TRENDS by Houzz

from The Installer - Issue 10 - Summer 2017

COMPANY NEWS

MARKET INSIGHT BY HOUZZ

The team at The Installer magazine has got together with acclaimed home renovation and design platform Houzz to bring you regular trends and market information. So just what is Houzz?

With more than 40 million users visiting the platform each month, Houzz is the world’s leading platform for home renovation and design, bringing together homeowners, design professionals and design enthusiasts in one powerful online and mobile community.

Houzz launched its UK platform in July 2014, with over one million monthly unique users. Today, more than two million people visit the site and app every month to hire professionals, find inspiration, get advice, engage with the community, source products, and effectively manage a project from start to finish.

There are more than 55,000 home renovation and design professionals, across 60 different trades, using Houzz UK to build their brands via a free professional profile. The profile works like an online portfolio and showcases projects alongside customer reviews, business descriptions and trade associations. It takes less than five minutes to create a profile that can potentially be seen by millions of homeowners, not only in the UK, but all over the world.

Houzz regularly surveys its community to understand which type of home improvement projects homeowners are prioritising, what they are investing in, and what the current trends are. Here’s their latest Kitchen Trends Study that reveals what the 2017 kitchen looks like.

Houzz regularly surveys its community to understand which type of home improvement projects homeowners are prioritising, what they are investing in, and what the current trends are.

For many, a new kitchen means a healthier lifestyle, according to the 2017 Houzz UK Kitchen Trends Survey. The survey of over 3,100 UK homeowners using Houzz, who are in the midst of 

Open-plan living remains popular, with over half of kitchens more open to nearby rooms following renovations (59%). Nearly two thirds of kitchens also gain square footage during updates (63%). With these larger spaces, homeowners spend more time with their families (69%) and entertain more frequently (51%).

planning or recently completed a kitchen renovation project revealed that more than a third of kitchen updaters report a healthier lifestyle post-renovation (35%).

Houzz found that 43% of those surveyed, cook more meals at home as a result of their kitchen upgrade, with nine in ten enjoying five or more home-cooked meals per week (91%). Other significant habit changes post-renovation includes eating more fruit and vegetables (23%) and reducing the amount of takeaway and delivery meals, as a third boast that they are ordering in less (36%).

Open-plan living remains popular, with over half of kitchens more open to nearby rooms following renovations (59%). Nearly 

two thirds of kitchens also gain square footage during updates (63%). With these larger spaces, homeowners spend more time with their families (69%) and entertain more frequently (51%).

Along with these positive lifestyle impacts, most kitchen updates also include a style change (88%). Contemporary tops the kitchen style list for UK homeowners (56%), with traditional and country styles trailing behind (10% and 7%, respectively). Neutral colour schemes are preferred in the majority of kitchen upgrades, with white (50%), grey (18%) and beige (12%) the top three wall colour choices. Green and blue, however, only make modest appearances on new kitchen walls (5% and 4%, respectively).

Professional hiring remains high: Most homeowners hire professionals for their kitchen renovations (93%), including tradesmen (70%), kitchen fitters (49%) and kitchen designers (47%).

The most popular features to replace or upgrade in a kitchen renovation are cabinets (93%), worktops (93%) and taps (90%). Of the 89% investing in appliances, more than four fifths opt for a dishwasher (82%) and fridge/freezers (78%). Among the more unusual appliances, homeowners are choosing boiling water taps (24%) warming drawers (18%) and drink fridges (16%). Many who are upgrading their appliances also opt for hitech features such as colour touch-screen displays (17%) and wireless controls via smartphone or tablet (12%). With such substantial investments, it’s unsurprising that kitchens command big budgets; more than one in 10 homeowners spent over £50K on their kitchen renovation in 2016 (16%) and another 22% spent between £25k and £50k.

Popular pantries: When it comes to built-in features, 40% of kitchen updaters are installing pantry cabinets.

Additional findings include:

• Popular pantries: When it comes to builtin features, 40% of kitchen updaters are installing pantry cabinets and nearly one in 10 make space for a walk-in pantry (9%). More than a quarter of homeowners purchase a built-in wine fridge for their renovated kitchens (29%).

• Professional hiring remains high: Most homeowners hire professionals for their kitchen renovations (93%), including tradesmen (70%), kitchen fitters (49%) and kitchen designers (47%).

• Warming up to wood: Among those updating flooring in kitchen renovations, engineered wood is the preferred flooring choice in 16% of updated kitchens, behind porcelain or ceramic tiles (30%). Of those upgrading worktops in kitchen renovations, 16% opt for a butcher’s block or wood slab and 15% of new worktops sport a medium wood hue.

• Classic colours: Colours that stand the test of time continue to be popular including stainless steel appliances (47%) and white cabinets (31%). Black stainless steel is having a moment and will be included in nearly one in ten of updated kitchens (9%).