Americans are restive consumers who change their perception of what's hip and cool faster than you can say “all the rage.” Yellow becomes the new beige in the blink of an eye. One minute you're installing dark-colored faucets in your baths, and the next minute buyers are running out of your design centers in horror. The trick is to discover trends that are likely to last longer than the next Fox reality show.

We're here to help. You're about to read our latest collection of Next Big Things—all guaranteed to put you in the know. These trends are not about the next finish (despite what trend watchers say, chrome is still king) or the next hot paint color (white is a color!); they are about products that will enhance the way Americans want to live. New products that will soon become must-haves, such as wine coolers for the burgeoning number of wine enthusiasts. Or, as kitchens become the home's most lived-in space, cabinets designed to keep everything in line.

Trend 1:Tile Style

Thanks to imaginative architects and designers, tile is a hot category, showing up in almost every new house built today. No matter your preference, it's all good. Ceramic is and always will be a popular material, and, with the influx of products from Spain and Italy, there are now a lot more stylish offerings. Stone products such as marble and slate are also an option. But the hottest of all is glass. Because of its translucent and iridescent qualities, glass is excellent by itself for adding drama to a kitchen or bath, or it can be paired with ceramic or stone as an accent. And if you're environmentally conscious, many manufacturers offer tiles that are made entirely from glass collected at curbsides and other recycled products such as windshields and stoplights.

AMAZING GLACE: Drawing inspiration from the light-transmitting qualities of ice, the company's Glace sticks are handmade iridized glass. Each 1-inch-by-6-inch piece is made in the traditional method of ladling molten glass into steel molds and then cutting them once they have cooled. The result, the company says, is ancient-looking glass with varied hues of color. The sticks come in four colors. Ann Sacks. 800-278-8453. www.annsacks.com.
SHIMMERING TEXTURES: Made using the “slumping” technique that subjects standard glass to high temperatures to slump into a mold, this product comes from the manufacturer's Textures line. Shown in a subtle “linen” texture, the product measures 5/16 inches thick, but the line may be ordered in a variety of thicknesses, in 31 through-body colors, in virtually any size, in specified shapes, and with a variety of finish options. UltraGlas. 800-777-2332. www.ultraglas.com

Trend 2: Shower Me

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that people shower way more than they bathe—at least, most people do. This means that for millions of Americans, the tub is a wasted apparatus that takes up space and presents an obstacle to climb over. But some manufacturers see this as an opportunity. “The growth in showering will outpace bathing two to one over the next five years,” says Bill Pavilonis, marketing manager for Sterling's bathing and showering products in Kohler, Wis. This growth is partly related to Americans' busy lifestyle, he says. “Today, showering is preferred over bathing, and consumers want to create an environment in their bathrooms that reflects their very active lifestyle,” he says. “Aging baby boomers also prefer showering and not having to step over a high threshold of a bath.”

FLAT LINERS: The manufacturer says that buyers who prefer to shower will appreciate the Ensemble shower receptor because it has a lower step-over front threshold than a tub. Moreover, the easy entrance and exit are safer for aging populations. Measuring 60 inches wide and 30 inches deep, the unit has a lightly textured, slip-resistance bottom for secure footing and a molded draft toward the drain. Left-hand and right-hand configurations are available. Sterling. 800-783-7546. www.sterlingplumbing.com.
ROYALE WASH: Sometimes a relaxing shower is preferable to power washing. For those times, a rain showerhead is the best choice. Measuring 14 inches across, the Downpour Air Royale is the queen of all shower-heads. The unit's air-injection technology draws the surrounding air inside the showerhead and infuses the water with air bubbles for an invigorating shower, the company says. It is available in chrome. Hansgrohe. 770-360-9880. www.hansgrohe-usa.com

Trend 3: Clean Water

The amount of money Americans spend on bottled water every year is staggering—about $4 billion, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in Washington. Whether or not this is money well spent is a question worth asking: Tap water is not as bad as people think, and bottled water can be worse than you might imagine. It is estimated, the NRDC says, that about one-fourth of bottled water is bottled tap water—sometimes with additional treatment, sometimes not—and as much as 40 percent is derived from tap water. Manufacturers believe home buyers can eliminate the middle man and filter their own water at home, which is why filtering faucets are making a splash. “We believe there is a real opportunity there,” says Danette Goen, a product development manager with Indianapolis-based Delta Faucets. Delta has teamed up with PUR Water Filtration Products to bring a new faucet to the market. “Water still varies from city to city, but some have that chlorine taste,” says Goen. “Our new product removes chlorine taste but retains the fluoride.”

CRISP 'N' CLEAN: The Simply PUR Water Filtration System delivers bottled-water quality via an all-inclusive filtration system that coordinates with a variety of the company's faucets, the company says. The unit filters dirt and rust, reduces 32 potentially harmful contaminants, and retains beneficial fluoride. A light indicator on the faucet notifies homeowners when the PUR three-stage filter needs to be changed. Delta Faucet Co. 800-345-3358. www.deltafaucet.com.
FILTER THIS: The manufacturer's popular Chateau faucet now comes with an integrated filtration system featuring ChoiceFlo that allows consumers to get both filtered and ordinary tap water from their kitchen faucets with no attachments. The product is essentially one faucet spout with two water options that are controlled via a separate handle. It uses an activated carbon block filter that lasts six months, says the company. Moen. 800-289-6636. www.moen.com.

Trend 4: Cool It

Time was, only the pretentious, the rich, or the French would be caught dead in a conversation in which the words “varietals” and “sommeliers” were bandied about. But these days even America is lousy with wine enthusiasts. “There are some numbers that have been coming out over the last year which tell us that wine consumption is rising fast,” says Steve Stevens, associate editor of The Wine Report magazine in Atlanta. “The most striking might be the Gallup poll from last year which found that 39 percent of Americans said wine was their favorite alcoholic drink as opposed to the 36 percent who said beer was their favorite.” This love of wine is good news for vintners, but it's good news for wine storage manufacturers as well. Jeff Wimberly, director of sales and marketing for the home products division of Perlick Corp. in Milwaukee, also attributes the growth in wine storage products to the overall size of new homes, the trend toward home entertaining, and attractive new products in the genre.(see page 70)

WIDE LOAD: The manufacturer's new undercounter wine cellar measures an impressive 30 inches, which allows users to store more in a small space. The Chateau Collection wine cellar features glide-out shelves faced with select maple, which can be painted or stained to match surrounding décor. It includes electronic thermostatic temperature control, forced-air ventilation, and a whisper-quiet compressor that is the most powerful in its class, says the company. Marvel Industries. 800-428-6644. www.lifeluxurymarvel.com.
TRIPLE PLAY: A serious party family could find a use for this 72-inch, three-door wine cooler. The cabinet has three separate compartments, each with its own door. It is available as a stand-alone design statement in stainless steel, or it can be built into surrounding cabinetry, using a version with galvanized top and sides. A variable-speed compressor provides ultra-quiet operation and energy savings, the company says, and adjustable full-extension shelving glides all the way out for easy access to beverages. Perlick Corp. 800-558-5592. www.bringperlickhome.com.
SMALL FRY: So your buyers have only a small space but still want a wine cooler? Give 'em this new 15-inch version. This compact unit holds wine in a single compartment and has the capacity to hold up to 26, 750-milliliter bottles. It has six natural cherry wood–faced, roller-glide wire shelves that pull out to three-quarter extension, a quiet compressor, and a double-wall, tempered glass door. Sub-Zero. 800-532-7820. www.subzero.com.

Trend 5: Storage Space

We've heard it all before about cabinets: Buyers want fancy glazes; they want contemporary door styles; they want Old World hardware; and so on and so on. But these things don't really mean much if home buyers aren't able to store all of the junk they accumulate. Now that the kitchen is officially the heart of the home, the room is used more for gathering than it is for cooking. No wonder the need for organization is driving this year's cabinetry design trends, says Jasper, Ind.–based Aristokraft Cabinetry. In research conducted with consumers in key markets such as Los Angeles and Boston, the company found that buyers hate wasted space and prefer to fill in all possible surfaces with storage solutions. In addition to Aristokraft, manufacturers such as Timberlake Cabinetry, Kraftmaid, Wellborn, Omega, and Quality Cabinets have recently introduced storage options and accessories that are sure to bring order to the lives of many buyers.

SUPER CAB: The manufacturer says its new SuperCabinet is ideal for maximum storage even if the kitchen is small. Available in all of the company's wood types, the cabinet has door storage, two wire pullout baskets, and three extension trays, each of which holds up to 45 pounds. It is ideal for storing small appliances to reduce countertop clutter, the company says, and can be selected as a 30-inch or 36-inch base cabinet. Aristokraft Cabinetry. www.aristokraft.com.
AS YOU LIKE IT: The manufacturer says this multipurpose room shows the versatility of its storage accessories and pieces and can accommodate miscellaneous items and activities. The cabinetry can match the cabinets in the rest of the home to keep a consistent and connected look throughout and can be used for crafts, sewing, scrapbooking, and even tying fishing flies. No custom designs were used to create the room, the company adds. Merillat. 517-263-0771. www.merillat.com.
EASY DOES IT: Say goodbye to the unsightly yellow recycling bin in the corner. Timberlake now offers factory-installed wastebasket and recycling bins in its base cabinets, which allow easy and discreet access without having to sacrifice space under the sink, the manufacturer says. And for other storage needs, the company now offers a 3-inch pullout cabinet with three shelves for small bottles. Timberlake Cabinet Co. www.timberlake.com.

For more product information, visit ebuild, Hanley Wood's interactive product catalog, at www.builderonline.com or www.ebuild.com.