2026 kitchen & bathroom award winning products
The best products for a beautiful and practical home
Every year, the Ideal Home Awards highlight products that stand out for design, innovation, practicality and value. The 2026 winners offer a fascinating insight into where home design is heading and what homeowners are increasingly looking for when upgrading their kitchens and bathrooms.
Interestingly, many of the winning products align closely with emerging search trends identified in the latest Houzz UK Emerging Trends Report. Searches for moveable kitchen islands have increased by 838%, accessible bathrooms by 408%, freestanding kitchens by 271%, hidden utility spaces by 193% and bathroom wellness features such as saunas and steam rooms continue to grow rapidly.
For homeowners planning a refurbishment, these award winning products provide plenty of inspiration.
Princeton kitchen range from Symphony
KITCHEN AWARDS
Kitchen of the year: Symphony
Symphony's winning kitchen collection demonstrates the continued demand for high quality, beautifully detailed kitchens that combine practicality with elegant design.
The new Coleton kitchen range is one of eight new kitchen designs made in Yorkshire from 74% recycled material. This Arts & Crafts-inspired design evokes a refreshing new-old spin on a classic Shaker style.
Ideal for homeowners undertaking a full kitchen renovation, Symphony kitchens work particularly well when paired with premium worktops such as Konigstone, Abode taps and the latest Bora cooking technology.
The collection also complements one of the strongest emerging trends of 2026, the modern shaker kitchen, where timeless cabinetry is updated with cleaner lines and contemporary finishes and modern time-saving appliances.
Best kitchen flooring: Amtico Spacia Collection
Flooring forms the foundation of every successful kitchen design. The Amtico Spacia Collection offers durability, practicality and a wide range of realistic wood and stone effects.
For busy family homes, pet owners and open plan spaces, this flooring provides the appearance of natural materials with significantly lower maintenance requirements.
It works particularly well alongside modern shaker kitchens and freestanding kitchen furniture.
Best freestanding furniture: Neptune
One of the most interesting trends identified in 2026 is the rise of the freestanding kitchen, with searches increasing by 271%. Neptune's award winning furniture embraces this movement perfectly.
Freestanding pieces add flexibility, character and individuality, making them ideal for period homes, country properties and homeowners seeking a less fitted appearance.
They can also complement moveable kitchen islands, another trend seeing exceptional growth.
Best kitchen tiles: Marlborough Tiles
Handcrafted style and artisan character continue to be highly desirable. Marlborough Tiles provide texture, depth and visual interest, helping create kitchen splashbacks and feature walls that feel unique.
These tiles pair beautifully with classic kitchens, natural stone worktops and warm metallic finishes.
Best kitchen worktop: Konigstone
A kitchen worktop is one of the most heavily used surfaces in the home. Konigstone's award winning surfaces combine durability with luxurious aesthetics, making them suitable for busy family kitchens and high end entertaining spaces alike.
They work exceptionally well alongside Symphony, Howdens and Magnet kitchens and complement both traditional and contemporary designs.
Best kitchen tap: Abode
Kitchen taps have evolved far beyond basic functionality. Abode's winning design combines practicality with contemporary styling, making it an excellent choice for homeowners wanting a premium finishing touch.
It pairs naturally with Konigstone worktops and modern sink designs to create a sophisticated workstation area.
Genius kitchen innovation: Bora
Bora continues to challenge traditional kitchen design through integrated extraction systems. By removing the need for large overhead extractor hoods, Bora helps create cleaner sightlines and more sociable kitchen layouts.
This innovation is particularly useful in kitchen bars, islands and open plan spaces where uninterrupted views are desirable.
Best kitchen hardware: Hendel & Hendel
Hardware may be a small detail, but it has a significant impact on the overall appearance of a kitchen. Hendel & Hendel's collection provides the finishing touches that elevate cabinetry from functional to exceptional.
Best kitchen lighting: 4lite
Lighting is one of the most transformative elements within any kitchen. 4lite's award winning solutions support layered lighting schemes combining task, ambient and decorative lighting.
Good lighting becomes particularly important around coffee stations, kitchen bars and islands where multiple activities take place throughout the day.
‘One Small Step’ for sustainability: Rehome
Sustainability continues to become a priority for homeowners. Rehome's award winning approach encourages reuse and responsible purchasing, helping reduce waste while maintaining design quality.
This aligns closely with the growing demand for more environmentally conscious refurbishment projects.
Must-have kitchen appliances
Smeg kitchenware: Smeg remains a favourite for homeowners who want appliances to contribute to the overall design aesthetic of a room.
Samsung large appliances: Samsung's award winning appliances combine advanced technology with everyday practicality.
KitchenAid small appliances: KitchenAid continues to be particularly popular amongst enthusiastic home cooks and bakers.
Ninja coffee appliance: With searches for kitchen coffee bars increasing by 29%, Ninja's award winning coffee machine arrives at exactly the right time. Dedicated coffee stations are becoming an increasingly desirable feature within modern homes.
Award winning cookware and floorcare
HexClad cookware: HexClad secured awards for both saucepans and frying pans thanks to its hybrid technology and impressive performance.
ProCook cast iron cookware: Ideal for serious home cooks seeking durability and versatility.
Roborock floorcare: Robotic cleaning technology continues to improve, helping homeowners maintain large kitchens and open plan living spaces with less effort.
Utopia Bathroom HeyU Ripple range
BATHROOM AWARDS
Bathroom of the year: Utopia Furniture HeyU Collection
Utopia's HeyU Collection reflects modern bathroom design at its best. Combining stylish furniture with practical storage, it is particularly suited to contemporary homes where clean lines and clutter free spaces are priorities.
Best classic bathroom range: Wickes Bayswater
Traditional bathrooms remain highly desirable, particularly within period homes. The Bayswater collection offers timeless elegance while accommodating modern performance requirements.
Best modern bathroom range: Vado Safari
Vado's Safari range embraces contemporary styling and sophisticated detailing. It works exceptionally well alongside walk in showers, large format tiles and modern wellness inspired bathrooms.
Best basin and bath: Victoria + Albert
The Lussari back to wall basin and Kerid bath showcase the growing demand for sculptural bathroom products. Together they create a luxurious, spa inspired focal point that works beautifully in both modern and transitional interiors.
Best bathroom storage solution: Vonhaus The Chester Range
Storage remains one of the biggest challenges in bathroom design. The Chester range provides practical organisation while maintaining a refined appearance.
Best bathroom lighting: Corston Claremont Wall Light
Thoughtfully designed wall lighting helps transform a bathroom from purely functional to genuinely relaxing. The Claremont Wall Light works particularly well alongside feature mirrors and luxury basin areas.
Best bathroom surface: B&Q Triton Wall Panelling
Wall panelling continues to gain popularity as an alternative to traditional tiling. It offers easy maintenance, fewer grout lines and a contemporary appearance.
Best bathroom tap: Frontline Bathrooms Mineral Flute Brassware
Fluted detailing remains a major design trend. These taps introduce texture and sophistication while complementing both contemporary and classic bathrooms.
Best bathroom tiles: B&Q x Ca Pietra Exclusive Portare Collection
Decorative surfaces continue to play a key role in creating distinctive bathroom spaces. The Portare collection works particularly well with the growing popularity of limewash inspired and textured interiors.
Best shower enclosure: The Shower Lab
Walk in showers remain one of the most requested bathroom features, with searches increasing by 37%. The Shower Lab's award winning enclosure helps create spacious, contemporary showering environments.
Best use of colour in bathrooms: Frenchic Chalk Wall Paint
Colour is increasingly being used to introduce warmth and personality into bathrooms. Frenchic's award winning paint supports the movement towards softer, more natural colour palettes.
Genius bathroom innovation: Aqualisa S Range shower system
Technology is helping bathrooms become more personalised and user friendly. Aqualisa's smart shower system offers enhanced convenience, precision and performance.
Best shower head: Methven V-Jet Minimalist
Designed to maximise shower performance while maintaining a sleek appearance, this product pairs naturally with modern walk in shower designs.
Best bathroom linen: Scooms Egyptian Cotton Towels
Luxury is often found in the details. High quality towels can significantly enhance the overall experience of a bathroom.
‘One Small Step’ for sustainability: B&Q GoodHome Taps
Sustainability remains an important consideration in bathroom design, with water efficiency becoming increasingly relevant for homeowners.
Accessible and wellness-focused bathrooms continue to grow
One of the strongest signals from the Houzz report is the growing interest in accessible bathroom design, with searches for this keyword increasing by 408%. Features such as walk-in showers, shower seats, level access wet rooms and intuitive controls are becoming mainstream rather than specialist requirements.
Wellness focused spaces are also gaining momentum, with bathroom saunas and steam rooms seeing substantial increases in search activity in the first quarter of 2026.
Many of the award winning products featured this year support these evolving homeowner priorities through improved accessibility, comfort and ease of use.
What these award winners mean for homeowners
The 2026 award winners reveal several clear trends. Homeowners are looking for greater flexibility, improved storage, enhanced accessibility, more sustainable choices and products that deliver both style and practicality.
The growth in searches for moveable kitchen islands, freestanding kitchens, coffee stations, hidden utilities, accessible bathrooms and wellness features demonstrates that today's homes need to work harder than ever before.
For anyone considering a kitchen or bathroom refurbishment in the next 12 months, these award winning products provide an excellent starting point. They showcase the latest innovations, the strongest design trends and some of the most trusted products currently available, helping homeowners create spaces that are beautiful, functional and built to last.
Read more about these trends and the latest data
The Houzz 2026 UK Emerging Trends Report
