Houzz released the results of its 2018 Kitchen Trends Study January 10^th, and it revealed homeowners are obsessed with:

• clutter-free countertops (75 percent)
• ingenious storage options (66 percent), and…
• easy recycling (49 percent).

63% of homeowners said adequate storage was the most important feature in a kitchen, followed by:

• the need for space to easily work, play and live (38%)
• entertain (32%), and…
• clean (32%)

$$$  In order to create the kitchen of their dreams, homeowners are spending big to install pull-out waste or recycling baskets (67%), cookie sheet/tray organizers (58%), revolving corner trays (44%), deep drawer organizers (42%) and pull- or swing-out trays and shelves (42%).

Countertops!  The most common upgrade (94%) is often the item renovators are willing to spend a little extra cash on (42%).  Once the go-to, Granite is falling out of favor with a consecutive three-year decline in popularity.  Now, homeowners, especially those in suburban and urban areas, are turning their attention to engineered quartz (43%).   “Countertops in particular are having a real moment today as homeowners focus on decluttering surfaces for a sleek and tidy kitchen post-renovation.”

Style!  In the past year, 87% of homeowners decided to change their kitchen decor style, with transitional (25%) and contemporary (17%) styles leading in popularity among suburban and urban respondents. Moreover, 50% of remodelers adjusted their kitchen layout, with L-shape countertops (35%) outperforming the U-shape (26%). “Our annual kitchen trends surveys reveal that consumer preferences for products, design, and technology vary not only across urban, suburban, and rural areas, but also evolve over time,” said Houzz principal economist Nino Sitchinava in a statement.

What else should you know before your own Kitchen Re-Do?

Bring tech into the kitchen! TV’s?  Not so much anymore.   Homeowners are gravitating toward home assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home (22%) and wireless and voice-controlled kitchen appliances, which have been on the rise since 2016.

White kitchens rule!  White is the predominant color for backsplashes (36%), countertops (27%) and wall finishes (24%), with each feature growing in popularity six percentage points year-over-year.

Hardwood or Engineered Wood?  For the 73% of homeowners updating their flooring, 53%  chose hardwood or wood-like materials. Although hardwood was the most popular (29%), its popularity has been on a downward slope. Meanwhile, the popularity of wood-like flooring, such as engineered wood or laminate, is on the rise (19, 21 and 24%, respectively).

Cabinets get a shake up!  57% of homeowners chose shaker-style cabinets, followed by flat-panel (18%) and raised-panel (17%) cabinets.

And the best news??

When updating your Kitchen to sell, my Team can help you with Comparative Market Analyses (before and after the renovation!), and what percentage of return on dollars-spent you can expect in your Kitchen Re-Do!

About the study

The 56-question survey gathered information from Houzz users who reported to be 18 years old or older and homeowners. Additionally, respondents were required to have completed a kitchen remodel or addition project in the previous 12 months, to be currently working on one, or planning to start one in the next three months.  The final sample consists of 1,734 respondents with a kitchen project. Additionally, in the instances of by-area reporting for kitchen projects, 309, 402, and 1,016 respondents fell in the urban, rural, and suburban segments, respectively.