More than a third (36%) of UK homeowners are now deciding to add or update an accent wall during a bathroom renovation, according to the latest research from AI design platform Houzz.
This was just one of the findings of its recently released 2026 UK Houzz Bathroom Trends Study which polled 569 homeowners about their recent or upcoming renovation projects
The platform said that the most common place to implement an accent wall is in the shower area (21%), compared to anywhere else in the room. Houzz’s research found that “colour” was the most common way (59%) to create an accent wall focal point, followed by patterns (43%), surface material (35%) and texture (34%).
Green is reportedly the most common accent wall colour (15%), followed by blue (12%). Apparently white accent walls have seen a stark 20% drop in popularity over last year.
“Homeowners are using colour to help their bathroom design stand out” explained Marine Sargsyan, Houzz’s head of economic research. “Even as many keep the rest of the room calm and neutral, professionals are helping them commit to a bolder colour on a single wall, turning the bathroom into more of a personal retreat.”
Three-in-five (58%) of those renovating their bathrooms either added or replaced a bath, with just 17% removing one altogether. Interestingly, this number is down 5% year-on-year, with Houzz saying this suggests “the bath is holding its ground”.
Among those upgrading their baths, “standard baths” are now the dominant choice (66%), which has seen a 10% year-on-year increase. Meanwhile, soaking baths fell almost 10% in popularity over the last year, down to 23%.
Unsurprisingly, for homeowners who did remove a bath, most (85%) used the reclaimed space to make a shower bigger.
According to Houzz’s survey, most UK bathrooms are still of a relatively “modest” size. Two-in-five (42%) renovated bathrooms are between just 5 and 9.99 square meters, while a similar number (41%) are under five square meters. Less than one-in-five (18%) UK bathrooms are larger than 10 square meters.
The new survey has shown that nine-in-ten homeowners (88%) still seek professional help for completing their renovation. According to Houzz, half of bathroom renovators hire a general tradesperson (47%), a similar number (45%) hire dedicated bathroom fitters, and 35% hire a builder.
A quarter of renovating homeowners seeked help from a bathroom designer (25%), with clients saying that “project visualisation” was a top challenge for planning their new bathrooms.
