This Once-Popular Kitchen Trend Is Making a Big Comeback

Welcome back, open-concept kitchens! According to the 2024 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study, more and more people are choosing this type of layout—43% in 2023 compared to 38% in 2021—after its popularity declined during the pandemic.

The study found that the most popular type of open-concept floor plan is a completely open one where no wall separates the kitchen from an adjacent room (64% of renovating homeowners chose this option). The second-most-popular choice was to open the kitchen with double doors or a row of doors (a quarter of homeowners went with this one). And it turns out that more people are opening the kitchen to their outdoor space by using double doors, a row of doors, or moving or folding wall systems—this option rose by 3 percentage points year over year.

Thomas J. Story

“We’re seeing a return to more open-concept spaces following a brief drop in interest during the pandemic when people sought separation and privacy from other household members,” said Marine Sargsyan, Houzz staff economist, in a press release. “Creating a more open kitchen appeals to homeowners for both functional and aesthetic reasons, but doing so may impact the project’s overall budget, requiring more technical changes, such as modifying walls and changing the layout.”

And while functional and aesthetic benefits were a big factor for many homeowners when choosing an open-concept layout, many cited entertaining needs as a reason as well. Nearly three in five homeowners (59%) use the kitchen as a hub for entertaining and 46% use it for casual socializing.

The entertaining aspect is also a reason why the Houzz report found that more than two in five homeowners are drawn to long kitchen islands of about 7 feet or longer. This preference has grown by 10 percentage points since 2020. As for the style of island, people prefer drawers and cabinets with doors versus open shelving and rectangular or square shapes.

Thomas J. Story

The report also found that people are spending more on renovations. The median spend on major kitchen remodels went up—it was $55,000 between mid-2022 and mid-2023, an increase of 22% year over year and an increase of nearly 60% since mid-2020. For minor remodels, the median spend increased as well—it was $18,000 in mid-2023, an increase of 29% year over year and an increase of more than 50% since mid-2020.

And surface upgrades are still the most important priority in remodels, with 91% of people redoing countertops, 86% redoing backsplashes, 85% upgrading cabinets, 84% installing new faucets, and 79% updating lighting. When it comes to appliances, 54% of homeowners prefer to replace all of them, while 34% only replace a few.

To compile these findings, Houzz conducted a 100-question online survey of registered Houzz users between July 19 and July 27, 2023 with 3,437 users responding. The respondents were homeowners and either had completed a kitchen remodel or addition in the past 12 months or were currently working on or planning to start one in the next six months. You can view the whole report here.