Meet the 10 Most-Saved Kitchens of 2022
Find out why these 10 Australian kitchens were the most popular among readers this year
Every year, we reveal the most popular images of kitchens on Houzz, as saved by you, our sage readers. These photographs are from projects uploaded by professionals on Houzz from 14 December 2021 to 14 December 2022, and saved by Houzz Australia users from 1 December 2022 to 14 December 2022. This year, the biggest surprise is the lack of look-at-me stone benchtops and feature splashbacks that have ruled the roost (make that kitchen) in previous years, while colourful designs took the trophy.
2. Mix, don’t match
It takes a practised hand and an experienced eye to combine disparate finishes in a kitchen that result in sophisticated cohesion rather than a clash. This is exactly what Bryant Alsop Architects achieved here in Melbourne, Victoria, with the black and green cabinets, black-fluted island cladding, two different benchtop finishes, the blackbutt backdrop, and a mix of curves and right-angles.
Houzz readers are a discerning bunch and it’s this surprising yet winning combination of colours, materials and finishes that you – like us – collectively admired.
See the rest of this kitchen and home here
It takes a practised hand and an experienced eye to combine disparate finishes in a kitchen that result in sophisticated cohesion rather than a clash. This is exactly what Bryant Alsop Architects achieved here in Melbourne, Victoria, with the black and green cabinets, black-fluted island cladding, two different benchtop finishes, the blackbutt backdrop, and a mix of curves and right-angles.
Houzz readers are a discerning bunch and it’s this surprising yet winning combination of colours, materials and finishes that you – like us – collectively admired.
See the rest of this kitchen and home here
3. Colour is king…
In a sign of the times, not a single kitchen in this top-10 round-up is all white. Here’s another colour burst beloved by Houzz readers, this time combining more traditional cabinetry with a splash of blue.
Designed by Danielle Victoria Design Studio, this Sydney kitchen would be a shadow of itself without the contrasting colour to accent the island bench, not to mention curves in all the right places. It just shows that small ‘risks’ such as these can reap great rewards.
In a sign of the times, not a single kitchen in this top-10 round-up is all white. Here’s another colour burst beloved by Houzz readers, this time combining more traditional cabinetry with a splash of blue.
Designed by Danielle Victoria Design Studio, this Sydney kitchen would be a shadow of itself without the contrasting colour to accent the island bench, not to mention curves in all the right places. It just shows that small ‘risks’ such as these can reap great rewards.
4. …But storage still matters
This kitchen features twice, but it’s not all due to the colour palette. Houzz users recognise that form must follow function, which means you are greeted with ample storage when you enter the kitchen, plenty of bench space for food prep and a mix of task and ambient lighting.
This design here puts a timeless tick in each one of those boxes, but it’s the dedicated appliance cupboard that caught readers’ eyes, with its meticulous joinery, subtle tiled splashback and room to store, well, almost everything.
See before and after this kitchen redesign
This kitchen features twice, but it’s not all due to the colour palette. Houzz users recognise that form must follow function, which means you are greeted with ample storage when you enter the kitchen, plenty of bench space for food prep and a mix of task and ambient lighting.
This design here puts a timeless tick in each one of those boxes, but it’s the dedicated appliance cupboard that caught readers’ eyes, with its meticulous joinery, subtle tiled splashback and room to store, well, almost everything.
See before and after this kitchen redesign
5. Blue steel
From soft cerulean to the full-on saturation of steel, blue has become one of the new neutrals in Australian interior design. Perfect for adding some punch to an all-white or grey scheme, readers appreciate how transformative yet timeless blue can be when used as a contrasting colour. In fact, the term ‘blue kitchens’ reflected year-over-year growth in searches on Houzz Australia from January to March 2022 versus January to March 2021.
Designed by Schemes & Spaces, the combination of stony white and midnight blue in this Sydney kitchen helped earn its place in this year’s most-saved. But it’s the mix of flat-fronted drawers, modern Shaker-style cupboard fronts and V-groove panelling that injects texture and led us to feature this kitchen in a story earlier this year.
From soft cerulean to the full-on saturation of steel, blue has become one of the new neutrals in Australian interior design. Perfect for adding some punch to an all-white or grey scheme, readers appreciate how transformative yet timeless blue can be when used as a contrasting colour. In fact, the term ‘blue kitchens’ reflected year-over-year growth in searches on Houzz Australia from January to March 2022 versus January to March 2021.
Designed by Schemes & Spaces, the combination of stony white and midnight blue in this Sydney kitchen helped earn its place in this year’s most-saved. But it’s the mix of flat-fronted drawers, modern Shaker-style cupboard fronts and V-groove panelling that injects texture and led us to feature this kitchen in a story earlier this year.
6. Statement stone
Is this 2022’s most popular home on Houzz? It just may be – the exterior featured a spot in this year’s 10 most-saved exterior images, while the stunning alfresco area landed three spots in the year’s 10 most-saved decks. Designed by interior designer Sarah Davey, her husband builder Jared Davey and building designer Stuart Osman, you can see the rest of this home and read about it here.
Interestingly, this kitchen in the Gold Coast, Queensland, is the only one in this image collection that ushers in drama with striking stone surfaces (the engineered stone here is Oyster White from Quantum Quartz). This splashback is certainly one to save, and our readers did in droves.
Is this 2022’s most popular home on Houzz? It just may be – the exterior featured a spot in this year’s 10 most-saved exterior images, while the stunning alfresco area landed three spots in the year’s 10 most-saved decks. Designed by interior designer Sarah Davey, her husband builder Jared Davey and building designer Stuart Osman, you can see the rest of this home and read about it here.
Interestingly, this kitchen in the Gold Coast, Queensland, is the only one in this image collection that ushers in drama with striking stone surfaces (the engineered stone here is Oyster White from Quantum Quartz). This splashback is certainly one to save, and our readers did in droves.
7. Two-toned minimalism
Even the most sophisticated metrics have their limits, so it’s your guess as well as ours as to which was the bigger drawcard: the study nook that flanks this kitchen or the mid-century style kitchen itself. Either way, readers and us Houzzers alike admire both spaces in this multi-zone Melbourne kitchen by Jacqui Koska.
The design displays a well-resolved mix of materials in the same colours – the white two-pack polyurethane joinery around the periphery and white zellige tiles on the island are an almost-perfect colour match with the white wall paint. Add to that the parquet benchtops, which hark with the timber floor and joinery accents, and we can see why it’s a winner.
Browse more beautiful Australian kitchens with timber benchtops
Even the most sophisticated metrics have their limits, so it’s your guess as well as ours as to which was the bigger drawcard: the study nook that flanks this kitchen or the mid-century style kitchen itself. Either way, readers and us Houzzers alike admire both spaces in this multi-zone Melbourne kitchen by Jacqui Koska.
The design displays a well-resolved mix of materials in the same colours – the white two-pack polyurethane joinery around the periphery and white zellige tiles on the island are an almost-perfect colour match with the white wall paint. Add to that the parquet benchtops, which hark with the timber floor and joinery accents, and we can see why it’s a winner.
Browse more beautiful Australian kitchens with timber benchtops
8. A textural feast
Has the all-white kitchen left the building? Houzz readers have voted with their feet and the resounding response is ‘yes!’ Of all the cooking spaces in this top-10 collection, this Melbourne kitchen by Bryant Alsop Architects, which we featured in a story earlier this year, exhibits the most neutral palette. But where it dials down the chroma, it revs up the texture, particularly with the tonal Japanese mosaic splashback tiles.
Also of note are the freestanding burners and the twin range hoods with oomph. Curves, such as the ones here, are still cherished: the term ‘curved kitchen island’ experienced 71 percent year-over-year growth in searches on Houzz Australia from January to March 2022 versus January to March 2021.
The timber-veneer cabinetry here (instead of the two-pack polyurethane finish we have seen so much of) is another treat. We expect to see more of it in 2023 and beyond, so watch this space.
Has the all-white kitchen left the building? Houzz readers have voted with their feet and the resounding response is ‘yes!’ Of all the cooking spaces in this top-10 collection, this Melbourne kitchen by Bryant Alsop Architects, which we featured in a story earlier this year, exhibits the most neutral palette. But where it dials down the chroma, it revs up the texture, particularly with the tonal Japanese mosaic splashback tiles.
Also of note are the freestanding burners and the twin range hoods with oomph. Curves, such as the ones here, are still cherished: the term ‘curved kitchen island’ experienced 71 percent year-over-year growth in searches on Houzz Australia from January to March 2022 versus January to March 2021.
The timber-veneer cabinetry here (instead of the two-pack polyurethane finish we have seen so much of) is another treat. We expect to see more of it in 2023 and beyond, so watch this space.
9. From contemporary to country
By now you will have noted the scarcity of statement stone (natural or engineered) in these kitchens. Have we turned our backs on bold benchtops? Or will the burgeoning trend towards quartzite accelerate next year?
Only time will tell, but in happy news for lovers of striking stone, you’re not alone – this country-style kitchen with its sintered-stone benchtops and splashbacks (these are Himalaya Crystal from Neolith) made the cut. And those pendant lights prove that statement lighting is still prized in our cooking spaces for its beautiful balance of form and function.
By now you will have noted the scarcity of statement stone (natural or engineered) in these kitchens. Have we turned our backs on bold benchtops? Or will the burgeoning trend towards quartzite accelerate next year?
Only time will tell, but in happy news for lovers of striking stone, you’re not alone – this country-style kitchen with its sintered-stone benchtops and splashbacks (these are Himalaya Crystal from Neolith) made the cut. And those pendant lights prove that statement lighting is still prized in our cooking spaces for its beautiful balance of form and function.
10. Curves in the right places
Speaking of stone, this Sydney kitchen by Alix Helps Interiors features natural super white dolomite benchtops and splashbacks, a stone that Houzz readers have fallen in love it. But it’s the texture and soft curves of the fluted detailing – which has been in the spotlight for several years now – beneath the island benchtop that led so many readers to click ‘Save’. You can read more about it here and see the rest of this penthouse.
Your turn
Which of these 10 kitchens is your pick of the bunch? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to keep saving your favourite images for inspiration, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Keen to see Houzz’s most-popular exteriors this year? Take a look at What the 10 Most-Saved Home Exterior Photos of 2022 Reveal
Speaking of stone, this Sydney kitchen by Alix Helps Interiors features natural super white dolomite benchtops and splashbacks, a stone that Houzz readers have fallen in love it. But it’s the texture and soft curves of the fluted detailing – which has been in the spotlight for several years now – beneath the island benchtop that led so many readers to click ‘Save’. You can read more about it here and see the rest of this penthouse.
Your turn
Which of these 10 kitchens is your pick of the bunch? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to keep saving your favourite images for inspiration, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Keen to see Houzz’s most-popular exteriors this year? Take a look at What the 10 Most-Saved Home Exterior Photos of 2022 Reveal
Classic enough to blend in with an existing period property, but fresh and contemporary, this kitchen in Sydney, NSW, by Naibu Design has it all. It’s simplicity in form, high in function with all that bench space and storage, and colourful to boot.
Green has been a firm favourite among our readers for a couple of years now, so there’s no surprise that this gum-hued kitchen earned itself a spot in this year’s top 10. Our data reflects year-over-year growth in searches on Houzz Australia from January to March 2022 versus January to March 2021, and the search term ‘sage green kitchen cabinets’ rose by 37 percent, while ‘green kitchens’ jumped a mighty 105 percent.
Planning a new kitchen in the new year? Find kitchen designers near you on Houzz, browse images of their work and read reviews from previous clients