Homeowner preferences for kitchen features and details are always evolving. So is the quality and style of available materials and products. Knowing the latest design and remodeling trends can help you make the best choices when it comes to updating your own space. To get up to speed, here are 10 popular trends in kitchen cabinets, countertops, backsplashes, flooring, appliances and other elements from the recently released 2024 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study.
Carly Jane Design
This Boston kitchen by Carly Jane Design shows many of the features popular with homeowners now. A transitional style with white Shaker-style cabinets, white countertops, white backsplash tile and wood flooring are all favored by homeowners.
1. Transitional Style Still the Favorite
Transitional remains the most popular style choice in a kitchen remodel, selected by more than a quarter of homeowners. Four other styles continue to compete for second place. More than 1 in 10 renovating homeowners choose modern (12%) or contemporary (11%) style, though the latter has decreased 4 percentage points since 2022. Traditional and farmhouse styles both declined in popularity as well, dropping from 11% in 2023 to 9% in 2024.
created an inviting transitional style in this Minneapolis kitchen. Traditional features like an ogee edge on the island countertop and pronounced trim and molding details on the white cabinets (Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore) mix with modern-day elements like playful soft blue backsplash tile.
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2. Complete Cabinet Replacement Increases
Nearly all renovating homeowners (96%) upgrade their cabinets either completely or partially during a kitchen remodel. Seven out of 10 go for complete replacements, and the share has increased by 4 percentage points year over year.
Homeowners are less likely to only partially replace their kitchen cabinets compared with the previous year (26% versus 29%). Refinishing the exteriors remains the most popular upgrade (59%). Adding cabinets (30%) and replacing some cabinets (24%) also were among the top three types of upgrade, the latter of which increased by 4 percentage points year over year. And 19% of homeowners replace only cabinet doors when upgrading their cabinets.
replaced all of the cabinets in this Boston kitchen. A soft greige (Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore) on the Shaker-style cabinets gives the space a warm and inviting look. Quartz countertops, white backsplash tile and hardwood flooring are other elements popular with homeowners now.
Kitchen Tune-Up
For this New York kitchen, Kitchen Tune-Up refaced the cabinets, a less expensive alternative to fully replacing them.
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3. Homeowners Prefer Customized Cabinets
Custom and semicustom cabinets continue to be the top choices for renovating homeowners. The preference for fully custom cabinets has risen slightly, from 44% to 45% year over year, while the preference for semicustom cabinets has risen more noticeably, from 31% to 35% in the period.
Stock cabinets are falling out of favor, down 4 percentage points to 9%. They now trail ready-to-assemble cabinets, which stand at 10%. Shaker-style doors remain the most popular style (60%).
TKS Design Group
This Chicago kitchen by TKS Design Group features fully custom cabinets.
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4. Wood Is Tops for Lower Cabinets
Nearly one-quarter of homeowners choose different colors for their upper and lower cabinets. The most popular color for upper cabinets is white, chosen by 52% of homeowners. For lower cabinets, wood tones are the most common, selected by 28% of homeowners. Interestingly, blue is a more popular choice for lower cabinets (20%) than it is for uppers (4%). Gray is also a popular choice for lower cabinets, preferred by 14% of homeowners. Other popular colors for lower cabinets include green (11%) and white (10%).
CRx - The Cure for the Common Build
This Dewey Beach, Delaware, kitchen renovated by CRx features white upper cabinets with wood lower cabinets.
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5. Storage Solutions Are Key
Many homeowners prioritize storage and organization when remodeling the kitchen. Pullout waste or recycling drawers are the top choice for tray and drawer types (66%). Features such as baking sheet organizers (55%), spice racks (44%) and cutlery (41%) and utensil (37%) organizers are increasingly popular; each has risen by 3 percentage points year over year.
Six percent of renovating homeowners opts for a pet feeding station in their new kitchen. Additionally, a growing number of homeowners are choosing to renew or add a walk-in pantry (18%, up 3 points year over year, not shown on chart).
Drury Design
Drury Design prioritized storage in this Chicago kitchen island by pairing a Galley Workstation sink with a Galley Dresser that organizes cutting boards, spices, bowls and trays.
6. White Countertops Reign, Gray Ones Wane
White countertops remain the leading choice among renovating homeowners, with 43% opting for the look. This year marks the highest preference for white since 2020. Meanwhile, gray has declined slightly, dropping 2 percentage points to 11% year over year. Multicolored countertops also continue to lose popularity, with only 17% of homeowners now selecting them. More than a quarter of homeowners go for different-color main countertops and island countertops. Among these, nearly 3 in 10 (29%) choose a white island countertop; the second-most-popular choice is a wood tone (medium, 14%; light, 8%; or dark, 4%).
Michele McIntyre Design
This Orange County, California, kitchen by Michele McIntyre Design features popular white countertops, as well as white cabinets and zellige-style backsplash tile.
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7. Engineered Quartz Sees a Boost
Engineered quartz has increased in popularity as a countertop material, up 4 percentage points compared with the previous year. Less favored are natural stones like granite (20%), quartzite (11%) and marble (4%). The look and feel of the material is the deciding factor for nearly three-quarters of homeowners choosing new countertops.
Additionally, nearly a quarter of homeowners opt for different materials for the island countertop and the main countertops. In these cases, butcher block or wood slab stands out as the primary choice for the island (34%).
This Colorado kitchen by Bockdesigns features white quartz countertops with waterfall edges on the expansive island.
8. Wood Tones Prevail for Flooring
Wood-tone flooring is even more popular among renovating homeowners this year (56%, up 3 percentage points). Gray (12%) and beige (8%) have dipped in popularity, with each losing 2 percentage points year over year. Standard stainless steel remains the overwhelming favorite appliance finish, and in fact increased in popularity by 3 percentage points year over year. Though white appliances follow at 7%, the combined preference for appliances in black stainless steel (6%) or another black finish (5%) totals 11%, meaning black is actually a more popular choice.
Reverie Building Co.
This Washington, D.C.-area kitchen by Reverie Building includes popular wood flooring, white Shaker-style cabinets and white backsplash tile.
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9. Hardwood and Vinyl Vie for Top Spot
Vinyl closely follows hardwood for a kitchen flooring choice, similar to last year, with 24% of homeowners choosing hardwood and 23% choosing vinyl flooring in their renovated kitchen. Ceramic and porcelain tiles (18%) and engineered wood (16%) are also popular. Laminate is declining in popularity, having dropped 2 percentage points from the previous year. Meanwhile, 6% of homeowners choose natural stone.
Meiste Homes
Meiste Homes added white oak hardwood flooring to this kitchen in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
10. Whisking Sustainability Into Kitchen Design
More than 9 in 10 homeowners opt for sustainable choices during their kitchen renovation. LED lightbulbs (67%) and energy-efficient appliances (62%) top the list of sustainable items homeowners choose. Light dimmers have seen a particular boost, rising from 43% to 47% year over year. Water-efficient fixtures have seen a slight decline but still are chosen by nearly 1 in 3 (32%) renovating homeowners. While slightly less popular than in the previous year, long-term cost-effectiveness remains a primary consideration for 71% of homeowners selecting sustainable options; over half (55%) have environmental concerns in mind.
Neff Designs
Neff Designs included LED recessed ceiling lights and undercabinet strip lighting in this Seattle kitchen.
The 2024 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study gathered information from 3,437 Houzz users who reported being 18 years old or older; being homeowners; and having completed a kitchen remodel or addition project in the past 12 months or to be currently working on one or planning to start one in the next six months. The survey was fielded July 19-27, 2023.
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