Some Houzz kitchen trends for 2022 that work for our region.

For remodeling ideas from around the country, you probably look to Houzz. The popular inspiration platform released its 2022 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study. Here’s our take on how some of the trends affect kitchen design in our region.

Overall, people are spending more.

The national median spent on both major and minor remodels continues to rise. However, the vast majority of remodelers do not change the size of their kitchen. (Less than a third of homeowners make their kitchens bigger.)

At Marsh Kitchen & Bath, we see people needing to spend more, in part, because of the pandemic. With more people interested in remodeling, and with supply chains and labor strained, and more recently, inflation, costs have risen across the board. And, remodelers, spending a lot of time at home, want more.

Open the kitchen or keep it closed?

About half who remodel now change the layout, with a drop in the number who open the kitchen up to another room or the outdoors—not totally surprising to us. Staying home with family during the pandemic showed people that an open kitchen might not be all it’s cracked up to be. While many of our customers still want that open kitchen feel, we’re starting to see some who seek a little separation, keeping a half wall in place, or using cabinets to turn an L-shaped kitchen into a peninsula.

For now, you can’t go wrong with white or gray Shaker cabinets.

The number of people who prefer Shaker cabinets rose again (to 64%) since 2021. The next-most-popular style, flat-front, often chosen for Contemporary styles, dropped a few points. And, you probably guessed it, white is still the most popular color choice (at 32%) in the Houzz report. Not far behind comes gray, an incredibly versatile neutral for our most popular kitchen style (Transitional). The more adventurous go for blues and greens (5% each).

At Marsh Kitchen & Bath, we feature two very popular paint finishes in gray: Salt and Cloud. Salt is a pale, neutral gray with a slightly warm undertone, a perfect backdrop to mix with many different styles, textures, and materials. Cloud is a mid-value gray, rich and neutral, suitable for everything from clean, modern designs, to quietly elegant rooms, to cozy and casual spaces.

Vinyl flooring… comeback kid?

While hardwood flooring is still the leader, the report shows that vinyl or resilient flooring is now beating out ceramic or porcelain and getting very close to wood in popularity. It all works, and we believe in the more choices, the better. We’ve found that the contrast of sleek vinyl floors can further bring out the warmth and texture of natural wood cabinets and trim.

Remodelers are relying more on the pros.

The vast majority of homeowners hire a professional. Nationwide, hiring is on the rise for general and remodeling contractors, cabinet pros, and kitchen designers. To us, this goes hand-in-hand with spending more. A kitchen designer, like the professionals at Marsh Kitchen & Bath, is your best choice to create efficient solutions, while maximizing your budget to achieve the effect you want.