3 Remodel Features Helping Homeowners Plan for What’s Next
Modern remodeling is no longer just about solving today’s pain points, it’s increasingly about anticipating how a home will need to function years from now.
According to the 2026 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study, more than half of renovating homeowners (53%) are now addressing current or future special needs in their projects, while 52% expect new household needs to emerge within the next five years. Those needs often take the form of practical life changes: pets becoming permanent family members, children growing into new stages of life, adult children returning home, or grandparents becoming part of daily routines.
This is driving a clear shift toward what’s now being called anticipatory remodeling: designing homes that flex with life’s transitions instead of reacting to them after the fact.
“Many of the consumers we see today have a strong sense of what they want — modern, integrated spaces that reflect their personal style,” says Michelle Karagodin, Whirlpool Brand Director at Whirlpool Corporation. “One of the best ways we can serve these consumers is to anticipate what’s important to them and build in the flexibility to adapt to the spectrum of their needs.”
For remodelers, that means looking beyond a homeowner’s immediate needs and considering how daily routines, household dynamics, and accessibility requirements may evolve over time.
Below are three remodel features that can help your clients plan for what’s next - whatever next might mean:
1. Purpose-Built Pet-Ready Laundry & Cleaning Zones
In 2025, 77.5 million U.S. households owned at least one pet, meaning a significant share of remodeling clients are navigating daily routines shaped by an animal in the home. For the trade, that's not a niche, it's the norm.
Life with pets means more laundry. Shedding, muddy paws, bedding, and frequent wash cycles all place ongoing pressure on laundry and cleaning spaces, which can lead to overloaded machines, increased wear, and more time spent managing mess instead of containing it.
Designing ahead of that reality means specifying appliances built for it, like the Maytag Pet Pro washer and dryer system, which tackles one of pet owners' most persistent laundry frustrations: hair that survives the wash. The washer uses extra water, a deep rinse, and a built-in filter to lift and remove hair from fabrics, while the dryer captures what's left using reduced heat, extended cycle time, and moisture-sensing technology, so pet hair doesn't just move from the clothes to the drum.
Beyond appliances, smaller upgrades make a meaningful difference in how well a laundry space functions for pet owners:
- Installing a handheld spray faucet in the laundry or utility sink for rinsing pet supplies
- Adding a washable "landing zone" (tile or sealed flooring) near entry doors
- Using wall hooks and vertical storage to keep pet items off counters and floors
- Choosing scratch-resistant baseboards and trim materials in pet-heavy areas
These details reduce daily friction and prevent pet care from spilling into the rest of the home.
2. Flexible Spaces for Growing Households
As households evolve, the spaces people rely on every day must evolve with them. The arrival of a baby, the chaos of school-aged kids, or the return of adult children can quickly change how families cook, clean, organize, and move through the home. According to Karagodin, many families underestimate how dramatically household routines can shift over time.
"We know consumers often live busy, chaotic lives, whether that's because of demanding jobs or growing families," she says. "That may mean meals need to be prepared faster with less planning, or families want confidence that they're not just cleaning clothes, but helping reduce bacteria in them."
Those changing needs are pushing both appliance design and space planning toward greater flexibility, with remodelers prioritizing spaces that can adapt to multiple users, shifting schedules, and evolving routines.
For Karagodin, intuitive design is one of the most important considerations when creating spaces that serve families through different stages of life.
"One of our north stars is that our appliances—and everything we do as a brand—should be intuitive," she says. "Laundry machines, stoves, cooktops, and ovens should make life easier, not add complexity. If we follow that guide, our appliances should work across all stages of life and for a variety of households and all the changes they may experience.”
Innovations like UV Clean Technology in laundry developed in response to known consumer needs around challenges with freshness in front-load machines. In the kitchen, the Whirlpool® 30-Inch Electric Smart Range with Air Cooking Technology and Steam Clean supports families whose routines are constantly evolving, allowing them to prepare meals quickly with Air Cooking Technology when time is limited and schedules are packed.
3. Multigenerational-Ready Kitchens & Shared Living Spaces
If pets shape the early evolution of a home and children drive volume and complexity, multigenerational living defines its long-term adaptability. As more households balance the needs of multiple family members under one roof, kitchens and shared living spaces must accommodate a wider range of ages, abilities, and daily routine—often simultaneously.
As a result, design priorities shift from aesthetics alone to intuitive workflow, reduced congestion, and accessibility features that support everyone without feeling clinical:
- Clear sightlines and layouts that support multiple cooks without bottlenecks
- Durable, low-maintenance surfaces built for everyday use
- Accessible storage heights and hardware that work across mobility levels
- Lighting that supports both task work and ambient shared use
Accessibility itself is also evolving beyond traditional aging-in-place solutions, with manufacturers increasingly focused on innovations that improve usability for all users, regardless of age or mobility.
"We don't see accessibility as a challenge—we see it as an opportunity to bring more innovation to market," says Karagodin. "The best solutions benefit people with accessibility needs, but they're also features that all consumers can appreciate."
That philosophy is reflected in products designed to make shared spaces more intuitive and comfortable for everyone. The Whirlpool Dishwasher with Spin & Load Rack, for example, features the first 360-degree spinning lower dishwasher rack, allowing users to bring dishes closer rather than repeatedly bending and reaching. Similarly, the 36” NextGen JennAir® Downdraft Induction Cooktop supports open, streamlined kitchen layouts that reduce visual clutter and improve usability when multiple generations are cooking, gathering, and moving through the space together.
The Future-Proofing Mindset
The biggest opportunity in anticipatory remodeling may not be predicting exactly how a household will change, but creating spaces flexible enough to adapt when it does. Karagodin believes one of the industry's biggest gaps is designing homes around how people imagine they'll live rather than how they actually live over time.
"We consistently see a gap in the integration of technology," she says. "Too many homes are designed with 'smart' technology that feels disjointed. The opportunity is delivering innovation that's integrated into both the kitchen and consumers' everyday lives."
Whether accommodating pets, growing families, returning adult children, or aging parents, the most successful remodels are increasingly those that prioritize adaptability. By planning for life's inevitable transitions upfront, trade professionals can help homeowners avoid costly future renovations while creating spaces that remain functional, intuitive, and welcoming for years to come.
For additional details about our appliance offerings, contact a sales rep today. Keep up with other trends and news in your industry by visiting The Trade Channel page.
