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Homeowners are renovating their kitchens to create a “super kitchen” that not only serves multiple purposes but also incorporates features, functions and decorations traditionally associated with other rooms, dramatically blurring the lines between the kitchen and other living spaces, according to the 2016 UK Houzz Kitchen Trends Survey. The survey of UK homeowners using Houzz who are in the midst of, are planning, or recently completed a kitchen renovation project, found that these days kitchens go far beyond cooking and baking, with 69% using the space for eating and dining, and nearly half for entertaining (48%) and socialising (44%). As the hub of the home, nearly two-thirds of homeowners spend more than three hours a day in their kitchens (60%). As many as 32% said they use their spaces for working in or doing homework.

Further blurring the lines between the functional and living areas of their homes, the majority of renovating homeowners are making their kitchens more open to other living spaces (54%), with 35% of kitchens completely open to other interior spaces post-renovation. Nearly half of updated kitchens are also more open to the outdoors following upgrades (49%).

“The modern ‘super kitchen’ supports family, friends and work and does it in style,” said Nino Sitchinava, principal economist at Houzz. “Our findings show that homeowners expect kitchen renovations to go far beyond improving flow, storage or aesthetics. The ‘super kitchen’ has literally become a living room, family room and dining room, with finishes, layouts and décor that challenge us to define where the kitchen ends and the rest of the home begins.”

When it comes to functional priorities, creating a kitchen that’s easy to store and find things in tops the list (58%). To accomplish this, homeowners are adding new built-ins including islands (42%), pantry cabinets (40%) and walk-in pantries (12%). Meanwhile, a kitchen that’s stylish and beautiful is the top design priority for 66% of homeowners, followed by one that is filled with natural light (51%) and integrates with the rest of the house (39%).

The top trigger for kitchen projects is to customise a recently purchased home (42%). Other top motivations include not being able to stand the old kitchen and finally having the means to improve it (both 30%). Nearly three quarters of upgraded kitchens were last updated more than 10 years ago (72%).

Given the considerable longevity, homeowners are making choices to ensure they can live with their kitchens for many years to come, from products that last, to designs that stand the test of time. Homeowners are sticking to the classics with finishes like white cabinets (33%) in flat-panel (50%) or Shaker (37%) styles. They are also investing in stainless steel appliances (54%) and engineered quartz or granite worktops (both 23%).


Additional findings include:

• Large scope projects: 64% of homeowners updating their kitchens are increasing their size and more than three quarters are changing the layout of the room (73%). U-shaped layouts are most common in updated kitchens (29%), followed by L-shape (26%), lending themselves most easily to open-plan concepts.
• Pro help key: In light of these large projects, the majority of homeowners are enlisting professional help for their kitchen renovation project (91%). Building specialists, including electricians, plumbers and stone fabricators top the list (70%), followed by kitchen fitters (49%) and kitchen designers (49%).
• Big budgets: Homeowners are also spending big on kitchens. More than half of homeowners budget £25,000 or less for their upcoming renovations (65%), while 6% estimate spending more than £75,000.
• New kitchen, new style: As many as 87% of homeowners changed the style of their kitchen during their project. While traditional kitchens and spaces without a particular style were most common prior to upgrades (30% and 41% respectively), few homeowners selected these styles for their updated kitchens. Instead, homeowners describe their now-updated kitchens as contemporary (48%) or country (12%). However, a traditional kitchen is still desirable with 11% going for this look.
• Neutral colours reign: The majority of kitchen renovators gravitate toward neutral colours that will stand the test of time. Shades of white, grey and beige are top choices for updated walls (45%, 19% and 12%, respectively). Updated worktops are white, black or in medium wood colour (24% 18% and 15% respectively).