The 6 Biggest Home and Outdoor Trends of Summer 2025

Whether installing chicken coops or reclaiming hardwood floors, this summer's home projects are all about upgrading your space to fit your lifestyle and needs. To offer homeowners some inspiration, Yelp recently unveiled its top home and outdoor trends of 2025. Based on search data from the first three months of the year, the platform predicts that the upcoming season will see homeowners maximizing value, function, and aesthetics, focusing on investing in their space rather than moving to a new one. Here are the projects homeowners and renters currently have on their minds.

Charming Details

Instead of covering up a home's unique quirks and characteristics, like painting over marble countertops or boarding up historic fireplaces, more people are embracing restoration instead, Yelp reports. Searches for carpet removal are up 29 percent, as homeowners aim to reveal original hardwood floors. Fireplace services have also jumped 35 percent.

According to the data, both homeowners and renters are hiring professionals to incorporate charming details into their spaces, like colorful stained glass (up 50 percent), eye-catching mosaic tile (up 52 percent), statement wallpaper (up 18 percent), and other vibrant elements.

Yelp's trend expert Tara Lewis says you don’t need a historic home to embrace this trend. She suggests finding a trusted service pro to "add personality-filled touches to your home, like stick-on stained glass accents, patterned wallpapering, or faux crown molding."

Better Bedrooms

Sleep hygiene is becoming a top priority, with more people transforming bedrooms into sleep sanctuaries that optimize rest, well-being, and even property value, Yelp reports. Searches for mattress stores were up 25 percent and pillow stores were up 69 percent, with people seeking more customized solutions designed for their specific sleep habits. Requests for bedroom remodeling projects have also skyrocketed 1,108 percent in the past year.

Also gaining popularity are soundproofing services (up 137 percent) and HVAC maintenance (up 46 percent), which can help create a more peaceful sleep environment by reducing noise and air pollution. Even small upgrades, like blackout curtains (up 219 percent) and air purifiers (up 325 percent), can improve sleep quality.

"While plush bedding sets the scene for comfort, one of the most impactful contributors to healthy sleep is something you can’t see: the air quality," Lewis says. "To reduce airborne allergens and promote better sleep, consider changing your HVAC filter every one to three months, scheduling annual HVAC maintenance with a professional, and having your ducts professionally cleaned every three to five years."

At-Home Entertaining

Yelp found that more homeowners are converting extra rooms into entertainment hubs—from speakeasies and home theaters to game rooms and art studios. Searches for basement remodels increased by 155 percent, while searches for pool tables increased by 120 percent. Sound system installations rose 89 percent as people look to invest in high-quality sound for home theaters, listening rooms, and more. Project requests in the home theater installation category soared 562 percent in 2024.

"Whether hosting during long summer days or staying cool indoors, you don’t have to spend a fortune to design an in-home experience space," Lewis says. "For a private theater, all you need is a projector and blackout curtains. Even unconventional spaces like a spare bathroom can be transformed into a vibey speakeasy with a few vintage lamps, dimmable lighting, and shelving to display barware."

Backyard Gardening

As food costs rise and supply chains remain unpredictable, Yelp reports that homesteading is gaining steam. People are searching for ways to become more self-sufficient by growing their own food with sustainable gardens.

According to the data, plant nurseries have seen a 58 percent increase in searches as more people fill their backyards with edible plants and herbs. People are also using Yelp to learn how to build chicken coops, and the platform is also seeing an increase in searches for live chickens for sale (up 424 percent), signaling a shift toward homegrown food and farm-to-table living.

Lewis says, "You don’t need a huge backyard (or any yard at all) to embrace the homesteading trend—start with indoor herb plants, floral wallpaper, and natural wood accents to establish the vibe."

Budget-Friendly Upgrades

Instead of spending big money on major renovations, homeowners and renters are interested in small, budget-friendly improvements such as hardware replacement for cabinets and doors (up 91 percent). Yelp reports that people are swapping out basic knobs for character-rich alternatives that transform kitchens and bathrooms at a low cost.

Shoppers are also scouring secondhand shops for furniture and other décor, boosting searches for salvage yards (up 42 percent), antique markets (up 33 percent), and liquidation stores (up 47 percent).

"Early summer is a goldmine for scoring secondhand treasures, as spring cleaning purges and college move-outs bring fresh inventory to local thrift and vintage shops," Lewis says. "With a coat of paint or new hardware, you can easily up-cycle these overlooked home goods into standout pieces for your space."

Environmental Updates

As extreme weather events become the new normal, storm-proofing and fire-hardening have quickly become priority projects for homeowners across the country. Searches for hurricane shutters are up 63 percent, and fire protection services have risen 49 percent as residents in wildfire-prone regions install sprinklers due to increased risk.

Summer heat waves can cause pricey energy bills, leading homeowners to search for professionals to make smart upgrades. Yelp data shows surges in home project requests for EV charging station installations (up 158 percent), water-saving artificial turf (up 875 percent), and home energy auditors (up 91 percent). Searches for solar installation companies have also soared by 3,534 percent, and zero-waste stores are attracting more eco-conscious shoppers (up 34 percent).

"Sustainability upgrades are a smart investment for both the environment and your wallet," Lewis says. "Consider installing solar panels to significantly lower your electricity bills, or add energy-efficient appliances and smart thermostats. If you live in an apartment like me, try installing cellular shades to reduce energy usage and achieve a greater R-value, which measures the building’s insulation performance."