time to redecorate

Golf simulators and rooftop lounges emerge as top home design trends for 2023, says Houzz

Design enthusiasts, homeowners, and renters alike are all looking for the next big thing when it comes to home design. And today's hottest trends are all centered around improving a home for the current and future lifestyle of its inhabitants.

A 2023 report by Houzz identified the top home design trends that have been emerging throughout the year, from indoor style revivals to rooftop living spaces. Data was aggregated using the top search results from Houzz's website and comparing it to the previous year's results.

These are the big trends that have been emerging in homes, near and far, this year.

Basement golf simulators
Houzz's data said searches for "basement golf simulators" spiked a whopping 1,905 percent this year from 2022. Homeowners, in general, are looking for ways to finish basements, the report said. Texans would be hard-pressed to find a home with a basement, but golf simulators are certainly taking up space in other areas of the house. Even a regal estate in Houston went on the market boasting a private man cave big enough to host the popular sport simulator.

Photo by Eric Lucero / Thomas Sattler Homes

Practice your swing on the golf simulator.

Rooftop living spaces
Homes with outdoor rooftop terraces are also top-of-mind for many people, with searches spiking 1,555 percent year-over-year. Relaxing outdoors seems like a nice idea when it's not brutally hot in the summer.

"People are increasingly utilizing their rooftops to expand livable space as well, particularly in metropolitan areas where outdoor space is a hot commodity," the Houzz report said.

rooftop living space Relaxing outdoors seems like a nice idea when it's not brutally hot in the summer. Photo by MVCC Inc. and Jacob Lilley Architects / Greg Premru

Accessible bathrooms
In a similar study surveying owners about home renovations, Houzz experts learned that more people are choosing to renovate their spaces in preparation for their retirement years. One of the most important factors in achieving a retirement-ready home is improving the functionality of bathrooms.

Dallas and its suburbs are well known for having some of the most attractive housing markets in the nation, so it's no wonder local homeowners want to hang on to their houses for as long as possible.

'Industrial-style' and entertainment-centered kitchens
With new construction homes focusing more on open-concept living spaces, kitchens are also getting chic facelifts to avoid looking like forgotten areas. Two important styles and characteristics have emerged from these improvements: an "industrial-style" kitchen that doubles as the perfect entertaining area.

"Industrial-style kitchens appeal to many cooks, with their commercial vibe, easy-to-clean surfaces and high-traffic durability," the report said.

Features that make these commercial kitchens stand out include pull-down kitchen faucets, stainless steel or concrete countertops, and brick walls. On the entertainment side, large islands and island ranges are the centerpieces for any social gathering by allowing hosts to face their guests while they cook.

Room separation
Even with the popularity of open-concept living spaces and kitchens, the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted some household needs to include temporary separation for remote work. Houzz says that searches for living room dividers, shoji screens, and partition walls have all grown in 2023 while workers are prioritizing flexible working environments.

Ceiling design elements
Houzz says a room's ceiling has "historically been an overlooked surface," but perhaps not for much longer. People are searching frequently for overhead design elements like "high-gloss" or "painted ceilings." Another rising popular search is for "tongue-and-groove" ceilings, which are made up of long wood planks installed side-to-side across the ceiling.

Interior design, home and design trends, tongue and groove ceilings The tongue and groove paneling expands from the walls up into the ceilings.Photo courtesy of ATX Interior Design

Spanish Colonial style revival
Decorating a house can be daunting if you're unsure of what style to choose, but you can never go wrong with a classic revival of the Colonial style. Specifically, Colonial and Spanish Colonial style revivals are the most popular interior design themes in 2023, says Houzz.

Adaptable amenities for the weather
Dallas homes have the fifth-best "curb appeal" in the country according to one home services site, with homeowners willing to spend thousands to improve their yards. The most popular outdoor improvements being searched so far this year are all "small" summertime-focused features like plunge pools, pool houses, and outdoor kitchens, according to Houzz.

Owners in mosquito-plagued Dallas might also be more interested in screened porches, which are on trend. Searches for "small screened-in porch ideas" grew 522 percent this year in comparison to last year, Houzz says.

The full report can be found on houzz.com.

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home design trends

Hottest bathroom renovation trends right now are all about self-care

Photo courtesy of Signature Designs Kitchens & Baths

Stone accent walls are a great way to make a bathroom look more natural.

The interior design experts at Houzz are unveiling the hottest renovation trends for Dallas homeowners who are ready to say goodbye their outdated bathrooms and step into updated, self-care retreats.

The "2026 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study" surveyed over 1,600 homeowners who are currently renovating or have recently completed a bathroom renovation to determine the top design choices, features, and the overarching goals for their projects.

"Homeowners want their bathrooms to work harder for them to support both daily routines and self-care," said Marine Sargsyan, Houzz head of economic research. "That's showing up in the numbers, with median spend rebounding to $15,000, and nearly half of homeowners making their showers bigger. Pros are helping their clients to reconfigure layouts and make more room for the features that elevate everyday comfort."

Below are the most sought-after bathroom upgrades in 2026.

Bathrooms stay relatively the same size, but self-care tops the priority list
One of the main highlights in the report was that half of all homeowners surveyed said they spent more time relaxing and "soaking up self care" in their bathrooms after renovations were finished. Fore 28 percent, that's for beauty and pampering routines, and for 23 percent, it's for rest and relaxation.

With this in mind, most homeowners also said they don't want their bathrooms to be larger and take away precious space in the primary bedroom. Instead, homeowners are making strategic improvements like reworking the bathroom layout; increasing the size of the shower area; or updating ventilation, heating, or plumbing.

"The vast majority of bathrooms (82 percent) keep their size after renovation, while just 1 percent shrink," the report said. "When bathroom footprints increase, they tend to be modest."

Additionally, about 90 percent of homeowners said they were hiring a professional to help with their renovation projects rather than doing it themselves. This takes away some of the stress of executing renovations, though it might come at a higher cost than a DIY project.

Top-picked styles and design details
The majority of homeowners (81 percent) update the style of their bathroom when they renovate, the report said, with transitional and contemporary styles leading as the most popular choices.

Specifically, homeowners are most often choosing solid wood (like maple and white oak) for their cabinets, and white or off-white quartzite for countertops, and white or off-white paint across the shower walls and non-shower walls. While this may seem sterile at first, about 34 percent of homeowners are including an accent wall to add a touch of personality to the space.

"Renovating homeowners who include an accent wall in their bathroom projects mostly use patterns to make them stand out (53 percent)," the report said. "Color is the second choice (48 percent), followed by surface material (45 percent) and texture (25 percent)."

Porcelain and ceramic tile are the top two choices for shower flooring and for the flooring outside the shower, Houzz reported.

Specialty features surging in popularity
Recessed lighting, bidet toilet seats, and mirrors with adjustable lighting color temperature are a few of the hottest specialty features being added to bathrooms, the report found.

"[A] third of renovating homeowners add a specialty mirror feature (33 percent), most often LED lighting (26 percent) or an antifog system (21 percent)," Houzz said.

For vanity updates, 61 percent of homeowners upgrade to entirely custom or semi-custom piece, and 21 percent of homeowners opt for stock models. These new vanities are most often wider than what was previously used, and feature soft-close drawers and doors. Built-in features — such as electrical outlets, hair tool organizers, and drawer organizers — are another popular choice for vanity upgrades.

Accessibility features for homeowners planning for the future
Nearly three quarters of homeowners are planning bathroom upgrades to address their future needs.

The top aging-in-place features incorporated by renovating homeowners are grab bars, continuous or nonslip flooring, low-curb or curbless showers, additional lighting, ADA-compliant toilets, and wheelchair-accessible doorways. Four percent of homeowners said they were lowering the height of their vanities, and two percent said they were lowering their shower fixtures.

Several of these ideas were also highlighted in Houzz's 2025 renovation trends report.

Photo courtesy of Signature Designs Kitchens & Baths

Stone accent walls are a great way to make a bathroom look more natural.

home design home design trends houzz bathrooms renovation

time to redecorate

Golf simulators and rooftop lounges emerge as top home design trends for 2023, says Houzz

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home design trends

Hottest bathroom renovation trends right now are all about self-care