Earlier this month, Houzz released its 2023 Kitchen Trends Study—and with it, lots of information about the way homeowners are thinking about design. Below are the takeaways for what’s trending in cabinets, courtesy of the Houzz team—think: sustainability, flat-panel cabinet doors, wood cabinets, recessed lighting and more. Some food for thought for your next kitchen project.
The vast majority of homeowners (92%) incorporate sustainable features during a kitchen renovation. Popular choices include LED bulbs (65%), energy-efficient appliances (61%), water-efficient fixtures (34%) and energy-efficient windows (27%). Plus, nearly half of homeowners (47%) opt for a timeless design as a sustainable choice during renovations. While the most frequently cited reason for incorporating sustainable options is long-run cost-effectiveness (74%), making environmentally friendly choices is also top of mind for 3 in 5 renovating homeowners (54%).
While Shaker-style cabinet doors remain the most popular choice for kitchens, the percentage of homeowners choosing them is 3 points lower this year than last year, now standing at 61%. In contrast, flat-panel doors are on the upswing, with 1 in 5 renovators (20%) opting for them, up 3 percentage points from last year. When it comes to cabinet pulls, bar pulls are by far the most popular (72%), followed by knobs (34%) and cup pulls (10%). Six percent of renovators chose no cabinet pulls at all.
White cabinets remain the most popular choice in renovated kitchens (40%), followed by wood-tone cabinets, which gained 3 percentage points and now stand at 24%. Among the 46% of homeowners who select an island cabinet color that contrasts the color of the main cabinets, the popularity of blue and gray declined slightly (to 24% from 26%, and to 15% from 18%, respectively), while black, medium-tone wood and dark wood saw increases (to 12% from 10%, to 12% from 10% and to 11% from 6%, respectively).
The overwhelming majority (84%) of homeowners still work with a pro for their project, though this percentage is down slightly from 2022, when it was 89%. Hiring of cabinetmakers increased for the fourth consecutive year (it’s at 32% this year, having steadily increased from 26% in 2020). General contractors remain in the highest demand for kitchen remodeling, hired by 50% of renovators; other popular hired pros include kitchen designers (22%), interior designers (15%), architects (11%) and kitchen remodelers (11%). Three percent of homeowners hire professionals to advise on eco-friendly options.
For renovated kitchens, recessed lights gained 6 percentage points this year, with 72% of renovators choosing them; they’ve now claimed the No. 1 spot from undercabinet lights. Interestingly, however, undercabinet lights also gained favor, rising by 3 percentage points to come in a close second (70%)
Drawers and cabinets with doors are the most popular storage options in upgraded islands, at 79% each. Using
upgraded islands for storage is not surprising, as the majority of them (74%) are 6 feet or longer—meaning they have plenty of room. Homeowners don’t go for only closed storage in the island; open shelves gained 3 percentage points compared with 2022. Rectangular or square remains the most common shape for
upgraded islands, with 82% of renovators choosing it.
Built-in cabinet storage has strongly caught on among renovators. Pullout waste or recycling drawers are the top choice for tray and drawer types, at 61%. Additionally, more than a third of homeowners install microwave cabinets (36%); revolving trays, also known as Lazy Susans (36%); and pullout or swing-out drawers (34%).
Storage for cookie sheets is the most popular organizer type, chosen by 53% of homeowners. Also in demand is
built-in storage for spices (41%) and cutlery (38%). Interestingly, 14% of homeowners opt for built-in
bookshelves in their new kitchen cabinets
Beautiful design has the power to transform lives
-Billue Guignard