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Bathrooms are getting a style makeover but not every generation agrees on how they should look, according to the 2017 Australian Houzz Bathroom
Trends Study of more than 1,700 Australian homeowners using Houzz who are in the midst of, are planning, or recently completed a bathroom project.
What’s in Style. The study found that nine in 10 renovating homeowners change the style of their bathroom during their project (92%). Overall, contemporary and modern styles are the leading post-renovation style for those who changed it (35 percent and 31 percent, respectively). Millennial homeowners (under 35) are also experimenting with a Scandinavian style bathroom (9 percent), while baby boomers (55+) show some interest in traditional aesthetic (5%). Prior to these projects, a third of bathrooms across generations had no particular style (36 percent).
See what renovators are prioritising. Bathroom design decisions are driven by renovating homeowners’ desire for bright and attractive spaces, as almost eight in 10 homeowners state that finding a design that is beautiful is a top priority (79%), followed by designs with good natural lighting (39%). Additionally, almost one in 10 millennial homeowners deem bathroom design to be all about romance (8%), nearly three times higher than those over 54 (3%). From a functional perspective, renovating Australian homeowners across age groups also want a space is easy to clean and disinfect (65%) as well as store and find things (41%).
“Bathroom renovations today are motivated by reasons that vary widely across generations,” said Tony Been, Country Operations manager at Houzz Australia. “Most Millennials (under 35) tackle bathroom renovations shortly after buying a home and wanting to personalise and romanticise the space. Homeowners older than 54 are motivated by lifestyle triggers, such as family changes, and/or physical triggers, such as something breaking or wearing out. It is quite noteworthy that the majority of Australian homeowners in any generational group plan to stay in their home for at least 10 years, partly explaining the large scope and investment on bathroom renovations today."
At what cost? According to the 2017 Houzz and Home Australia Survey, the average spend for a bathroom renovation in Australia is $11,900, with large bathrooms (five or more square metres) averaging $13,200 and small bathrooms (less than 5 square meters) averaging $9,700. The average spend of bathroom renovations varies slightly by age, with homeowners over 54 spending $11,900, 35 to 54 year olds spending $12,700 and those younger than 35 spending $9,000.
A helping hand. Considering the spend on bathroom renovations, 89% of renovating homeowners hire a home professional for their project. More than half of Australian renovators bring in a building specialist (69%), such as an electrician, plumber, tiler or stone fabricator. Other professionals hired include architects (11%), cabinet makers (31%) and bathroom renovators (25 percent).
Additional bathroom trends include:
- Supersized Showers: Among those upgrading their shower, over two thirds of renovating homeowners increase its size (68%), with 23% creating a shower 50 percent larger than before. Top shower feature upgrades include rainfall showerheads (64%) and handheld showerheads (62%).
- Bathrooms Made for Two: Among those upgrading their tubs, the leading bathtub feature across generations is one that accommodates room for two (22%). Showers designed to accommodate two were also popular with 12% of homeowners who upgraded their showers to include this feature. Millennials prioritise this feature more than baby boomers with millennials choosing a space for two, 26% and 15% for showers and tub respectively, vs. Baby boomers 24% and 10% for tub and showers, respectively.
- Shades of White and Gray: White is the preferred colour for walls, cabinets and benchtops (55%, 53% and 47%, respectively), often accented by grey flooring (44%).
- Bathrooms Get Techy: Homeowners are getting a high-tech upgrade to their bathrooms, with 12 percent of new toilets and five percent of new showers adding high-tech features such as digital controls and built-in sound for showers and self-cleaning and overflow protection for toilets.
- Getting Social: Even more homeowners admit to using mobile devices in their bathrooms at least once per week, compared to last year (44% in 2017 versus 42% in 2016), with 65% of homeowners younger than 35 admitting to mobile device usage in home bathrooms. Top activities include catching up on social media, email and texting/Instant messaging (21%, 20% and 18%, respectively).
You can download the complete 2017 Australia Houzz Bathroom Trends Study here.
Houzz has over 15 million photos of professionally designed interiors and exteriors, including completed bathroom projects, and more than 1.5 million active home renovation and design professionals including bathroom renovators and designers, architects and joinery and cabinet makers.
The “2017 Australian Bathroom Trends Study” is an online survey fielded to Australian Houzz users between June and July of 2017. n=1,714.
About Houzz
Houzz is the leading platform for home renovating and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish – online or from a mobile device. From decorating a small room to building a custom home and everything in between, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals across the country and around the world. With the largest residential design database in the world and a vibrant community empowered by technology, Houzz is the easiest way for people to find inspiration, get advice, buy products and hire the professionals they need to help turn their ideas into reality. Headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif., Houzz also has international offices in London,
Berlin, Sydney, Moscow, Tel Aviv and Tokyo. Houzz and the Houzz logo are registered trademarks of Houzz Inc. worldwide. For more information, visit houzz.com.au.
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