The latest data is in, and the results are clear: When it comes to the kitchen, sustainability is in. According to the 2023 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study, the vast majority of homeowners (92%) incorporate sustainable features during a kitchen renovation. The study, based on survey answers from more than 3,600 respondents, offers insight into the most popular sustainable design items, the motivations for choosing them, the importance of durability and more.

Cost Effectiveness Tops Eco Concerns

When it comes to sustainable choices, “it is interesting to see the intersection of economics and environmental concerns,” says Marine Sargsyan, Houzz staff economist. “The most frequently cited reason behind choosing sustainable options is long-run cost effectiveness, with environmental friendliness as a secondary consideration.”

Indeed, 74% of the survey respondents said cost effectiveness is their No. 1 motivator for going the sustainable route, while 54% pointed to planet-health considerations. Only 13% cited personal health reasons.

Most Popular Sustainability Features

LED bulbs and energy-efficient appliances top the list, with about two-thirds of homeowners choosing each (65% and 61%, respectively.) Water-efficient fixtures are the next most popular (34%), energy-efficient windows also are in demand (27%), and 22% of respondents said energy efficiency was the impetus for buying new kitchen appliances. 

“The efficiency of the new appliances is a huge factor in what is selected,” says kitchen and bath designer Kate Roos. “Additionally, clients are looking for pieces that last longer than the typical eight to ten years that you get out of some less expensive brands, so they are willing to pay more for performance.”

Aside from individual features, almost half of respondents (47%) chose a timeless overall kitchen design. And 3% relied on help from an eco-focused professional. Only a very small share of homeowners (8%) chose no sustainable kitchen features at all.

Durability Matters

In line with the focus on sustainability, homeowners care about how long their kitchen materials last. Almost half (48%) of respondents cited durability as a factor in choosing kitchen cabinet materials, while 57% considered it when purchasing countertop materials. That means designers and builders would do well to offer homeowners durable products when presenting various options.

“For many of our clients, a kitchen remodel is a once-in-a-lifetime investment, and it is a big investment,” Roos says. “The kitchen not only needs to stand the test of time from a design perspective; it needs to stand up to the wear and tear of everyday life for years and decades to come. Therefore, durability is a high priority to almost all of our clients.” 

“The durability and maintenance of a product may be one family’s focus because they don’t want to be required to use stinky sealants or harsh chemicals to keep their white marble-look counter clean,” says designer Alisa Hofmann of Design Set Match. “For others the end of the life cycle of the material might be their focus. What happens when the next owner remodels in 20-plus years and this countertop ends up in the landfill, or can this product be recycled at that point?”

But style hasn’t been tossed aside despite a focus on durability. In fact, 77% of respondents chose their new kitchen cabinet materials based on look and feel, and 69% selected their countertop materials for the same reason — making look and feel the top consideration for both. Cost is the third most frequently cited factor for cabinets (44%), while in third place for countertops is ease of cleaning and sanitizing (38%). 

For appliances, functionality and quality rule (64% and 63%, respectively). But 54% of renovators still cited look and feel as a purchase motivator, which is unsurprising, given how much space appliances tend to take up in a kitchen.

Median Spend Grows

“Homeowners continue to invest in their kitchens with major and minor remodels,” Sargsyan says. In fact, many invested even more in 2022. The median spend on minor remodels — involving at least partially replacing the cabinets or appliances, or potentially tackling plumbing and electrical issues — for kitchens of all sizes was $4,000 more in mid-2022 versus mid-2021. It’s a “significant increase,” Sargsyan says. 

The national median spend for a minor remodel now stands at $14,000, while for a major remodel — in which at least all of the cabinets and appliances are replaced — the figure is $45,000, up $5,000 year over year.

Tools for Success

Giving clients the specific features they want and keeping up with trends are only half of the picture when it comes to project success. Using tools that can help you provide a stellar client experience, and that can make your admin work easier so you can focus on design, is the other half. Houzz Pro, software built with direct input from designers, offers all the solutions you need in one cloud-based platform. It includes:

• Client Dashboard. Gives clients access to communication and project details such as the daily log and timeline. 

“We send [clients] the client dashboard and they can see everything in one place,” Roos says. “It works really well in allowing us to create documents for our clients with the information they need while keeping a record of details that only we can see, but they don’t need to be privy to all of it. It gives us a lot of flexibility.”

• CRM. Helps you respond to leads in a timely and organized fashion, send professional-looking estimates and proposals, and share files.
• Room Planner. Lets you customize the room design info to share with your client and manage the budget better. Also, you can quickly convert room plans into proposals and invoices.
• Mood Boards. Allows you to give clients a better picture of your design concept, and saves you time when creating design presentations.
• Proposals. You can quickly create professionally branded proposals using products pulled from an online library. Clients can then approve them online.
• Invoicing and online payments. Get paid faster by sending invoices right through the app and accepting payment via credit card or bank transfer. No more waiting for checks to clear!

“I use Houzz Pro in my back-end bookkeeping to make invoicing easier when I’m overwhelmed,” says kitchen and bath designer Alisa Hofmann. I simply set up my invoices as proposals as soon as the letters of agreement are signed and pre-dated —  all I need to do is hit Send.” 

• Timelines. Create and share a clear visual timeline so your clients can see the stages of a project and due dates, updated as you go.

Also consider joining the Houzz Trade Program to get trade-only discounts of up to 50% on exclusive products, along with free shipping for orders over $49!