7 Inspiring Design Trends We Love From the 2024 Best of Houzz Award Winners

We had a hard time narrowing down our favorite ideas with so much talent to choose from.

Houzz, the leading platform for home remodeling and design, recently announced their winners of the 2024 Best of Houzz awards, a "people's choice award" for the most outstanding professionals on the site. The Best of Houzz recognizes the top-rated home pros and most popular designs by category (like living room, bedroom, etc.) and location, meaning it's easy to find and hire the best of the best for whatever project you have in mind.

One factor that's considered during the selection process is the number of times a pro's images is saved. In addition to reviews, this helps boost the pro's chances of earning a Best of Houzz Service award. Because there are so many beautiful, inspiring images, we noticed a few recurring design trends that we had to point out. Below, you'll see seven we want to copy ASAP.

Related: 10 Timeless Home Trends Worth Following (That You Won't Hate Next Year)

Wood Cabinets

"All wood, all day" seems to be one of the biggest themes in the world of kitchen cabinets. It's something we noticed last year, and according to Houzz, there are no signs this trend is slowing down. Many of the Best of Houzz Design award recipients created all-wood kitchen cabinets, and in fact, one of the most-saved kitchen photos uploaded to Houzz in 2023 featured unpainted woodwork.

It's easy to understand why wood is so popular right now though—wood adds a lot of warmth to kitchens, which are often cool-toned thanks to the stainless appliances. Oak, in particular, seems to be in high demand.

Green-Gray Kitchen Cabinets

Another trend we saw on the horizon was green cabinetry—according to a 2023 survey conducted by the National Kitchen & Bath Association, green was hot in many designer kitchens.

Houzz is noting that green with gray undertones is especially popular right now. When paired with wood, it just creates a cozy, inviting look. This Nashville kitchen built by Gregg Homebuilding Company perfectly paired the soft sage color with oak cabinetry and light countertops to keep the space bright and airy.

Related: 7 Simple Steps for Painting Kitchen Cabinets

Brick-Patterned Backsplash

Instead of the basic subway tile look, designers are now opting to stack tiles in a more traditional brick pattern, while mixing up the tile colors in varying shades for a little more dimension in their backsplashes. Choosing this classic pattern (with a twist!) is a foolproof way to design a kitchen you'll love forever.

Vanity Storage Towers

We love a good storage solution for bathrooms—and it seems Best of Houzz winners agree. Increasing storage in bathrooms is high priority for most renovations, so tricking out the vanity is often a go-to tactic for many designers. (After all, an optimized vanity that can hold everything in one central place is truly a godsend.)

Enter the vanity storage tower, which usually sits atop the vanity. It's a clever way to store frequently used items at eye-level and within reach, and it frees up precious countertop space. The example above, designed by Troo Designs Kitchens Baths Interiors, smartly bisects the double sink vanity, creating a nice symmetry to the space.

Screened-In Porches

Screened-in porches have been around for forever, but they've rarely been decorated to the nines... until now. Many of the winning outdoor areas in Best of Houzz featured this detail, proving practical screens can look stylish.

It makes sense that more people are incorporating screens into their designs though, with the burgeoning emphasis on nature through biophilic design. Mesh screens are an excellent way to blur the lines between the indoors and the outer environment—without any of the pesky insects and bad weather.

Mud-Laundry Rooms

Gorgeous laundry rooms are the stuff of envy. Throw in mudroom elements and you've got yourself a perfect space that's all about efficiency. Houzz already predicted the mud-laundry room hybrid would take off in 2024 in last year's trend report, but their Best of Houzz laundry room winners confirmed this forecast.

Why is this setup so great though? It allows homeowners to drop dirty sports uniforms or sandy beach towels directly into the wash before tracking dirt farther into the home. Plus, there are all the perks of mudroom storage components like cabinets, hooks and cubbies.

Canopy Beds

Canopy beds of yore are back. (We totally called this after one of the designers from our 2023 REAL SIMPLE HOME made a canopy bed the star of her guest room design.) Apparently, a quick scroll through popular bedroom photos on Houzz reveals that canopy beds are everywhere. It's a great way to fill up the vertical space of a room, and it's kind of like an architectural element that requires no real building tools.

In the beautiful, calming example above, Pure Salt Interiors proves even small rooms can handle a canopy bed—the wood canopy frame imparts a cozy, warm vibe to the mostly-white bedroom, which earned the firm a Best of Houzz Design award.

Related: 20 Decorating Tricks for Your Bedroom

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