Kitchen and Bath Show 2025: Highlights and Innovations
Are you wondering what’s next in home design? Well, the 2025 Kitchen and Bath Show in Las Vegas, celebrated the fusion of aesthetics, functionality, and sustainability in the kitchen, bath, and beyond. This year’s event reaffirmed how kitchen design continues to influence the rest of the home. Manufacturers showcased sustainable features emphasizing natural materials, biophilic elements, and eco-friendly innovations, reinforcing the industry’s commitment to responsible design. Are you wondering what’s next in home design? Here are my insights on what is in store for your home from KBIS 2025.
What’s Next in Home Design? Revolutionary Surfacing Trends
Surfaces are finding a new role in home design, Photo by Sharon L Sherman
Surface materials have evolved significantly, not just in aesthetics but also in their applications. The most stunning displays used backlit slabs and indirect lighting systems, highlighting the beauty of both natural and engineered materials. Cambria showcased an impressive use of waterjet technology, creating intricate patterns for versatile applications like shower walls, entryways, fireplace surrounds, and kitchen backsplashes. Surfaces traditionally used for horizontal work surfaces have resurfaced (pardon the pun) as design statements beyond the countertop.
Natural stone is making a strong comeback, while bold patterns and vibrant colors in tiles have officially replaced the neutral, monochromatic trends of the past. Granite is showing up and making some noise. Artistic Tile showcased a beautiful collaboration with Donghia bringing tile to a new level.
Beautiful backlit vanity. Photo by Sharon L Sherman
Innovative Material Combinations
Mixed metal and wood with curved end details are a rising design detail. Photo by Sharon L Sherman
The blending of different metals with wood was a major design highlight. These combinations appeared in cabinetry, vanity systems, and toe kicks, offering a rich visual contrast.
Hardware has become more dynamic, with varied sizes, shapes, and finishes coexisting to create a visually harmonious space. Mixing and matching is all the rage. Combining sizes, shapes, and finishes in one room further accentuates the “zone” design movement. Designers are no longer limited to uniform selections and are customizing design details that enhance rhythm, movement, and texture.
Expanding Sink Materials and Finishes
Color and metals from Native Trails. Photo by Sharon L Sherman
Sinks come in many materials and colors beyond traditional porcelain and stainless steel. Native Trails presented stunning Murano glass sinks. Concrete was a big presence showing up as sinks and bathtubs. The beautiful colors and texture add to the visual storytelling by the materials.
Murano glass sink from Native Trails
Porcelain as pottery in this sink from Kohler. Photo by Sharon L Sherman
Concrete and platinum-finished porcelain sinks are now acceptable options thanks to advanced PVD (coating process where a solid material is vaporized and then reapplied in a condensed form creating a thin durable coating) applications that enhance durability. Karran also showed beautiful metal sinks and a colorful collection of kitchen sinks.
What’s Next in Home Design? Smart and Colorful Appliances
Beautiful custom-colored appliances from True Refrigeration.
Technology is redefining kitchens and baths. New technology is adding colorful options for appliances. Smeg introduced a bold palette of appliance finishes, including ruby red, champagne, black, soft blue, and saffron.
Smeg colorful refrigerators. Photo by Sharon L Sherman
Greens and blues remain dominant, with rich olive tones adding depth to contemporary spaces, but red stole the show. True Refrigeration had a stunning color-washed display in a deep, rich red, while Monogram showed a red leather-fronted unit.
Red leather wine refrigerator door panels from Monogram
AI-driven appliances help home cooks elevate their culinary skills with integrated recipe guidance and automation. SKS has introduced this technology into their ovens along with an easy-to-use recipe and cooking mode display. Every manufacturer has included induction cooking across their product offerings.
Lighting as a Design and Wellness Element
Lighting is playing a bigger role in both aesthetics and well-being. House of Rohl featured breathtaking lighting installations, including works by Frank de Leon and Beacon Lighting.
Lighting from Beacon Lighting
Lighting the interior of cabinets makes everything easier to see. while lighting the exterior of cabinets brings a new depth of design. Backlighting of everything is becoming a sought-after design detail.
Wellness-centered lighting helps mitigate the negative impact of artificial lighting on mental and physical health. Lighting toe-kick spaces combines aesthetics and well-being by maintaining low light levels for late-night visits to the kitchen or the bathroom.
What’s Next in Home Design? Bathroom Innovations and Cold Plunge Showers
Water plays a big role when designing for wellness and well-being. No longer a utilitarian necessity, water is changing the bathroom experience. Bathrooms are evolving into spa-like retreats and water is the vehicle taking them there.
Kohler booth. Photo by Sharon L Sherman
- Kohler showcased a mix of metals and advanced water technology.
- Cold plunge showers, which slowly reduce water temperature from warm to cold are now an option for those embracing cold therapy benefits.
Kitchen Technology Expanding into Other Rooms
Kitchen innovations are influencing other areas of the home. From smart laundry machines to ovens that can suggest recipes for ingredients, the technology of the kitchen is expanding the concept of a smart home. Refrigerator drawers for makeup and skincare and warming drawers for heated towels are proving appliances are moving into new spaces beyond the kitchen.
Kitchen and Bath Show 2025: Energy Management for a Sustainable Future
With energy efficiency at the forefront of design, Savant and Span showed solutions to optimize home power usage. Savant’s system allows homeowners to replace traditional breakers with smart components for real-time power monitoring and control.
Photo by Sharon L Sherman
What’s Next for Your Home?
Some other notable design details you will be seeing.
- Checkerboard patterns are showing up in home accessories, tiles, and fabric patterns.
- Curved shapes in cabinet details are expanding to framed details like arched recesses and tile shapes.
- A muted copper finish is warming up nickel and softening oil rubber bronze and black.
- More spa features like cold plunge, steam, and sauna offerings are getting hot!
If these trends have inspired you, now is the time to rethink your kitchen and bath spaces! Whether you’re planning a full renovation or looking for small updates, incorporating smart design choices can transform your home into a stylish, functional retreat.
Which trend resonates with you the most? Let’s start a conversation—drop a comment or reach out to discuss how you can bring these innovations into your home!
Sharon L. Sherman, ASID, NCIDQ, CID, CKD
About Sharon:
Sharon founded Thyme and Place Design, headquartered in Wyckoff, New Jersey. She’s been practicing kitchen and bath design for over 20 years and is Past President of the American Society of Interior Designers – New Jersey chapter, a professional member of ASID, a Certified Interior Designer in New Jersey, and a Certified Kitchen Designer.
She is a current member of the editorial board of KBB Magazine, the official magazine of the National Kitchen and Bath Association. Sharon received the Kitchen Bath Design News 2022 Innovator of the Year Award. Her award-winning designs and editorial comments have been featured in Forbes, The New York Times, Design Milk, Furniture Lighting and Decor, Designers Today, Bergen NJ magazine, Kitchen & Bath Design News, Woman’s Day, Country Decorating, Design NJ, New Jersey Home Magazine, 201 Magazine, as well as several books. She has authored the Interior Designers Guide to Kitchen and Bath Business Success, available through the website. Sharon is a sought-after conference speaker and CEU provider. You can contact her through the website www.thymeandplacedesign.com.
