The search result data from Houzz always makes for interesting reading and the latest report is no exception. One of the world’s leading platforms for home renovation and design, the latest Houzz results reveal the major design trends according to the platform’s community of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home professionals. It’s clear that the impacts of the pandemic are still lingering with dedicated activity spaces, outdoor living, bathroom renovations and pools some of the most searched topics.

Dedicated activity spaces
There’s no denying that the pandemic has fundamentally altered the way that we use our homes. With more people at home, and at the same time, it’s not surprising to see that rooms that allow for activity and entertainment feature prominently in the search data. Subsequently, searches for ‘home bar’ were up by 79%, ‘media room’ by 48%, ‘library’ by 46%, ‘rumpus room’ by 43% and ‘studio’ by 43%.

Outdoor living
The Aussie obsession with indoor/outdoor living continues and the latest Houzz findings affirms this. Coastal interior looks are more popular than ever with searches for ‘Hamptons exterior’ up 331% and ‘coastal kitchen’ up 116% while ‘greenhouse,’ ‘decks’ and ‘outdoor dining’ have all become more heavily searched terms too.

Bathroom renos
According to Houzz data, bathrooms remain one of the most popular rooms to renovate in the home with homeowners spending an average of $17,000 per bathroom upgrade. Related searches, including ‘bathroom mirrors,’ ‘wet room’ and ‘ensuite,’ all increased in number, compared to the year prior.

The backyard pool
Ensuring you never have to leave home when the weather heats up, it’s understandable that swimming pool design searches are on the up. Compared to last year, searches for ‘swimming pool’ are up by 60%, ‘swim spa’ by more than 52%, ‘pool cabana’ by 42% and ‘plunge pool’ by 29%.

Character details
In good news for our selling demographic, searches related to period homes have never been more popular with the Houzz community. Searches for ‘exposed brick’ are up 300% while ‘balustrade’ is up more than 200%, ‘Federation’ by 52% and ‘industrial’ by 41%. These searches reveal that the architectural features unique to period homes are majorly trending.

Smart storage
With everyone at home more, home storage has never been more important, and this was reflected in the findings – the 2022 Houzz & Home Australia survey reported that more than a third of respondents had enlisted the help of a cabinet maker in the past year. In related news, searches for ‘butler’s pantry’ more than quadrupled in popularity compared with the same period in 2021. Also, home organisation is being increasingly prioritised with higher searches on Houzz for ‘garage storage’ (up by 90%), ‘built-in wardrobe’ (up by 77%), ‘mudroom’ (up by 64%) and ‘walk-in wardrobe’ (up by 58%).