using it. It has become indispensable to our everyday lives. You can order a car, a boat, a diamond necklace, your groceries, birdfeed, a towel bar or a potty, all from the phone in your hand.
But as we all know, the web is a catch-22 for everyone selling product, any product, around the world. Amazon and similar companies ruled the web pre-COVID but now all companies have improved their online presence either as a seller or simply as a store window showing off their skills and products. Today, if your store front isn’t well represented on the web, your brick and mortar isn’t going to get the attention it deserves. We’ve all become accustomed to checking out a product or business on the web before we head out to see it. A web search can be simply to see what kind of COVID protocols are in place or to actually see if the product you want is on display or to read reviews of that product or business.
Web views and reviews are, without a doubt, a crucial component to the future of business. We’ve seen how reviews shape the perception of a product or company and how reviewers, paid and unpaid, can affect mom and pop start-ups, large corporations and government agencies, to name a few. The world watches and reads what everyone has to say about a product whether what is being said is true or valuable. They can literally make or break a business. So, we ask, should we raise our prices to be more ‘Amazon-like’?
It’s been a challenging time for all, but the future of construction and renovation is bright, and we are hopeful. 
Kimberly Frechette is the national sales manager at Americh Corporation. She has worked in manufacturing, distribution and sales in the bathroom segment for 30 years. Frechette has been involved with DPHA for 18 years and is a returning Board member.
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Lingering Supply Chain Disruptions Seen as Only Transitory
WASHINGTON, DC — Supply chain disruptions continue to wreak havoc on material prices, product backlogs, freight costs and kitchen/bath project timelines, although current conditions are likely a temporary speed bump rather than a lasting roadblock to future market growth.
That’s the view of most construction market experts, including leading manufacturers, who are forecasting that the current challenges impacting the kitchen and bath product supply chain are transitory rather than permanent, and should dissipate, for the most part, by the same time next year.
Product suppliers – as well as kitchen/bath designers, distributors, home builders, remodelers and others – have been facing a year-long “perfect storm” of surging demand coupled with materials shortages, logistical challenges and global factory shutdowns wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, while remodeling demand is soaring as vaccination rates increase and emerging lifestyles spark reconfigured home layouts, supply-chain disruptions have resulted in acute shortages of critical building products. Supply constraints, at the same time, have caused material costs to soar.
According to the National Association of Home Builders, materials shortages are currently more widespread than at any time since the 1990s, while higher costs coupled with shortages have seen builder confidence in the market decline to its lowest level in a year.
Some 90% of surveyed home builders reported a shortage of plywood, and nearly as many a shortage of windows and doors, according to a recent NAHB survey, which also found that the situation has deteriorated “drastically” since the same time last year. Shortages were also seen impacting a broader-than-ever range of products, including appliances, tile and cabinets, as well as plastic, stainless steel, semiconductors and other components essential to the manufacturing of refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers, microwaves, washers and dryers.
According to the latest Kitchen & Bath Market Index (KBMI), compiled by the National Kitchen & Bath Association and John Burns Real Estate Consulting, supply constraints coupled with rising materials prices and shipping costs are forcing a growing number of kitchen/bath design firms to cope with longer lead times, seek alternative supply sources and increase their prices in an effort to preserve profit margins.
Some 45% of surveyed dealers and designers reported that material shortages and product pricing are affecting project timelines, according to the Q1 2021 KBMI. 60% of surveyed manufacturing firms reported average lead times of six-plus weeks, a significant increase from the previous quarter. 78% of those same manufacturers reported severe capacity constraints – also up from the previous quarter – due to extended lead times on raw materials and significant freight delays. At the same time, 67% of surveyed building and construction firms reported a backlog of three-plus months, with 21% reporting a backlog extending all the way through 2021.
According to Christofer von Nagel, CEO of BSH Home Appliances, the company’s brands – Bosch, Thermador and Gaggenau – “are facing unprecedented consumer demand coupled with global materials shortages and logistical issues that are impacting the supply chain.”
Those factors have caused longer-than-usual delays in delivering appliances (and have made it) “challenging to keep pace with continued high demand,” von Nagel said, adding that fulfillment for some products has recently been four to six months.
“The supply chain is fragile worldwide,” Von Nagel observed. “There are delays no matter where a product is manufactured (and) we expect conditions to be challenging for the foreseeable future.”
“We know this is frustrating for consumers,” Von Nagel added, noting that BSH has hired additional employees, increased production, and constantly monitored and adjusted its supply chain and manufacturing processes.
A growing number of other suppliers have done the same.
For example, in June, Delta Faucet Co. announced a decision to “prioritize production” for certain product brands or finishes, while temporarily pausing production for other collections and finishes. The pause is expected to be in effect until the fourth quarter of 2021, the company said, noting that while it won’t accept new orders during this time, it will fulfill existing orders.
“We estimate that market demand will begin to normalize during the second half of 2021, assuming that consumer spending patterns start to normalize by mid-year,” Electrolux CEO Jonas Samuelson recently told corporate shareholders, adding that capacity and electronic components availability will remain constraining factors into the second half of 2021.
“Because we recognize the situation is not going to change anytime soon, we’re working to be more proactive in alerting our customers to the delays so they can better plan,” Samuelson said. “By this time next year, we anticipate this situation will begin to balance across both demand and the shortages in materials and components needed to assemble the products.”
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Registration Opens for CEDIA In-Person Expo
ALPHARETTA, GA — CEDIA Expo, the platform where technology integrators, designers and construction professionals connect, learn and engage, runs September 1 to 3 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN. The leading residential technology event brings over 10,000 home technology design and construction attendees together with 300+ exhibitors at one of the first 2021 in-person events supporting the technology sector.
“We’re all eager to connect again on a human level and get back to face-to-face events as we celebrate everything we value as a community together again,” said Emerald Group Vice President, CEDIA Expo & KBIS, Jason McGraw.
CEDIA Expo is committed to making both new and established attendees and exhibitors feel connected and engaged by creating fresh programming, show floor activations, education, and training events in a safe, comfortable environment, show organizers noted.
New exhibiting brands include Environmental Lights, a leader in LED lighting solutions; Hisense, a fast-growing consumer electronics and appliance manufacturer that offers cutting-edge televisions and home appliances, and Datum Project Processing, a new to the market and show exhibitor that is participating in the rebranded Launchpad (formerly Innovation Alley).
Crestron, one of the leading complete, engineered smart home systems companies, is also returning to the main show floor. “We have been thrown into this global experiment,” said Crestron Exec. V.P., Global Marketing Brad Hintze. “We’ve had to innovate as a company, but so have our customers and partners throughout this year. It’s been an amazing experience and we’re excited to be back at CEDIA Expo to share our newest innovations and insights.”
DataComm Electronics, an industry-recognized brand name and a leading manufacturer of home theater and HDMI accessories and data/telecom connectivity solutions, also joins CEDIA this year. “I’m looking forward to the in-person CEDIA event in Indianapolis this year,” said Cassidy Jones, president of DataComm Electronics. “We have some new concepts to introduce, and the products really shine when we can talk about and demo them face-to-face.” Jones continues, “It’ll be nice to catch up with the customers and other exhibitor friends we missed in 2020.”
For registration details, visit https://cediaexpo.com/attend/registration-pricing/
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2020 Announces Winners of Global Inspiration Contest
Westwood, USA – 2020 recently announced the winners of this year’s 2020 Global Inspiration Contest for kitchen, bathroom and office designers. Interior designers across North America, the United Kingdom and France submitted their designs using 2020 applications that allow users to create visualizations using real materials and finishes from a wide selection of manufacturer catalogs.
This year’s contest was sponsored by Allied USA, Fotile America and Armony Cucine. There were nine categories that designers were encouraged to submit to, and over 445 submissions were received this year. The winners of each category were selected by an expert panel of judges, with the top three designs eligible for the Voters’ Choice prize.
The winners of the 2020 Global Inspiration Contest for 2021 are:
- Contemporary kitchen: Laura-Lou Fortin from Christian Marcoux Cuisine et Mobilier Design, Canada – 2020 Design Live
- Traditional kitchen: Marie-Pier Durand from Cuisine MT, Canada – 2020 Design Live
- Contemporary bathroom: Aurore Guy from QUADRILLAGE, France – 2020 Fusion
- Traditional bathroom: Chelsea Butler from Cabinets.com, USA – 2020 Design Live
- Any space: Alex Legare Grondin from Dkor.A, Canada – 2020 Design Live
- 360° panorama: David Fitton from Mill Town Kitchens & Interiors, U.K. – 2020 Fusion Live
- Reconfigured office space: Isabel Dunklin from McDowell-Craig, U.S.A. – 2020 Visual Impression
- Flexible office space: Kristen M. Seiner from Tech Valley Office Interiors, U.S.A. – 2020 Visual Impression
- Educational space – Marianne Box from Hertz Furniture, U.S.A – 2020 Visual Impression
- Voters’ Choice – Brittany Hutt from Cabinets.com, U.S.A – 2020 Design Live
2020 Marketing Director Karen Curtis is thrilled with all the submissions received this year. “Our designers are extremely talented, and our contests really showcase how their creativity and expertise combined with our software make beautiful things happen,” says Curtis. “We strive to continually improve our products so that designers can rest assured they are using the best solution on the market.”
To learn more about the 2020 Global Inspiration Contest winners, please visit the contest gallery at https://www.2020spaces.com/2020-global-inspiration-contest/gallery/.
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Business Skills Event Planned
CHICAGO – SEN Design Group, a kitchen and bath industry buying group and business education resource, is accepting registrations for its Business School, to be held in-person at theMart (formerly known as Merchandise Mart) in Chicago. The four-day event – scheduled for July 12-15 and sponsored by Custom Wood Products – empowers business owners and executives in the kitchen and bath industry with the right tools to grow their businesses, according to SEN.
“The Business School is the kitchen and bath executives’ opportunity to move the needle in their organizations. It’s a truly transformational, poignant program that brings industry executives to the next level,” said Dan Luck, SEN Design Group’s senior v.p. “The program covers critical topics to maximize returns, master financials, leverage marketing strategies, improve personnel relations and implement proven methods to quickly and profitably grow kitchen and bath businesses.”
Participants will develop strong strategic planning skills and learn how to manage the business financials, build a successful commission system, learn how to forecast sales, create an effective pricing formula, increase profits, build a powerful sales team, win bank financing requests, develop a three-year budget and more.
But a successful business cannot rely solely on financial and business skills. Kitchen and bath business owners must also advance their personnel management skills, which is why the Business School includes a module dedicated to helping participants motivate and lead employees effectively.
The third day of the intensive program will focus on how to leverage marketing strategies to grow the business. This module will cover strategies to stand apart from the competition, the importance of creating a marketing plan, how to effectively use customer relationship management (CRM) tools, how to implement digital marketing campaigns and creative data-driven analytics to generate more leads.
Visit here to see the Executive Business School program and email Skyler Ille to register for the event. The cost to participate is free for SEN Design Group members and $1,195 for non-members; $995 Early Bird registration by June 30th, 2021.
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Sharp Gain in Cabinet, Vanity Sales Reported Through April
WASHINGTON, DC — Major domestic kitchen cabinet and vanity manufacturers continued to post strong sales gains through April of 2021, according to the latest in a series of “Trend of Business Surveys” conducted by the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association.
The KCMA’s latest survey reflected a year-to-date sales increase of 18.8% through April, when compared to the same four-month period last year. Custom cabinet sales for the same time span are up 22.8% over last year, while semi-custom cabinet sales rose 22.7%, and stock cabinet sales gained 15.4%, the Reston, VA-based KCMA said.
Participating cabinet manufacturers reported an increase in overall cabinet sales of 46.8% for April compared to the same month in 2020. Custom cabinet sales for the month were up 65.8%, semi-custom cabinet sales rose 49.3%, and stock cabinet sales gained 41.8%, the KCMA said.
“The numbers skew high as they reflect the recovery from the height of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown,” a KCMA spokesman said.
Survey participants include stock, semi-custom and custom companies whose combined sales represent approximately 75% of the U.S. kitchen cabinet market, according to the KCMA.
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Oasis at Home
While the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about many unexpected results, the refocus on the home is among the most prominent. Spending so much time at home has sparked a resurgence in remodeling and “changing things up” that rivals the busiest of times.
The bath is a room that has garnered a great deal of attention from weary homeowners, who are craving an at-home oasis that rivals the finest spas. Similar colors, materials and finishes are being favored by people who are looking to remodel the bath, so that a favorite respite can be recreated at home.
Personalization, too, is key to the changes being seen in the bath. Having spent so much time at home, residents are craving spaces that reflect their own personal style. Thankfully, bath faucet manufacturers are answering the call for personalization in the bath.
Among the hottest trends in bath faucets right now are:
–While geometric shapes are still popular, they often sport softer, more sleek and smooth lines, with curves all the rage.
–With a nod toward wellness, hands-free and motion sensor faucets have made it into the bathroom, keeping germs at bay.
–Warm tones, especially muted golds, are in high demand.
–Options abound with regard to faucet handles and spout styles, allowing homeowners to customize their choices.
–Coordinating and matching finishes and styles has returned, and not just in the bath but throughout the home.
–Matte finishes, especially matte black, are in high demand right now, with black sometimes outselling the ever-popular chrome staple.
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Walker Zanger, Opustone Acquired by Holding Company
MIAMI, FL — Mosaic Companies LLC, a major holding company for businesses in specialty wall, mosaic and natural slabs, has announced the acquisitions of Walker Zanger and Opustone Stone and Tile Concepts, a leading pair of distributors of luxury natural and engineered stone slabs and tiles for the North American market. Terms of the acquisitions were not disclosed.
Mosaic is a partnership between Albert Claramonte, the founder of Surfaces Southeast, a leading manufacturer and distributor of specialty wall and mosaic coverings to the home center and specialty retail markets, and The Baupost Group, a leading Boston-based investment manager.
“With the acquisitions of Walker Zanger and Opustone, we are bringing together industry expertise and leading luxury brands to support our strategy of growth and diversification across product categories including specialty and mosaic tiles, floor tiles and slabs, as well as our key channels including retailers, distribution and luxury showrooms,” said Mosaic CEO Glen Morrison.
The 65-year-old Walker Zanger, headquartered in Los Angeles, is a leading designer of luxury tile and stone surfaces aimed at residential and commercial architects, designers, home builders and contractors across the U.S. Founded in 2001, The Miami-based Opustone Stone and Tile
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Industry Sales Projection Revised Sharply Upward by NKBA
HACKETTSTOWN, NJ — The National Kitchen & Bath Association has revised its 2021 industry sales projection to $170.9 billion, up by a substantial 21.4% from last year’s $140.8 billion in kitchen and bath spending, and nearly 8% higher than the association’s initial estimate for the year.
The revised estimate, announced in early July, pegs kitchen and bath spending for new construction this year to exceed 2020 by 28.5%, as builders attempt to keep pace with substantial demand. Kitchen and bath remodeling spending is expected to climb by 12.5%, according to the NKBA, which said it based its projections on a review of current industry conditions as well as macroeconomic factors that are likely to impact business.
“This update is very encouraging and confirms the ongoing robust performance of the design and remodeling industry,” said Bill Darcy, CEO of the Hackettstown, NJ-based NKBA. “This very strong sales forecast is attributable to pent-up demand for new home construction, easing COVID disruptions and a sea change in consumer behavior.
“People will continue to work from home in some capacity, fostering renovation of their space to meet their evolving needs. A tight inventory of homes for sale is also encouraging homeowners to stay put and renovate. That’s good news for our industry.”
Darcy cautioned, however, that there are “a few bumps in the road.” For example, he said, home prices continue to rise, and the cost of building materials is still high, a combination that’s excluding some potential buyers from the market; the employment picture still hasn’t fully recovered to pre-pandemic peaks, and supply-chain disruptions continue to delay jobs and make product sourcing a challenge.
“But most indicators suggest the thriving kitchen and bath market will continue,” he added.
Among the report’s other key findings:
n The industry should see double-digit increases in both kitchen and bath spending. This is a reversal from the industry’s 3.8% decline in 2020, which was driven by an 8.6% loss for remodeling and stagnant growth of just 0.5% for new construction during the pandemic. Bathroom spending will rise by 22.3% in 2021 and will be sparked mainly by gains in new construction, while kitchen spending will increase by 20.4%, led by stronger gains in remodeling.
n Although forecasts for low and mid-range project spending have each been revised upward, “it’s the high-end that will shine,” according to the NKBA, which said that big-ticket projects are expected to surge by more than 28% compared to 2020 (beating the initial 19.8% projection) “as pent-up demand, robust savings and impressive house appreciation encourage homeowners to go the extra mile.”
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