2026Q2 U.S. Houzz Pro Industry Barometer: Architectural & Design
Findings from the Q2 2026 Houzz Pro Industry Barometer, which tracks residential renovation market expectations, project backlogs and recent activity among businesses in the architectural and design services sector.
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Overall, while the index remains above the 50-point threshold—indicating that more firms expect improving business activity—momentum is uneven, with some optimism concentrated among interior designers while architects report more tempered expectations.
The Project Backlog Indicator is 4.0 weeks nationally at the start of Q2 2026 (compared with 5.7 weeks in Q2 2025): This represents a decline of 1.7 weeks year over year, pointing to significantly shorter pipelines across the sector. Wait times for architects decreased to 4.0 weeks (compared with 6.3 weeks in Q2 2025), a 2.3-week reduction. Similarly, interior designers report a decline to 4.0 weeks (down from 4.8 weeks in Q2 2025), a 0.8-week decrease. Notably, backlog levels have converged across both groups at 4.0 weeks, suggesting a normalization of pipelines after periods of elevated wait times.
The Project Backlog Indicator is 4.0 weeks nationally at the start of Q2 2026 (compared with 5.7 weeks in Q2 2025): This represents a decline of 1.7 weeks year over year, pointing to significantly shorter pipelines across the sector. Wait times for architects decreased to 4.0 weeks (compared with 6.3 weeks in Q2 2025), a 2.3-week reduction. Similarly, interior designers report a decline to 4.0 weeks (down from 4.8 weeks in Q2 2025), a 0.8-week decrease. Notably, backlog levels have converged across both groups at 4.0 weeks, suggesting a normalization of pipelines after periods of elevated wait times.
The Recent Business Activity Indicator related to project inquiries and new committed projects declined to 48 in Q1 2026 (compared with 54 in Q4 2025): This decrease is driven by a drop in project inquiries, which fell 9 points to 45 (down from 54), while new committed projects edged down 1 point to 52 (compared with 53 in Q4 2025). The divergence between the two components highlights weaker near-term demand signals despite relatively stable project commitments. Trends diverge significantly across pro types. Architects report an indicator of 45 in Q1 2026 (compared with 55 in Q4 2025), with project inquiries at 41 (down from 57) and new committed projects at 50 (down from 54). In contrast, interior designers report an indicator of 53 (compared with 50 in Q4 2025), reflecting an increase in project inquiries to 51 (up from 50) and new committed projects to 55 (up from 50).
Overall, while recent business activity remains just below the 50-point threshold at the national level—indicating that slightly more firms report declines than improvements—performance is uneven, with interior designers seeing modest gains while architects experience a more pronounced slowdown.
The Q2 2026 U.S. Houzz Pro Industry Barometer was fielded from March 17 through April 6, 2026 and garnered responses from 160 architects and 367 interior designers on Houzz (n=527 in the architectural and design services sector).
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The Q2 2026 U.S. Houzz Pro Industry Barometer was fielded from March 17 through April 6, 2026 and garnered responses from 160 architects and 367 interior designers on Houzz (n=527 in the architectural and design services sector).
See Related Stories:
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The Expected Business Activity Indicator related to project inquiries and new committed projects decreased by 1 point to 60 in Q2 2026 (compared with 61 in Q1 2026), reflecting a slight softening in both components: Project inquiries declined 2 points to 60 (down from 62), while new committed projects edged up 1 point to 61 (compared with 60 in Q1 2026), indicating relatively stable but mixed momentum in forward-looking activity. Trends diverge across pro types. Interior designers saw an increase of 4 points to 65 (compared with 61 in Q1 2026), supported by gains in both project inquiries (64, up from 61) and new committed projects (65, up from 61). In contrast, architects declined 3 points to 58 (compared with 61 in Q1 2026), with project inquiries decreasing to 58 (from 63 in Q1 2026) and new committed projects slipping to 58 (from 59 in Q1 2026).