Make your kitchen the perfect place to enjoy time with friends and family Whether you’re…
The UK Houzz Report – How Does Your Kitchen Compare?
Houzz is a fantastic resource for those interested in interior design with lots of inspirational ideabooks and advice from professionals. With such a wealth of information, every year Houzz conducts a survey of its UK users to get an idea of what we, as a nation, are doing with our homes and the results are rather telling. How people approach their home renovations changes year on year and we always find it fascinating to see how the national interior trends compare to our own projects. So have you recently renovated your home or perhaps you’re planning to? Either way, it’s interesting to see how you compare to the current trends.

The kitchen is the room that we are of course most interested in and it comes as no surprise that 54% of people upgrading their kitchen in 2015 wanted an open-plan kitchen diner. The average Briton spends three hours a day in the kitchen so it needs to be a space that really works. We have found that open-plan kitchen-diners are by far the most popular layout and whether it’s a dining table, elaborate breakfast bar or clever banquette seating, dining in the kitchen is a feature in the majority of our project.
43% of Houzz users stated that they use their kitchen for work and play; turning it from a room purely for the purpose of preparing food into a room designed for multiple tasks, such as playing with the kids, checking work emails and having a coffee with friends. Over 40% of Houzz users cited their kitchen as a space specifically used to entertain and socialise. We’ve certainly seen this desire to create an entertaining space reflected in our own experience. Interestingly, something we get asked for a lot is a kitchen that’s great for entertaining but that’s also really welcoming and inviting for day to day family use. The twenty-first century kitchen is one that is expected to deliver on many levels, lending itself to bespoke design which gives you ultimate control over how your kitchen space will function.

In line with a growing demand for entertaining kitchens, popular appliances are also changing. According to Houzz, 18% of people put a boiling water tap in their kitchen last year, 17% opted for a coffee machine and 15% chose a wine cooler. Clearly we’re a nation who loves to socialise with a drink, whether that’s a cup of Earl Grey or a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and this all comes back to the kitchen being a space to enjoy, rather than a room with an exclusive function.
It seems that as a nation our kitchen tastes are becoming increasingly contemporary with one third of all kitchen projects taking on a contemporary style. Traditional kitchens are far from disappearing though; 16% of Houzz users chose a traditional style last year and a further 10% opted for something with a country feel – proving the classic shaker style is still very popular.

Enlarging the kitchen is frequently at the top of the wish list, in fact Houzz found that 42% of non-upgraders wanted to make their kitchen larger and 12% of users on Houzz invested in a kitchen extension last year. We’re lucky enough to work on some incredible large kitchen projects which give us freedom to really indulge our creative passion and bring together many different aspects in a single room. However, you don’t need a huge room to enjoy a bespoke kitchen. We’ve worked on some beautiful compact kitchens that demonstrate the difference choosing a bespoke company can make.
The trend for grey is something we’re used to seeing in kitchens but according to Houzz this has spread throughout the home. Houzz found that grey was the most popular colour choice for a sofa last year, with 20% of users opting for it. Greys and other muted tones were also popular in the bedroom, with neutral hues proving the prevalent choice.
Whether your own plans support Houzz’ findings or you’re looking for something totally unique, if reading this has spurred on your kitchen renovation plans feel free to contact us to start the design process for your own project.