The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) is seeking to unravel the current use of the kitchen. For that purpose, they developed a study that, among other things, unravels how technology is changing homes and how the way in which we are currently experiencing the kitchen is molding the preferences in terms of design and remodeling in a market worth $74 million.

The report on segmentation and lifestyle (https://store.nkba.org/collections/research/products/nkba-lifestyle-segmentation-report) was made based on a sample of 800 people with family incomes of $40,000 or higher who had renovated their kitchen or planned to do so between November 2016 and August 2018. The study sheds some light on the attitude and behavior of homeowners towards the kitchen, food preparation, entertainment, kitchen design, and the influence of their lifestyles in the remodeling of that space and the installation process.

Bill Darcy, CEO of NKBA, says that thanks to this study they realized how the lifestyle changes of the consumer impact the real use of the products and services of the industry. “The data provides valuable information for designers, architects, builders, and other professionals about how they provide services to their clients.”

Conclusions to consider

Basically, the findings of the study provide important information to brands, as well as architects and designers, since the same focuses on two segments: cooking and food preparation, and design and technological needs in the home. Here are the most important conclusions regarding those segments:

• Half of all kitchen remodeling projects are initiated by “cuisine enthusiasts” who enjoy preparing healthy food, making sure that preparing the food is one of the best excuses to spend quality time with family/friends.

• The other half of kitchen remodeling projects are initiated by “cooks who work.” These are people with limited time available, who look for help when it comes to meal preparation. In other words, they use frozen food or previously prepared food, thus reducing the time they spend in the kitchen.

• Those classified as “cuisine enthusiasts” are clear about what they want, seek expert advice, and are concerned with their kitchen remodeling project fitting perfectly into their requirements. On the contrary, the segment described as “cooks who work,” tend to trust more designers and architects to get orientation for the remodeling project.

• The majority of the participants of the study (77%) were remodeling their homes to replace old or outdated kitchens.

• The study also analyzed in what area of the kitchen each segment spends more money. More than 90% replaced the countertops, and out that group, 50% chose natural stones such as granite, steatite, slate, or marble. Other investments focused on sinks (87%) and faucets (85%).

• Within the group of respondents, an important segment stood out for stating that they depend more on technology during meal preparation and have a higher storage need in the kitchen.

• The study indicates as well that it is quite common for cooks who look for assistance with the design to lean towards state-of-the-art and larger appliances (84%). Among the appliances replaced were refrigerators (88%), followed by dishwashers, microwaves, and ranges.

• Additionally, the study offers a correlation between meal preparation and entertainment, aside from other activities that take place in the kitchen (invoice payment, chores, and more) and the design, the need for professionals throughout the process, how and where do consumers purchase kitchen products, and more. The NKBA also has a series of interesting reports such as the design and trends report (2017-2018) (https://store.nkba.org/collections/research/products/2018-nkba-design-trends-report) that can provide orientation to designers or architects in terms of the needs of the market. All the reports serve as important tools to focus the work with the final customer.