In its latest study of homes for sale, which analyzed six years of kitchen photos, AI company Restb.ai found, among other regional findings, that white kitchens with islands are the most popular on the market. Ta.
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Restb.ai, a Spanish artificial intelligence technology company, has been leading the charge to teach the industry what can be learned from photos of the interior and exterior of homes.
Using computer vision, a type of AI, Restb.ai creates actionable insights through the analysis of still photos. What you learn becomes even more valuable when you do it at scale.
In a recent report on kitchen decor trends using six years (2019-2025) of data from active listings (representing millions of photos), the company tells real estate agents what’s selling and what’s selling. I can tell you whether it will sell or not. It’s no longer a guessing game.
Nathan Brennan, Restb.ai’s chief product officer, told Inman in an exclusive statement that without AI it would have been impossible to translate subjective trends into concrete data. .
“It would take tens of thousands of human hours to analyze millions of kitchen photos in listings to identify different layouts, colors, and styles,” says Brannen. . “Using computer vision, you can unlock these insights in minutes.”
The company looked at photos of kitchens in five major markets: Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Miami, and Los Angeles. They found that some style choices, such as white cabinetry, are more universal than others, while others tend to be location-specific.
Agents recommending kitchen renovations in older properties should also suggest an island, a report has found. Of the new homes listed in the report, 73% had open-concept kitchens connected to islands. 38% of existing listings had one.
Shaker cabinets are also very popular, with reports saying they are installed in 86% of new homes.
Bucking the island trend are Miami homes, where peninsula-style kitchens are more common. Chicago home sellers are divided on cabinet color, with 41% going on the market white and 39% medium brown.
Such reports allow listing agents and their sellers to apply real-world data to the resale value of renovations, but they are often time-consuming and costly issues that are difficult to address.
“Whether on the Miami Peninsula or on Denver Island, adjusting design and marketing strategies to these nuances can give agencies and other industry professionals a powerful advantage,” Brannen said. says.
Other beneficiaries of such data include carpenters, general contractors, interior designers, and even home goods and hardware chains. Marketing campaigns can feature regional favorite kitchen colors and cabinet styles. Renovation professionals can confidently promote kitchen projects that reflect Restb.ai’s findings.
Other recent revelations from Restb.ai’s property image reports include the relationship between floor plan disclosure and a property’s market release date. The study examined a year’s worth of imagery across 10 markets, including major cities such as Chicago, Phoenix, and Houston.
Restb.ai provides its technology to multiple listing services nationwide or through direct relationships. In September 2024, the technology was available to more than 720,000 real estate agents in the U.S. and Canada.
The Kitchen Study will be published on the Restb.ai blog starting January 15th.
Email Craig Lowe
