Blue cabinetry has finally overtaken green this year as the most popular cabinetry colour in new kitchen projects, at least according to the latest research from Houzz.
This was just one of the findings of the Houzz Kitchen Trends Study 2026, which polled more than 400 homeowners about their recent or upcoming kitchen projects.
Leading the pack by a single percentage point, blue is now reportedly the most popular colour choice in renovated kitchens, according to 18% of homeowners. Green is still an enduringly popular choice though, following closely behind at 17%.
Neutral tones like grey (12%), off-white (9%) and white (8%) were amongst the next most popular shades. Nearly one-in-ten homeowners (9%) chose to decorate their kitchens with wood shades, with medium and light tones each being used by 4%, and just 1% of renovators choosing a dark wood kitchen.
Last year, green was the most popular colour by a clear margin, with one-in-five using it in their (21%) renovations, with blue close behind at 16% of kitchen designs.
Aside from just colour trends, Houzz’s latest report found that nearly three-quarters of renovating homeowners modify their kitchen layout (72%), which makes it the most common type of major kitchen change. Three-in-five choose to upgrade their home systems (60%), and a third of homeowners update walls during a renovation (33%). Roughly one-in-five choose to move the location of the kitchen entirely (19%), within their homes, according to this year’s research.
Worktops, cabinets, taps and sinks were the most updated features in renovated kitchens (in that order), being mentioned by 90%, 89%, 87% and 86% of those polled, respectively. Flooring (81%), lighting fixtures (80%) and splashbacks (80%) follow not very far behind.
When asked what events triggered their desire to begin a renovation, the majority of homeowners (37%) blamed the deterioration of their current kitchen. This was followed by the desire to personalise a recently purchased home (32%) along with finally having the means to renovate (29%).
Roughly half of homeowners (51%) said that they increased the size of their kitchen during their most recent renovation. On that note, the most common kitchen size post-renovation now is between 20 and 30 square meters, as reported by a quarter of homeowners (25%). 20% of UK renovated kitchens measure between 10 and 15 square meters, 16% of kitchens measure between 15 and 20 square meters, and roughly one-in-ten kitchens measure less than 10 square meters.
At the total opposite end of the spectrum, just 3% of kitchens reportedly measure 50 square meters or more.
Over half of renovating homeowners (55%) also said they’d addressed current or future special needs in their kitchen renovation. Interestingly, ageing-related updates rose significantly year-on-year to 25% (up from from 4% in 2025) for current needs and 37% (from 12%) for future needs.
“Kitchen renovations continue to be shaped by broader housing market pressures,” explained Marine Sargsyan, Houzz’s head of economic research. “With ageing housing stock, a shortage of available homes and longer homeowner tenure, homeowners are choosing to invest in improving the functionality of the kitchens they already have rather than move. That’s driving an emphasis on practical upgrades such as built-in storage and efficient layouts that help kitchens better support everyday living.”
