The 2023 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study found that the vast majority of homeowners incorporate sustainable features during a kitchen renovation (92 percent). Popular choices include LED bulbs (65 percent), energy-efficient appliances (61 percent), water-efficient fixtures (34 percent) and energy-efficient windows (27 percent). Also, nearly half of homeowners opt for a timeless design as a sustainable choice during renovations (47 percent). While the most frequently cited reason for incorporating sustainable options is “long-run cost-effectiveness” (74 percent), making choices that are environmentally friendly is also top of mind for more than half of renovating homeowners (54 percent).
Kitchens continue to command significant investment. After continuous growth over the past four years, median spend on minor remodels increased by 40 percent year over year to $14,000, up from $10,000 mid-2021, and up 75 percent compared to mid-2020 ($8,000). Median spend on major renovations of large kitchens (250 square feet or larger) remained flat year over year at $50,000 in mid-2022.
On the design front, open kitchens made a significant gain, in contrast to last year’s dip. Forty percent of renovating homeowners are making their kitchens more open to interior spaces, up from 38 percent last year, and 20 percent are making kitchens more open to the outdoors.
Additional insights from the 2023 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study include:
Style changes widespread
Consistent with past years, more than four in five homeowners change the style of their kitchens during renovations (83 percent). Transitional remains the top style choice for renovated kitchens in 2023, down two points from last year. Contemporary style also saw a decrease of three percentage points to 12 percent, making it the third most popular style, trailing modern (14 percent). Farmhouse style saw a gain of one percentage point to 11 percent, and traditional increased by two points to 11 percent.
Wood cabinets gain popularity
White cabinets remain most popular in renovated kitchens (40 percent), followed by wood-toned cabinets, which saw a three percentage point gain to 24 percent. Among the 46 percent of homeowners who install contrasting island cabinet colors, blue and gray saw slight declines (24 percent from 26 percent in 2022, and 15 percent from 18 percent in 2022, respectively). Meanwhile, black, medium wood and dark wood saw increases for contrasting islands.
Recessed lights rising
In renovated kitchens, recessed lights gained six percentage points this year to claim the No. 1 spot from under-cabinet lights, with 72 percent of renovators choosing them. Interestingly, however, under-cabinet lights also gained favor, rising by three percentage points to come in a close second (70 percent). Pendant lights saw a slight decline of three percentage points compared to last year. While pendant lights remain the most popular over-island choice (64 percent), recessed lights saw an increase of five percentage points from last year (35 percent from 30 percent in 2022).