The majority of homeowners upgraded their worktop during a kitchen renovation, with engineered quartz the most popular choice, found a recent industry survey.

Ashford Kitchens & Interiors

According to the 2025 UK Houzz Kitchen Trends Study, the majority of consumers replaced worktops in their kitchen refurbishment (92%) with engineered quartz (42%) the most sought-after choice.

It was followed by butcher block or wood slab (14%), laminate (14%), solid surface (12%), granite (10%) and marble (5%).

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This is despite news headlines about quartz worktops, highlighting potential health and safety implications for fabricators, should they not follow current HSE guidance.

White is the top choice for main kitchen worktops, selected by more than half of homeowners (32% white and 22% off-white), followed by wood tones (16%).

When it comes to worktop choice homeowners prioritised materials based on their look and feel (65%), durability (44%) and ease of cleaning (38%), rather than cost (24%; down 7 percentage points from 2024).

Houzz staff economist commented on the results of the survey: “Worktops offer a multitude of options for homeowners to personalise their kitchens for both aesthetic and practical reasons like durability and ease of cleaning.

“Even as design trends evolve, this feature remains a priority.”

In addition, it found nearly three-quarters of homeowners change the layout of their kitchen (71%) and over three in five upgrade plumbing, electrical or heating systems (63%).

It also revealed the popularity of slab splashbacks, vinyl flooring, a combination of cabinet colours, speciality oven features and emergence of Japandi styling.

The survey further reported consumers spend on kitchen renovations increased by 34% to £17,500 from £13,000 in 2024.

The median spend for a major kitchen renovation of a large kitchen (100 square feet or more), climbed to £20,000, up from £15,000 the previous year.

While the median spend on a major small kitchen renovation (less than 100 square feet) is £4,900.

“We’re seeing a rise in overall kitchen renovation spend as homeowners invest in specific features and undergo major modifications, many of which require the expertise of qualified home professionals”, stated

The 2025 UK Houzz Kitchen Trends Study is a report of homeowners who are in the midst of, are planning or recently completed a kitchen renovation and was fielded in November-December 2024.