Recent data paints a broad-brush picture of the value homeowners place on their kitchens and the products they are buying for that space.
One important finding is that a great kitchen can help sell a home faster. For instance, while Remodeling, a sister publication to ProSales, found in its 2017 Cost vs. Value Report that on average homeowners recouped just 65.3% of a major kitchen remodel’s cost, a November 2016 article on Realtor.com reported that homes with what it termed “luxury kitchens” sell 8% faster than otherwise comparable ones in the same ZIP code.
And more people seem intent on creating those luxury kitchens. The 2017 Kitchen Trends Survey from Houzz.com polled 2,700 homeowners who are planning, in the midst of, or had recently completed a kitchen remodel. The report found that nearly one in 10 spent north of $100,000 (up from 7% two years ago), and 20% budgeted $50,000 to $100,000.
In fact, a growing number of homeowners say they want what Houzz has referred to as a “super kitchen”—a family hub that serves a multitude of purposes. While the multi-purpose trend isn’t new, it is accelerating; nearly two-thirds of homeowners now spend more than three hours per day in the kitchen for activities that include dining, entertaining, doing homework, and watching TV.
Styles are Evolving
The style of these remodeled kitchens is following general architectural trends. Contemporary style has become more prevalent in U.S. homes and is also turning up in more kitchens, passing transitional last year as the most common kitchen aesthetic (22% versus 19%).
Those are overall numbers—specific style preferences vary somewhat by demographic group. When it comes to cabinets, for instance, millennial homeowners (ages 25-34) are drawn to a blend of contemporary and farmhouse styles, while baby boomers (ages 55 and older) are more likely to choose traditional molded cabinets.
White cabinets also have captured market share (accounting for 42% of sales in 2016, compared with 38% the year before), as have neutral wall colors, with gray being the most popular choice. Those colors are favorites with younger people, a fact that Nino Sitchinava, Houzz’s principal economist, credits in part to stylistic preferences—light colors are associated with contemporary design—but also to economics. “Younger homeowners are more likely to keep resale value in mind, and light colors appeal to a wider range of potential buyers,” she says.
Some options remain popular among all groups. When it comes to appliances, for instance, 72% of homeowners prefer stainless steel, a proven look that works with all cabinet styles.
The Importance of Flow
One hallmark of the “super kitchen” is easy flow between it and other spaces, both functionally and aesthetically. According to the Houzz study, 65% of remodeled kitchens are more open to the outdoors at the end of the project, whether that opening consists of a sliding glass wall system or just a single entry door. This should be no surprise, given the popularity of outdoor living spaces.
Homeowners also want their kitchens to flow visually into the home’s other rooms, something 45% of renovating homeowners say is important. As part of that, Sitchinava says, more kitchens are getting hardwood floors to match surrounding areas.
More than a third (36%) of renovated kitchens gain floor area, but this trend isn’t monolithic either. Here, the variations seem more geographic than demographic. The Realtor.com article noted that while big kitchens are a priority with New England homeowners, people in the Southeast are more likely to opt for a smaller kitchen if it will free up space for a dining room.
Rising Demand for Custom
Not surprisingly, changing style preferences are having an impact on product choices. For instance, large islands and pantry cabinets are popular among all demographic groups, but especially so among millennials, in part because those features are associated with the farmhouse style.
When it comes to cabinets, older homeowners are more likely to replace their cabinets during a remodel (because they’re more likely to have the money), but people of all age groups who are replacing cabinets tend to prefer custom and semi-custom, which account for 40% and 36% of sales, respectively. Sitchinava says this is another consequence of homeowners’ desire for the kitchen’s design to harmonize with the home’s other rooms. For dealers, this means that a lot of people who are looking at stock cabinets potentially could be upgraded to at least semi-custom.
For countertops, the study found that a greater percentage of millennial homeowners are driven by cost considerations than other groups (42%, versus 24% of Gen X-ers and 19% of baby boomers), while older buyers put more importance on physical qualities like heat resistance.
The kitchen’s continued evolution into a multi-use space also has expanded the range of products people are buying for it. For instance, 23% of remodeled kitchens include a dining room table, 23% a chandelier, and 14% a TV. Sales of appliances that one would expect to see in luxury kitchens are also growing, with 11% of remodeled kitchens getting wine refrigerators and 10% adding built-in coffee stations.
Of course, these numbers are all averages. Preferences for style, size, and product vary by individual as well as by age group and geographical area. There are boomers who embrace contemporary architecture and millennials who like traditional cabinets. But the numbers provide some guidance on what products will most likely click with different customer groups. Look at them as a starting point for thinking about these issues.
