Home renovation and design platform, Houzz.com.au released the 2022 top emerging home design trends based on the latest search insights from its community of homeowners, home design enthusiasts, and home professionals.
The trends highlight the continued need for dedicated activity spaces, a focus on indoor-outdoor living, a rise in bathroom grooming, and a deep dive into resort-style pool design. The report also shows an increase in homeowners honouring architectural origins and smart-storage solutions are important in 2022.
Read on below to see these top trends and gain some inspiration for your next home renovation adventure!
Dedicated Activity Spaces
Since the beginning of the pandemic, people have continued to make their homes the centre point for new avenues of activity and entertainment and it shows in the increased searches seen on Houzz this year for the following specific features:
- Home bar – up 79%
- Media room – up 48%
- Library – up 46%
- Rumpus room – up 43%
- Studio – up 43%
Outdoor Living
Connecting homes to the great outdoors is a trend that is seen to grow stronger over recent years on Houzz. It appears more and more homeowners are looking to achieve the idyllic beachside lifestyle, with searches for ‘Hamptons exterior’ quadrupling and ‘coastal kitchen’ doubling in 2022. Making the most of alfresco settings continues with searches on Houzz for ‘greenhouse’, ‘decks’, and ‘outdoor dining’ surging higher over the past year. In addition, capturing the open-air ’Palm Springs’-inspired vibe is gaining popularity.
- Hamptons exterior – up 331%
- Coastal kitchen – up 116%
- Greenhouse – up 111%
- Decks – up 105%
- Outdoor dining – up 66%
- Palm Springs – up 56%
Making a Splash
Bathrooms remain one of the most popular interior rooms to be upgraded and saw spending by homeowners increase 13% from $15,000 to $17,000 year-on-year, according to the latest 2022 Houzz & Home Australia report. Specific searches for ‘bathroom mirrors’, ‘baths’, ‘wet room’, and ‘ensuite’ have jumped up on Houzz in 2022 compared to the previous year.
- Bathroom mirrors – up 151%
- Bath – up 110%
- Wet room – up 64%
- Ensuite – up 38%
Poolside Plunge
Individuals are searching for ways to cool off in style, and pool professionals on Houzz confirm interest in swimming pool design has certainly heated up recently. Homeowners on Houzz are diving deep for inspiration with the search terms ‘pool house’, ‘swimming pool’, ‘swim spa’, ‘pool cabana’, and ‘plunge pool’ surging higher on Houzz than the previous year.
- Pool house – up 107%
- Swimming pool – up 60%
- Swim spa – up 52%
- Pool cabana – up 42%
- Plunge pool – up 29%
Preserving Charm and Character
Preserving the original charm and character of a home appears to be top of mind among homeowners on Houzz. Dramatic search spikes for ‘exposed brick’, along with ‘balustrade’, ‘Federation’, and ‘industrial’ show that decorative styles and architectural features, that are unique to period-style homes, have become popular on Houzz for 2022. In addition, ‘Australian native gardens,’ which are well-suited to local growing conditions, saw higher growth on Houzz compared to 2021.
- Exposed brick – up 199%
- Australian native garden – up 132%
- Balustrade – up 101%
- Federation – up 52%
- Industrial – up 41%
Smart Storage
Custom smart-storage solutions are becoming increasingly important for homeowners, with the 2022 Houzz & Home Australia survey reporting more than a third enlisted the help of a cabinet or cabinetry home professional in the past year. Creating a well-functioning ‘butler’s pantry’ more than quadrupled in searches on Houzz in the first quarter of 2022, compared with 2021. Home organisation is increasingly prioritised with higher searches on Houzz for ‘garage storage’, ‘built-in wardrobe’, ‘mudroom’, and ‘walk-in wardrobe’.
- Butler’s pantry – up 311%
- Garage storage – up 90%
- Built-in wardrobe – up 77%
- Mudroom – up 64%
- Walk-in wardrobe – up 58%
For more inspiration on smart home designs, read here!
