The son of a building contractor, Hazelton owned a cabinet-making business in San Francisco when he started his TV career.

Bath & Kitchen Pro Publisher Bob Miodonski recently interviewed Hazelton to get his observations on today’s bath-and-kitchen market.

Bath & Kitchen Pro: What have been the biggest changes you’ve seen in baths and kitchens in the 10 years you’ve been on “Good Morning, America”?

Ron Hazelton: The kitchen has become the social gathering place. The days of cooking in the kitchen and eating in the dining room are mostly over. Now we’re seeing one big cooking/eating/socializing area. Walls have come down or have been moved back.

Along with that, kitchens have gained a trophy element with higher end appliances, commercial ranges and more expensive countertop materials that look great. More and more, kitchens are places to make statements.

When you have young children, kids want to be where you are. That’s another reason why combination family room/kitchens are getting more popular.

The kitchen is much more public than the bathroom. Bathrooms have become retreats, almost a mini-spa. They’re not just a place to go to the bathroom and wash your hands. We have steam units, shower systems and Jacuzzi-style tubs. They’re places where you want to spend time. 

BKP: Consumers have become much better educated about baths and kitchens in the last decade. Does this make it easier or harder for contractors?

RH: I think it makes it more difficult because the contractor has to deal with more choices. HGTV is 24/7. There’s the Internet and a large number of shelter magazines. Americans are huge consumers of home-improvement information.

Home improvement has become an entertainment medium. People read home-improvement magazines like they used to read fashion magazines.

So, contractors are dealing more today with consumers who have a preference. They’re going to contractors and, in some cases, demanding to have something they’ve seen. Contractors have to address their demands.

BKP: In today’s market, how can consumers get the biggest bang for their buck in remodeling their bathroom or kitchen?

RH: They should do anything that makes a kitchen more comfortable, aesthetically pleasing and convenient — but not too much to their individual tastes. When it comes to selling your home, what turns you on, may turn a buyer off. 

They should invest in good quality products, but the big things like countertops and cabinets should be relatively neutral. You can express your individuality, although do it in a way that you can take it with you.

I bring colors into a room with accessories. Draperies and countertop appliances are getting more colorful too. 

BKP: Are you seeing more bath-and-kitchen projects that account for an aging population?

RH: Universal living addresses multiple generations. Room designs have to serve everyone from kids to senior citizens who may be losing mobility.

This presents a real challenge. Products have to be aesthetically pleasing because people in the middle aren’t really affected. They don’t want their houses to look geriatric.

Some manufacturers are starting to come around in making these products look more stylish. This trend is going to become more and more significant. As people live longer, they want a home that allows them to live in that home longer.

If they are at or nearing that age, yes, they are willing to pay for universal design. They might not if it’s in the distant future. It’s like paying for an insurance policy. It’s hard to get you to invest if you don’t see an immediate need, like a parent coming to live with you.

BKP: Are consumers willing to pay more for “green” products if they see an environmental benefit?

RH: Up until the last couple years, I wouldn’t say so. Now I see more and more green happening. Green marketing has arrived.

As issues like global warming become more and more central in the news, you see real distressing stuff like rising oceans and melting icecaps. People are thinking this won’t happen in 100 years, but in five years.

Environmental issues are coupled with health issues. Who knows if any of this stuff in our water, air and food is doing things to us? As there’s more evidence that it is, green makes sense as a preservation and health issue. This will bring it home to us, literally.

People want to protect themselves, and morally think they should to help the environment. People will pay for this.

BKP: You advocate fire sprinklers be installed in all new homes. Can you address the kitchen and bathroom specifically?

RH: The whole house should have sprinklers. Most fires happen in the kitchen. Most are related to cooking. Most fatal fires happen at night.

Sprinklers normally are not required in bathrooms less than 55 square feet. Bathrooms should have sprinklers because the water you get from fixtures and faucets is not available to fight a fire. If a fire occurs in a bathroom without sprinklers, you would have to wait until the fire spreads to another room before sprinklers would activate.

Designers should not avoid sprinklers because they think they’re unsightly. That’s a non-issue. The fact is you don’t see them.

BKP: What voice do contractors have in choosing the products they install in bathrooms and kitchens?

RH: Plumbers and other bath-and-kitchen professionals have a point of view to offer. Consumers will respond strongly to a product’s convenience and aesthetics. Professionals should respond to a product’s quality, durability and reliability.

Consumers look to professionals for that kind of advice. Put it all together, and you can’t talk consumers out of something they want for convenience and aesthetics. But they will listen to you.