According to a recent kitchen report by Houzz, which looks at renovations and trends from the combined 2017-2019 UK Houzz & Home studies, kitchens continue to command the largest renovation budgets with one in 10 homeowners spending over £30,000 on this room alone. Geographically it’s the south that leads the way as in the last three years, homeowners in the South East were the most active kitchen renovators (24%). Followed by Greater London (15%) and the South West (12%).

The most popular updates include changing the layout (67%) and upgrading the plumbing, heating or electrics (61%). Half of the kitchens also gained some extra square footage (50%).

The main reason for a kitchen change was an outdated or undesirable design or style (45%) followed by an undesirable layout (32%) and old or outdated finishes (32%). The majority take six months or longer to plan their new kitchen while a typical spend was £12,000-plus.

Trend setters

By analysing the most searched items and saved photos, as well as interviewing industry professionals, Houzz identified the following trends:

Waterfall worktops

As kitchen islands continue to take centre stage, homeowners are making a striking feature of their worktops by continuing them over the edge of islands and letting them ‘cascade’ to the floor.

www.brayerdesign.co.uk

The ‘un-kitchen’ kitchen

With many homes embracing open-plan living, kitchens are increasingly integrating small touches of furniture-like elements that reflect the rest of a home’s more personalised decor. We are also seeing a rising trend for kitchens that disappear completely behind bespoke cabinetry, so all functionality is hidden away when not in use.

www.rational.de/en

Colourful kitchens

We see homeowners on Houzz stepping away from the safety of a monochrome palette and kitchens look set to become much more colourful, with searches on Houzz for ‘blue kitchen’ up by 57% and ‘green kitchen’ rising by 54% during 2019. But it doesn’t stop there. Surprisingly, one of the new search terms on Houzz last year was ‘yellow kitchen’.

www.wrenkitchens.com

Bamboo

With a rising interest in all things sustainable, bamboo has seen a rise in interest due to its eco-credentials. As a sturdy and renewable raw material, it often features in the most popular photos on Houzz, used in worktops and flooring. It also cropped up in the most searched terms on Houzz for the first time last year.

www.kitchencraft.co.uk

Natural materials

Homeowners are embracing a natural touch with materials such as rattan, seagrass, willow and cane, often seen in popular photos on Houzz, these materials work well as light fittings, furniture and decorative pieces.

www.sweetpeaandwillow.com

Reeded glass

With a pleasing ribbed texture and teaming beautifully with the colours of the moment – dark greens and blues – it’s unsurprising that designers on Houzz are turning to reeded glass to add some lightness to designs.

www.limelace.co.uk