7 Kitchen Renovation Trends to Watch

From opening up kitchens to the outdoors to shifting cabinet styles, a range of kitchen trends are moving away from all-white, cookie-cutter designs to featuring a variety of fixtures and finishes. In the new 2023 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study, about 3,600 homeowners who’ve recently remodeled their kitchen or are in the process of doing so share what’s topping their to-do renovation list. Here are some of the trends that emerged:

1. Spotlighting better views

Twenty percent of renovating homeowners are making kitchens more open to the outdoors. The most common ways they’re doing this are by adding in double doors or a row of doors (46%), a single door (29%) or a pass-through window (14%). 

2. Sustainability features

Trendy, environmentally-friendly updates include LED bulbs, energy-efficient appliances, water-efficient fixtures and energy-efficient windows. Survey respondents say the main reason why they’re looking into incorporating more sustainable options is because of “long-run cost-effectiveness” (74%). But more than half of renovators (54%) also say they’re making the choice because “environmentally friendly” is top of mind to them.

3. Changing up the style

More than four in five homeowners say they changed the style of their kitchens during their renovation. The top style choice: transitional, followed by modern and contemporary styles. Farmhouse trailed in popularity at 11%, matching traditional (which gained two points compared to last year, also at 11%).

4. Cabinet style shift

While shaker-style cabinet doors remain the most popular choice for kitchens, the percentage of homeowners choosing them has fallen by three points compared to last year (61%). On the other hand, flat-panel doors are gaining momentum (20%). As for cabinetry hardware, bar pulls continue to surge in popularity (72%), followed by knobs (34%) and cup pulls (10%). Six percent of renovators say they chose no cabinet pulls at all. 

5. Wood tones

White cabinets remain the most popular choice in renovated kitchens (40%), followed by wood-toned cabinets, which posted a three percentage point gain to 24%, according to the Houzz survey. About 46% of homeowners chose to install an island with contrasting cabinet colors. Blue and gray recorded slight declines in popularity while black, medium wood and dark wood saw increases.

6. Recessed lights rising

Recessed lights claimed the top spot for lighting in renovated kitchens, rising above under-cabinet lights this year, according to the Houzz survey. Still, under-cabinet lights remain popular, coming in a close second. Interestingly, pendant lights posted a slight decline of three percentage points compared to last year. They are still the most popular over-island choice, Houzz notes in its report.

7. Electronic upgrades abound

Electronics are seeing an increase in popularity in the kitchen, including docking stations, wireless speakers and stereo systems. Fifty-one percent of renovating homeowners also chose to install faucets with high-tech features, such as water efficiency and touch-only/touch-free activation. Also, nearly 40% of homeowners chose to install appliances with high-tech features, including Wi-Fi connectivity and smartphone/tablet controls.