Kitchens in U.S. getting bigger, greener

Homeowners continue to want larger kitchens, and now they also increasingly want eco-friendly materials for their floors and space for recycling centers, according to a new survey.

These are among conclusions in the latest Home Design Trends Survey of members of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), based on kitchen and bath trends during the fourth quarter of 2006.

In bathrooms, upscale features also are making big gains in popularity — they range from radiant-heated floors to multiple-head showers, the survey says. Whirlpools, it seems, are losing favor.

There may be a national slowdown in the housing market but not in home remodeling and renovation projects, according to the survey, which interviews a panel of 500 architecture firms working mostly in the residential sector. Of those firms, 38.5 percent of respondents report kitchen and bath remodeling.

Kitchens have evolved into just about the most popular room in the home and there's a strong desire to open them up for entertainment and other uses of your living space.

AIA spokesman Scott Frank explained that the upper-end appliances mentioned by 65.2 percent of respondents are defined as having one or more of these characteristics: being energy-efficient, compact or custom built-in, or using stainless steel.

The category of renewable floor materials includes bamboo, natural fiber carpet, cork and stone, he said. He added that people are very interested in eco-friendly features because they're not only in tune with current green trends but they're practical assets to add to a home.

For bathrooms, accessibility and universal design helpful for an aging population are on the rise, noted by 47.5 percent of respondents.

Lisa Stacholy, was one of the residential experts on the survey panel. "I've had more people asking for steam showers ... and for showers that are twice as big that you can use as a minispa — in a couple of cases they've had built-in benches of ceramic tile with teak mats to sit on."