home design trends

These are Houzz's top kitchen remodel trends for 2026

If the new year signals tackling long-awaited renovation projects for Houston homeowners, then an outdated kitchen should be high on the priority list, according to Houzz.

The online interior design platform just released its 2026 Kitchen Trends Study, which surveyed nearly 1,800 homeowners to discover emerging trends for recent, current, or planned kitchen renovation projects.

Compared to last year's report, more homeowners are becoming fed up with the lack of functionality in their deteriorating kitchens, a third of respondents are pursuing renovations because they finally have the financial means, and a quarter are seeking improvements to boost their resale value.

Depending on the scale of the remodel, major projects have a median cost of $55,000, while minor kitchen renovations can have a median cost of around $20,000, the report found. For a large kitchen area bigger than 250 square feet, homeowners are spending a median $75,000 for a major remodel, whereas smaller kitchens are netting $46,000 for major renovations.

A majority of homeowners (78 percent), are changing their kitchen style during their remodel, with transitional still leading as the hottest style. In descending order, the second-to-last most popular styles are traditional, modern, contemporary, farmhouse, and midcentury.

Top style choices
In a shift from previous years, white cabinets are losing their spark as the most sought-after cabinet color. Wood tones have surpassed in popularity, with medium wood tones becoming the next trend, followed by light and dark tones.

However, shades of white are still the most preferred color for homeowners who are picking contrasting colors for their upper and lower cabinets. White and off-white dominate the list of trending upper cabinets, with wood tones, blue, and green topping the list for contrasting lower cabinet colors.

Neutral color palettes are still drenching the walls and floors of kitchen remodels this year, according to Houzz. Off-white and white are the leading wall color choices, while wood dominates homeowners' flooring choice during renovations.

2026 Houzz Kitchen renovation trends report, wood toned cabinets and flooring Wood tones are all the rage in 2026.Photo by Robert Peterson (Rustic White Photography) for Mister + Mrs. Sharp

2026 Houzz Kitchen renovation trends report, neutral color palettes

Photo by Leigh Ann Rowe for Studio Willow/OC Builders Group

Neutral color palettes and "timeless" style are still top choices for kitchen renovations in 2026.

Ceramic tile leads as the most popular new backsplash material, and engineered quartz tops the choices for slab-style kitchen backsplashes. Engineered quartz also remains the No. 1 countertop pick for renovating homeowners, but interest has been waning since 2024.

Butcher block (also known as wood slab) is surging in popularity for contrasting island countertops, while engineered quartz and granite are the second- and third-most popular choices.

Addressing needs for aging household members
A separate 2025 Houzz study analyzing home renovation trends revealed the most sought-after upgrades centered around "aging in place," meaning renovations that addressed the future needs of aging homeowners that don't want to move. And that trend is continuing into 2026, the latest report found.

"When addressing current special needs in kitchen renovations, homeowners most often focus on aging household members (31 percent), and the share is up by 5 percentage points year over year," the report said.

Almost all homeowners (90 percent) who are addressing aging-in-place needs are adding features to improve accessibility and safety.

The top aging-in-place upgrades are:

Pullout cabinets with wide drawer pulls
Additional lighting (such as recessed and undercabinet lights)
Rounded countertops
Nonslip floors
Wheelchair-accessible doorways
Lower fixtures and countertops
Shallow sinks

Trending upgraded products and features
Many large kitchen features are getting a big makeover this year, as 91 percent of homeowners say they are upgrading their countertops, and 85 percent are upgrading their backsplashes and sinks.

Over three quarters of homeowners are adding built-in features during their remodel, such as pantry cabinets, beverage stations, banquettes (upholstered bench seating most often built into walls or corners), wine fridges, walk-in pantries, and more.

"Baking stations (9 percent) and butler’s pantries or prep kitchens (7 percent) appeal to smaller shares of renovating homeowners," the report said.

2026 Houzz Kitchen renovation trends report, butler's pantry Butler's pantries with pantry cabinets are a luxurious upgrade for some kitchens.Photo by Joe Purvis for Pike Properties

When upgrading cabinets, almost all homeowners are incorporating built-in storage for specific needs. Having a visible trash can in the kitchen is falling out of fashion, as 64 percent of homeowners said they were adding pullout cabinets for waste or recycling to keep them hidden. Other top enhancements for specialty storage include dedicated space for cookie sheets or trays, spices, cutlery, a microwave, revolving corner trays, pullout shelves, deep-drawer organizers, and organizers for pots and pans.

As for major appliances, dishwashers and microwaves are the most frequently installed upgrades during renovations.

"Renovating homeowners also often add or update cooktops (40 percent) and wall ovens (29 percent), while smaller shares opt for
food refrigerators (19 percent), beverage refrigerators (18 percent) or wine refrigerators (13 percent)," Houzz said.

Sustainability features
Energy efficient upgrades are not only environmentally friendly, they're also the most cost effective choices that can improve a home's value. According to the report, LED lightbulbs, energy-efficient appliances, and a "timeless design" are the top three choices homeowners are incorporating as sustainable kitchen renovation features.

Other sustainable remodel choices include:

Light dimmers
Water-efficient fixtures
Energy-efficient windows
VOC-free paints, finishes, and coatings
Eco-friendly flooring and materials in general
Nontoxic, sustainable cabinets
Recycled materials
Hiring an "eco-focused" professional

houzz home design home design trends kitchen

on the trail

Celebrate spring's arrival at these 2 Houston garden tours

Courtesy of Bayou Bend

The tour includes Bayou Bend's impressive gardens.

The Azalea Trail, one of Houston’s most enduring seasonal traditions, returns this weekend. Once an annual event, the now biennial tour is a do-not-miss affair offering the opportunity for Houstonians to experience some of the best gardens and architecture the city has to offer — all before the Bayou City gets too balmy. Additionally, the newly opened Ismaili Center will offer complimentary tours of their nine acres of gardens in conjunction with the Azalea Trail.

Now in its 88th year, the River Oaks Garden Club’s Azalea Trail has long served as something of Houston’s unofficial kickoff to spring — that moment when azaleas, camellias, dogwoods, and early bulbs begin peaking across the city and residents head outdoors again. The event blends horticulture, history, architecture, and philanthropy into a weekend experience that consistently draws both dedicated gardeners and design-minded visitors from around the city and the region.

“Throughout the 88-year history of the Azalea Trail, select homeowners have generously offered an intimate look at their beautifully-curated private home gardens. In 2026, Azalea Trail goers will be able to tour four private home gardens featuring unique, breathtaking designs,” Emily Bolin and Hilary Purcel, chairs of this year’s River Oaks Garden Club Azalea Trail, tell CultureMap.

“Each location, which also includes Bayou Bend, Rienzi and the River Oaks Garden Club’s Forum, will offer an abundance of inspiration, including enticing planting combinations, creative concepts, emerging trends, and stunning floral displays. We hope to see everyone this weekend as we kick off the spring season in Houston.”

This year’s Trail runs March 6-8 and includes access to seven gardens for $35, spanning four private residential landscapes in the Tanglewood and close-in Memorial areas plus the aforementioned established cultural sites including Bayou Bend, Rienzi and the River Oaks Garden Club’s own Forum of Civics garden.

The private gardens — always a highlight — offer rare behind-the-gates access to curated residential landscapes showcasing planting combinations, emerging design ideas and seasonal floral displays that often influence Houston gardening trends. Meanwhile, the institutional stops provide historical context:

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens: a 1926 River Oaks estate, now stewarded by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and surrounded by formal gardens and natural woodland landscapes, including azaleas, camellias, redbuds, and seasonal bulb displays planted by Garden Club members. Also, it is their 60th anniversary this year (opened to the public on March 5, 1966).

Rienzi: a former River Oaks residence turned MFAH house museum, where formal European-inspired gardens meet native Texas plantings.

Forum of Civics: the Garden Club’s historic River Oaks area headquarters, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Importantly, Trail proceeds directly fund local beautification, conservation, and horticultural education efforts, including historic garden preservation and environmental programming across Houston.

Tour the Ismaili Center

Just minutes away, the newly opened Ismaili Center, Houston — already earning international architectural attention — will offer complimentary public tours on March 7 and 8 from 8 am to 4 pm. The Center’s landscape makes it a compelling add-on to an Azalea Trail itinerary.

Designed by Thomas Woltz of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects — also responsible for recent projects at Rice University, Rothko Chapel, and Memorial Park — the more than nine acres of gardens reinterpret historic Islamic garden traditions through a contemporary Texas lens.

The design incorporates terraced lawns, shaded promenades, water features, and resilient plantings arranged as a symbolic ecological “transect of Texas,” moving from desert species to prairie and Gulf Coast plant communities. The landscape also doubles as environmental infrastructure, engineered to withstand major storm events while creating a calm, civic sanctuary overlooking Buffalo Bayou Park. Visitors that weekend can choose:

Full architectural/property tours
Focused garden introductions
Self-guided QR-enabled exploration

Together, the Azalea Trail and the Ismaili Center present a compelling narrative about Houston’s garden culture — where historic private landscapes and philanthropic garden traditions intersect with a globally-influenced new civic landscape designed for reflection, dialogue and public access.

The Azalea Trail will offer a free shuttle service between Rienzi and Bayou Bend. The locations of the four private homes on the tour will be sent via email with ticket purchase confirmations — street parking is available at all private home locations. The event will take place rain or shine, so keep an umbrella handy this weekend.

Courtesy of Bayou Bend

The tour includes Bayou Bend's impressive gardens.