NKBA & HPMA Kitchen, Bath & Whole-Home Design Study

Key Takeaways:

The research explores five core areas shaping residential design:

• Project Evolution
  How single-room projects expand into multi-room and whole-home engagements, including where broader projects begin and what drives clients to expand the scope of work.
  
• Designer Roles
  How designers lead, coordinate and collaborate as project scope expands, and how their responsibilities evolve when working across multiple spaces.
  
• Business Opportunity
  Where broader project scope creates new opportunities for designers—and where client budgets, pricing, time, capacity and coordination can create barriers.
  
• Professional Networks
  The growing network of specialists involved in whole-home projects and how designers work with builders, architects, contractors, trades and other professionals while maintaining the broader design vision.
  
• The Future of Design
  How technology, AI, personalization, collaboration and changing client expectations may shape the next phase of residential design—and what designers need to stay competitive.

Additional Topics Covered

• The report also examines the rooms and project types that can serve as gateways to broader residential engagements, who leads and coordinates whole-home projects, how specialized expertise fits within a broader design approach, and the resources and professional development designers need as their businesses and roles continue to evolve.