“Australians Spend Record Dollars on Kitchens and Bathrooms” was the headline of the latest report by HIA (Housing Industry Association). The K&B industry is booming, apparently – an unimaginable amount of $6.9 billion was spent on new and renovated kitchens in 2009/10. The new and renovated bathrooms follow the kitchens closely with $4.2 billion. I simply can’t wrap my head around such numbers.
So what is all this money being spent on? What should you put on your kitchen/bathroom wish list?
Join me for a peek into what’s hot and what’s not in the kitchens and bathrooms world.
Benchtops
IN : Engineered stone benchtops were most popular …
… followed by granite benchtops.
OUT: Stainless steel, concrete and timber benchtops are losing their popularity.
Doors
IN: Polyurethane or colour painted doors, along with low pressure laminate doors were the most popular
and there was another door type that also increased in popularity – glass doors and vacuum formed doors.
OUT: roller shutter doors, timber and timber veneer doors are not as popular these days.
Splashbacks
IN: Glass and engineered stone spashbacks were popular in 2010.
OUT: Granite, tiled spashbacks, Perspex coloured and acrylic splashbacks are not as popular as they used to be.
Appliances
IN: hot kitchens have LCD / Plasma TV’s, two-door fridges with icemakers, wine coolers and freestanding stoves.
Tap ware
IN: Lever tap ware, multiple sinks and taps in bathrooms, premium tap ware.
OUT: Budget tap ware is not cool any more 
But then again, has it ever been?
Sinks
IN: Under-mount sinks, double-bowl sinks ….
… and square-form sinks.
OUT: Round bowl sinks and single bowl sinks.
Drawers
Soft closing draws and deep and wide drawers for pots and plates are hot, along with concealed garbage bins.
Acknowledgments: A special thanks goes to the HIA for the report and to Dicken from KitchenIdeas.com.au for the beautiful photos used in this article.
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It’s a good blog. I am planning to build a new house and was looking for some good information regarding my kitchen’s development. I have got many important information from here and really looking forward to get built my kitchen like in the above pic.
Hi Chris,
This is a very detailed post. I’m going to save this link for future reference when I get my kitchen redone. Also, great pictures by the way!
Cody
Were building a new house next month and I have lots of plans for my kitchen but my ideas was mixed up, this post just gave me a clear idea on what to do. Thanks!
I love your comparison of the ins and outs of kitchen design, and of course the photos.
Kitchens have been revolutionized over the last few years, and they have transformed beautifully I must say!
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