Kitchen & Bath Design News is the industry's leading business, design and product resource for the kitchen and bath trade.
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38 | Kitchen & Bath Design News | April 2015 T oday's kitchen and bath con- sumers are very clear about the products and design fea- tures they deem as "must-haves," and are all too willing to splurge in order to make their dream projects a reality. That's the key fnding of a major new market research study conducted exclusively for Kitchen & Bath Design News by the Charlotte, NC-based Research Institute for Cooking & Kitchen Intelligence (RICKI). The on- line survey, conducted in February among 315 kitchen/bath dealers and designers, was aimed at pinpointing what consumers want most in their kitchens and baths, and what they're most willing to spend money on (see related Consumer Buying Trends, Page 8; Editorial, Page 5) . According to the survey's fndings, nearly nine in 10 (87%) surveyed de- signers and dealers say full-extension drawers are essential to clients in the kitchens they design and sell. The top "must haves" for the kitchen also in- clude trash/recycling bins, a kitchen island, deep drawers, more accessible storage, custom or semi-custom cabi- nets, LED lighting and a range hood that is separate from a microwave (see Graph 1) . The survey also found that kitch- en clients are more readily willing to splurge on a number of key products, particularly countertops, with more than two-thirds of surveyed design- ers and dealers reporting their clients "frequently" splurge on countertops (see Graph 2) . Islands, cabinets, refrigerators, and cooking appliances are also products for which clients tend to cough up more money, with nearly all designers and dealers in the survey telling RICKI that their clients splurge either "frequently" or "occasionally" on these items. The RICKI survey also found that, when budget-conscious clients take the plunge and spend more on cer- tain kitchen products, they in turn tend to compensate by spending less on other products, most notably automated or "smart features" and decorative hardware. The survey also found that women are much more likely than their male counterparts to splurge on eight kitch- en products: decorative hardware, accessible storage features, sinks, dishwashers, countertops, faucets, cabinetry and cooking appliances. In contrast, men are far more likely than women to splurge on smart features. Almost all of the surveyed design- ers and dealers do kitchen projects RICKI Survey HOT BUTTONS Kitchen and bath consumers are making clear choices when it comes to the products they want most, and those that they're willing to pay for, a KBDN market study reveals. 1 Kitchen 'Must-Haves' % of Survey Respondents Reporting 'Yes' About Their Clients TOP TIER SECOND TIER THIRD TIER 87% Full-Extension Drawers 83% Trash/Recycling Bin 77% Kitchen Island 74% Deep Drawers 73% More Accessible Storage 70% Custom or Semi-Custom Cabinets 65% LED Lighting 64% Range Hood (Separate from Microwave) 49% Granite Countertops 46% Divided Drawer Storage 44% Convection Ovens 43% Sink/Faucet in Multiple Locations 42% Built-In Refrigerator 40% Double Ovens 39% Commercial, Pro-Grade Appliances 25% Space for Ofce or Entertainment 24% Bar Prep Sink 23% Large Dishwasher 20% Automated or 'Smart' Features 20% Induction Cooktops 19% Pot Fillers 17% Warming Drawers 17% Appliance Garages 16% Utensil or Pot Racks 15% Island Cooktop 13% Dishwasher Drawers Designers and dealers working with each generation say Baby Boomers are most likely to frequently splurge on their kitchen projects, followed by Gen X clients.