Many of the amenities discovered in the latest kitchen trends feature home technology. Here are five defined in National Kitchen’s recently released influential 2024 Kitchen Trends Research Report.
As I noted in the previous article, the NKBA is a professional organization with 50,000 members, including designers, distributors, renovators, installers, and manufacturers, and produces annual studies like this one on design and renovation trends. Those that specify kitchen products have been included in this report. (I’ve been a member for about two decades, but this is just one of the many leading industry associations I consult for my research. )I reached out to other designers who had the opportunity to review the report and asked them to send an email about the growing role of smart home generation in their kitchen projects.
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, it’s worth noting what Sacramento architect Nar Bustamante shared in his remarks. While he’s excited about the advancements that will be made in smart devices, he says some consumers have a learning curve that can save them. from generation to full potential. That said, some features don’t require any setup or usage effort and can be very useful for users, he notes.
“A lot of devices now have monitors for emergency power outages, leak detection, and Wi-Fi connectivity, so we can now see a device’s functionality from our phones,” Bustamante says. The leak detection feature warns the homeowner that there is water where it is not and that it wants to be treated. Some leak detection technologies can shut off the water (depending on the customer’s plumbing system).
“We’ve been taught to forget about a lot of those alerts, because they also happen in a way that allows us to be wary of technology,” he says. However, he points out that since sometimes disruptions occur when we are away from home, this will help him avoid incidents in the long run. It’s an alert category you don’t actually need to turn off, given that flooding and frost damage are the third most common insurance claim. This is especially true for vacation homes or rentals.
Refrigerators are a major component of the resilience debate. “Key generation functions will be related to safety, adding backup force, leak detectors, and food reserve generation,” the report predicts. Food preservation takes on greater importance as food costs continue to skyrocket. , increase considerations about ethics and sustainability issues related to waste, and force networks down due to excessive weather or other issues.
Vicky Serany, a designer from the Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, area, describes refrigeration as “the unspoken hero of our kitchens. “It is inspired by what the industry has released so far. “Appliance brands have done a great job of keeping our food preserved and safe. »
After maintaining family food stocks, convenience is another desired feature. “The new generation of refrigerator food stocks will make menu recommendations and shopping easier,” the report states. He adds that the new and expanded cooling features will offer flexibility to homeowners. About one-third (36%) of owners need to take advantage of those stock technologies and menu recommendations, it reveals. (This trend is very likely to skyrocket as there are more Gen Z virtual native homeowners. )
A big trend in smart refrigerators is the flexible drawer that can be expanded as needed, from refrigeration to freezing to wine storage. While 74% of specifiers say they would like to improve refrigerator functionality, an increase in the number of flexible refrigerator models and even remote mode settings will be welcome in this category.
“Cooking appliances are popular,” the report says, with 87% of respondents mentioning it. Technology helps make this happen. ” Kitchen appliances will have built-in cooking functions, such as air frying and steaming,” he notes, and 71% of respondents need these appliances to offer reduced cooking times and exact control.
About a portion (47%) of home chefs expect to access their ovens or tiers from mobile apps!Programmable cooking functions for delayed starts are a desired feature for 37% of respondents, and 21% expect those appliances to be voice-controlled. activated.
Steam is particularly strong in ovens, often combined with convection. Instead of connecting plumbing lines to those fixtures, many designers and homeowners opt for tank models that can be filled seamlessly and reduce installation and maintenance costs. Customers are extremely satisfied with these devices,” says Serany. Maybe our culture is to reheat leftovers, but for many that food tastes better when cooked in a steam oven. “
Bustamante is also bullish on Steam, which he considers the most sensible of his wellness lists. “Steam ovens offer a more uniform and moisture-producing cooking method, where the chances of overcooking are minimized and nutritional value and freshness are preserved, preserving the integrity of the food. “
According to the report, one of the inventions added to kitchen appliances is traditional settings and controls. These can control temperature accurately, schedule delays, and remote starts. The ability to track your progress in the kitchen using a phone app or tablet is definitely something else. Smart home trend to consider.
Some apps will alert you if you’ve left a recorder on. Some will allow you to upgrade your stove or oven remotely as the manufacturer adds new features. One of the incredibly popular first features is the addition of air frying to some convection ovens. The ability to do so incentivizes owners to enable connectivity with the manufacturer. Remote repair diagnostics are another incentive, but perhaps not as appealing as getting a whole new approach to cooking in time for your vacation entertainment.
The report has a segment that points out trends that are disappearing. Stovetop microwaves were the most cited (45%). They’ve never been present in luxury kitchens (except perhaps in small apartment kitchens in Manhattan or San Francisco) and they’ve also lost appeal in many upper-mid-scale projects. Specially installed in fuel stoves, which are found in many homes, they are a hazard to protection. They also tend to offer noisy, under-ventilation (a big fear compared to fuel burners!). The steam oven or drawer convection microwave are our favorite approaches in our designs,” says Serany.
“Speed ovens and steam ovens are also wonderful for reheating,” says designer Sarah Robertson of Westchester County, New York, north of the city.
Bustamante sees steam as an ideal alternative. Reheating and defrosting food has replaced steam ovens: the microwave is no longer the only option. He says he doesn’t even install microwaves in many of his projects right now. “The steam oven goes to the top!”
“Hands-free faucets are adapting to the new normal,” the report states, with 57% of respondents opting for motion-based activation, 55% opting for an elbow or arm pressure model, and 21% opting for voice activation. About a portion (46%) of respondents agree that hands-free is adapting to the new normal.
Robertson releases his hands to the other end; She is one of the 9% of respondents who prefer pedalArray. The New York-area designer specifies a water valve fixed to a leg, he says. “It can be installed on any faucet and does not require electrical power to operate. It’s simple, it’s easy to install, and it saves a lot of water!(Anyone with a giant pot of pasta in boiling water can appreciate this convenience. )
Voice control is another way to bring hands-free functionality into a kitchen, where most hands-free faucets are installed in homes, Serany notes. They don’t work as well as we’d like; Artificial intelligence will most likely make them smarter in the coming years.
The growing popularity and presence of smart generation in renovated kitchens is prompting design professionals to partner with smart generation integrators. It’s not unusual for one of these experts to get involved in high-level work early on. You’ll be surprised that they take it to your architect’s, designer’s, or general contractor’s technical spouse before it’s even finished.