Millennials make their design mark
As millennials join the ranks of homeowners, they’re making their mark on how those homes look, and in some cases bucking longheld preferences.
Here are some of the trends popping up among the newest generation of homeowners found in Houzz’s 2017 Kitchen Trends Study. Of the survey’s 2,700 participants (all of whom had recently completed or were completing a kitchen remodel), 10 per cent to 12 per cent were ages 25 to 34.
“Millennials are a lot more focused on making sure that the style, colour palette and materials used in the major elements of the kitchen stay as relevant as long as possible because they’re not planning another remodel any time soon,” said Nino Sitchinava, Houzz’s principal economist.
Although grey was the most popular wall colour across all ages, it was especially popular among millennial homeowners (43 per cent of millennials versus 22 per cent of baby boomers chose it). Boomers were more likely to try warmer colours, and one in 10 chose green walls.
White cabinets topped all age groups; millennials were nearly twice as likely to extend that colour to the backsplash as well.
DECORATIVE LIGHTING VERSUS FUNCTIONAL
Younger renovators tended to prefer decorative pendant lighting (67 per cent), while older homeowners were more likely to choose more functional under- or in-cabinet lights (74 per cent).
Lighting upgrades were part of 84 per cent of the kitchen renovations surveyed.
The most popular built-in features for millennials were pantry cabinets and islands, appearing in two of five renovated kitchens, and younger homeowners were much more likely to install an island than older homeowners (49 per cent versus 36 per cent, respectively).
MODERN AND FARMHOUSE
Although contemporary is the most popular style for kitchen remodels across all ages (26 per cent among millennials and 24 per cent among baby boomers), younger homeowners are more likely to try a modern (19 per cent), or farmhouse style (14 per cent), for their renovation as opposed to boomers, who are more likely to stick with a traditional style (14 per cent compared with 8 per cent of millennials).
EYE ON THE BUDGET
Millennial homeowners “are twice as likely to be driven by cost considerations than homeowners over age 35,” per the survey’s findings. Younger renovators are also more willing to get their hands dirty when it comes to kitchen remodelling, with a majority favouring stock and ready-to-assemble cabinets.
“They are less likely to hire a general contractor, architect or a designer and instead take on that process themselves,” Sitchinava said.
Still, about a third of the millennials surveyed splurged on custom cabinetry (versus 42 per cent of baby boomers).
STARTING TO TURN AWAY FROM GRANITE
Look and feel (72 per cent), and durability (53 per cent), were the driving factors for choosing a countertop material, far ahead of cost (21 per cent), and quartz and granite reign supreme as the most sought-after materials, across all ages. But Gen Y is much more willing to experiment with a more budget-friendly countertop material such as laminate or wood.