Functionality to Fuel Kitchen Design in 2026

As homeowners stay in their homes longer, design and construction professionals are increasingly meeting with clients who want kitchens that are more functional and practical for the long term.

In its 2026 U.S. Kitchen Trends Study, home remodeling and design platform Houzz gathered responses from nearly 1,800 homeowners, who overwhelmingly reported a need for designs that reduce kitchen clutter and add storage. 

“Specialty and built-in storage is fundamental to how today’s kitchens function,” says Misty Callaway, designer of Hendersonville, Tenn.-based design build firm Callaway Homes and a Houzz Pro user.

Less Personalization, More Functionality

While previous years saw a growing trend toward personalization in design, renovating homeowners in 2026 are more likely to seek professional renovation help due to kitchen deterioration or dysfunction. Of those surveyed, 38% listed this as their top motivator for upgrading their kitchen, up from 35% the previous year. At the same time, personalizing a recently purchased home dropped by 4 percentage points as a top motivator to 24%. 

“With aging housing stock, a shortage of available homes and longer homeowner tenure, more homeowners are choosing to invest in improving the functionality of the kitchens they already have rather than move,” says Marine Sargsyan, head of economic research for Houzz. “That’s driving an emphasis on practical upgrades such as built-in storage and efficient layouts that help kitchens better support everyday living.”

With functinality a top priority for homeowners this year, over half of renovating homeowners say they're designing for aging as well. This year's report saw an increase in aging-related updates from last year, with 31% seeking aging-in-place updates compared with 26% the previous year. 

Design Styles Rooted in Practicality

With affordability a growing concern (which also manifests in higher-income clients as a greater desire for value), practicality and timelessness are expected to drive design style choices in 2026. Transitional style remains the most common for newly renovated kitchens, according to 25% of respondents, followed by traditional, cited by 12%. Additionally, the share of homeowners reporting no particular style doubled from 3% to 6% over the past year.

This growing sense of practicality extends to material selections as well, with more homeowners gravitating toward natural-looking finishes. For cabinets, wood is now the most popular finish, according to 29% of those surveyed. Other popular choices include ceramic backsplashes and engineered quartz countertops, reported by 49% and 39% of respondents respectively.