The pandemic has caused everyone to cast a critical eye on how well their home functions and looks. Recent research by Houzz illustrates trending designs and how people may be investing their home upgrade dollars.

It compared searches on Houzz from April to June of 2021 to the same period last year and found a dramatic uptick in several categories.

It’s not surprising that many who were locked down last year and might be anticipating another winter with lots of at-home time want space dedicated to their interests.

Searches for art studios rose by 875%, as did home bars and wine cellars, up 277% and 271%, respectively. Those were followed by home theater (190%), gym (156%), and office (108%).

The color green is big, and Houzz suggests that homeowners are trying to bring the outdoors inside. For example, searches for green kitchen cabinets rose by 829%, green bathroom tile by 771%, and green accent chairs by 754%.

Users also are interested in pops of luxury, with searches rising by 1,166% for gold lamps, 1,161% for velvet accent chairs, 846% for champagne color, and 606% for gold mirrors.

See additional Houzz data (https://st.hzcdn.com/static/2021-HouzzUS-Emerging-Home-Design-Trends-Report.pdf) on pools, flexible design, and living room décor items.