PALO ALTO, Calif. - Houzz released its 2021 Houzz Emerging Home Design Trends Report which identified the top emerging home design trends based on the latest search insights from its community of U.S. homeowners, home design enthusiasts, and home professionals.

According to the company, the trends reflect a need for dedicated activity spaces within the home, a desire to bring the outdoors in, a requirement to create flexible interior spaces, and a passion for luxurious colors and materials. Outside, people are getting creative with swimming pool styles.

Dedicated activity spaces

People have been relying on their homes to provide new avenues of activity and entertainment since the beginning of the pandemic and it shows in the emerging search trends we’re seeing for art studios (up nearly 10x), home bars, and wine cellars (up nearly 4x) and home theaters, home gyms, and home offices (up 3x, 2.5x and 2x, respectively). 

Bringing the outdoors in

The 2021 Houzz Kitchen Trends Report found that one in five homeowners are opening up their kitchens to the outdoors. That openness to nature and the role of greenery in our homes is a trend that seems to be accelerating. Searches for artificial plants and trees, as well as indoor pots and planters, are up 7.5x and 4.5x, respectively, since the same period last year. We’re also seeing a significant uptick in searches for green kitchen cabinets, bathroom tile, accent chairs, and bedrooms. 

Living room refresh

The living room has always been an important gathering space within the home. As people have spent more time within it over the past year, they may be seeking inspiration to refresh the space, with searches for living rooms up 52 percent compared with the same period in 2020. Accent pillows and home accents, in general, have seen some of the most dramatic increases (up 51x and 25x, respectively), along with decorative accents, abstract paintings, display shelves, and slip or chair covers.  
 
Design that offers flexibility

Many homeowners are turning to design options that offer more flexibility within the existing footprint of their homes. Searches for TV armoires with pocket doors (up 23x), queen murphy beds (up 21x), and nesting side tables (up 20x), create dual uses for a room by creatively hiding them away when not in use. Swivel accent chairs (up 20x) create flexible definitions between rooms and daybed sets (up 9x) offer multiple uses. 

Luxury fabrics, materials, and colors

Trending fabrics, materials, and colors are going glam with searches incorporating velvet, gold, and crystal all jumping in Q2, compared to Q2 2020.  

Making a splash with pool design 

We’ve heard from pool professionals on Houzz that interest has been heating up over the past year. In Q2 2021, searches for swimming pools and pool houses each more than doubled compared to the same period in 2020. More precisely, people are looking for specific pool styles, shapes, and designs, with searches for pools with water, feature up nearly 8x and rectangle, lap, infinity, plunge, and geometric pools all seeing a significant uptick. 

Homeowners who are looking to begin renovating or decorating their home can find the best home professionals for their projects on Houzz. 

For more information, visit Houzz.com