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If the new year signals tackling long-awaited renovation projects for Houston homeowners, then an outdated kitchen should be high on the priority list, according to Houzz.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

party down

Design-focused Houston rentals company adds boutique hotel flair to events

Courtesy of Helm House

Furniture upholstery is fully customizable.

The season for end-of-summer parties is approaching. As Houstonians prepare to pack away their swimwear, white linens, and tiki torches, end of summer fêtes are ramping up. Trusted event planning company Planned With has recently launched its sister company — the custom event rentals outfit named Helm House — just in time to make a splash.

Unlike traditional event rental companies, Helm House focuses on design-forward pieces that are fully customizable — down to the upholstery. Each piece in their finely-curated collections can be reupholstered on-the-fly, should a client require something a little more jazzy. Browse fabric collections from Nuage Designs, trimmings from luxury design house Samuel & Sons, and fun options from Chasing Paper to get a truly one-of-a-kind look.

In order to offer truly unique designs, the team at Helm House regularly shops the antiques fair at Round Top for accessories and lighting. Fixtures and other pieces are available from artists like Ken Bizzell of KB Design. His handcrafted works made of recycled tire rubber and other materials are a constant standout in the Excess tents during the fall and spring shows.

“We don’t want to do it cookie-cutter,” says co-founder and director of design Hannah Goetz. “We want it to be very niche, special, and unique. Really one-of-a-kind pieces that you can’t find anywhere else.”

Helm House will paint, paper, or vinyl wrap just about anything in its inventory, even offering custom vinyl designs for tabletops. The design team, led by Goetz, has taken the guess work out of the selections process by finely-tuning preset collections, should clients want a one-and-done experience. Helm House is certainly the first events company in the Houston and Austin market to allow clients to shop by vibes.

“We have collections. So, on the website there are ten collections, and for each of them there is a lounge set up, bar set up, and a dining set up,” explains Goetz. “You can just go on the website and it’s configured and designed and can be added to a wishlist. It’s just easy premade items if you want something pre-designed or even just to get some ideas. But each collection has those three spaces that people can just shop for. If a client really wants to customize fabrics or any pieces for the bars or tables, pillows, or anything like that, then we can provide that for them.”

One of the things that clients appreciate is the ability to work with an in-house interior designer. That being said, there are no pieces in the collections that aren’t design-forward, but with the ability to fully-customize any aspect of the project, it’s easy to get a little lost along the way.

“It depends on the client, but we are a full design house, so we offer those services to clients,” says Goetz. “If they need help with the actual design of the event, then we will present the full design space and say exactly where things are supposed to go. Then we will actually help implement all of the furniture on-site at the event.”

All of this flexibility comes at a price, of course. Helm House typically has a $5,000 minimum per project. As seen in the photo above, a table for six rents for $350. Customers can add a custom vinyl topper for $100 and place settings from $40-60 per seat, meaning place settings for a table of six run from $240-360 per day.

While clients are more than welcome to use their own event planners, the Helm House team’s experience with their sister company gives them a leg-up on other event rentals companies. Traditionally, the rental company will send items to the venue with a single delivery driver with no knowledge of the project. However, Helm House insists on being on-site for the delivery and to have the ability to make any necessary minor adjustments.

“We’ve found that people aren’t usually on-site who are actually part of the rental company, and we want to make sure that everything is placed where it should be, but also just that we are taking that off of our client’s hands,” explains Goetz.

Founder and CEO Emily Rudelson (Full disclosure: Rudelson once worked for CultureMap) wants to provide a rental experience that allows clients to feel that their space offers something different — better sight lines, frames, fabrics, and place settings and linens that feel anything but temporary.

"We started Helm House because we felt there was a void in the market. We were constantly inspired by the incredible design in restaurants, hotels, and boutique spaces, but that same level of thoughtful furniture simply wasn't available for events,” explains Rudelson. “Helm House was built to change that: bringing hospitality-inspired design to the event industry through elevated, design-forward rentals that can also be customized. From fabrics and finishes to one-of-a-kind details, we want every client to have the opportunity to truly make it theirs.

“As the founder of Planned With, I also love that I now get to furnish our own events with pieces we truly believe in, while Helm House operates as its own independent rental company serving planners, designers, brands, venues, and clients across Texas. We believe rentals shouldn't feel rented; they should feel like they were designed specifically for your event.”

Courtesy of Helm House

Furniture upholstery is fully customizable.

home-design parties business