NEWPORT NEWS, VA — The COVID-19 pandemic is apparently having a significant impact on the mindset of American homeowners when it comes to the likelihood of redesigning their bathrooms and kitchens, according to the findings of a major new survey.
The survey, conducted recently by Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery, found that almost half (47 percent) of surveyed U.S. homeowners say that they would like to redesign their bathroom and 44 percent said they’d like to redesign their kitchen based on their experience during COVID-19. In contrast, only 12 percent said they are not planning to do any redesigns or upgrades to those spaces at this time, the survey revealed.
“Americans have many reasons for renovating or building a home, and COVID-19 is having an impact on which rooms they are looking to redesign,” Ferguson researchers said, adding that Americans “are split on what they’d look forward to most in renovating or building a home.
“About a quarter (27 percent) say it’s increasing the functionality of the home, while 26 percent say it’s having a new look (26 percent),” Ferguson said.
Among Americans who’ve made changes to their home in the recent past, top reasons were that they were tired of the home’s current style (35 percent), they wanted up-to-date technology (34 percent), or they were tired of the home’s color scheme (32 percent), the Newport News, VA-based company said.
A third (33 percent) of surveyed Americans say it is extremely or very important to have “smart home” functionality in their kitchen products. Twenty-six percent say it is extremely or very important to have “smart home” functionality in their bathroom products, Ferguson said.
Among other key survey findings:
- Most Americans, especially older Americans, would visit a showroom if they were to renovate or build a home. “It’s important to Americans to be able to touch and feel appliances/fixtures, see products in action and have access to whole-room product solutions,” Ferguson said.
- If they were to renovate or build a home, over half of Americans would visit a store/showroom (51 percent). Older Americans are more likely than younger Americans to visit stores/showrooms (39 percent aged 18-29, 48 percent aged 30-44, 55 percent aged 45-60 and 68 percent aged 60+) to learn about products for their home.
- Seven in ten (70 percent) Americans say it is extremely or very important for them to be able to touch and feel appliances/fixtures in person before making a purchase decision.
When asked about the types of smart home products they’d be most interested in buying for their home, 42 percent said they would be interested in “smart” lighting and 37 percent said they’d be interested in “smart” refrigerators.