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If you love the look of a clean, sleek, and modern aesthetic, then you’ll love the latest trend in home design, according to the 2025 U.S. Houzz Fall Design Trends Report. “The integrated, seamless, and hidden features trend is all about creating a home that feels sleek, clutter-free, and quietly sophisticated,” says Mitchell Parker, Houzz home design expert.
This approach involves hiding away everything from lighting fixtures to appliances and storage. “Design is getting smarter and more discreet,” notes Parker. “Panel-ready cabinetry, hydraulic lift storage, pop-up TVs, and concealed range hoods are growing in popularity for their sleek, clutter-free look. These innovations keep open-plan homes streamlined and functional while adding a touch of modern sophistication.” They also allow the finishes and architecture to shine.
Here we highlight some of the special hidden home features that you can incorporate into your home.
Hidden Appliances
If you prefer a minimalist kitchen, consider concealing appliances behind custom cabinetry or tucking them into specialized storage spaces. The advantages of incorporating hidden appliances into your kitchen design include increased counter space for food preparation, a clutter-free environment that promotes a calming atmosphere, enhanced design flexibility to showcase bold backsplashes or statement lighting without visual distraction, and potential increases in property value due to the upscale appeal.
Options include installing microwave drawers that tuck beneath countertops, creating appliance garages to house toasters and blenders, and designing hidden coffee stations within tall cabinets.
“The result is a home that works harder for you behind the scenes while maintaining an effortless modern aesthetic.”
Mitchell Parker, Houzz
Panel-Ready Cabinetry
Parker recommends choosing paneled appliances that disappear into cabinetry to get a more refined look. Panel-ready appliances are specialized kitchen appliances with unfinished front surfaces designed to attach custom panels that match your existing cabinetry, creating a seamless, integrated look in your kitchen. Unlike standard appliances that come in finishes like stainless steel, black, or white, these products act as blank canvases that can be covered with wood, laminate, or other materials matching your cabinets.
Panel-ready cabinetry helps achieve a cohesive, high-end aesthetic that hides appliances, eliminates fingerprints on appliances, increases home resale value, and provides flexibility to update your kitchen’s appearance in the future by simply changing panels without replacing the appliances themselves. Panel-ready options are typically available for refrigerators, dishwashers, ice makers, and beverage centers.
Hydraulic Lift Storage
You can also add hydraulic-lift storage in upper cabinets for everyday essentials, says Parker. For example, for this North Carolina kitchen, Kindred Interior Studios designed a hydraulic-lift system that brings oils and spices down to the cooktop area when needed, then neatly hides them away, preserving the streamlined look. “The result is a home that works harder for you behind the scenes while maintaining an effortless modern aesthetic,” explains Parker.
Lift-up storage beds are another smart option. These beds have a hinged, hydraulic mechanism that allows you to easily lift up the mattress, revealing hidden storage space underneath. It’s ideal for stashing away bulky items like extra bedding, seasonal clothing, a safe filled with jewelry, and suitcases.
Pop-Up TVs
Purchasing a pop-up TV or TV lift furniture that tucks away a television when not in use is another popular hidden feature, says Parker. These motorized systems conceal televisions within everyday furniture pieces, revealing them at the touch of a button. Options include either TV beds, in which the screen is hidden in the footboard, or TV lift cabinets that disguise the television behind dresser fronts, drawers, or decorative elements.
Pop-up TVs are appealing since they maximize space, reduce clutter, minimize visual distraction, and preserve scenic views by not blocking windows like a TV on a traditional TV stand might. They also provide a conversational piece when guests express awe over their magical appeal.
Concealed Range Hoods
For years, everyone wanted to display a large stainless steel range hood in their kitchen as a focal point. But now it’s all about concealed range hoods for a more polished look. These products are integrated into kitchen cabinetry or design elements to maintain a clean, streamlined aesthetic while providing necessary cooking ventilation. The primary benefit of hiding the range hood is to reduce visual clutter and allow the focus to be on other design elements in the kitchen, such as cabinetry, open shelving, tiles, or architectural features.
Options include undermount hoods built inside wall-mounted upper cabinets with only the bottom showing, slide-out models that retract into cabinetry when not in use, ceiling-mounted systems that sit flush overhead (great for above an island), and systems that rise from the countertop at the push of a button yet remain completely hidden when not in use.
Integrated Lighting
Integrated lighting, also known as minimalist or invisible lighting, means lighting that is seamlessly built into architectural elements like ceilings, walls, and floors. Essentially, it blends lighting into the design of the room. Integrated lighting is attractive since it creates visual continuity that makes a space seem larger, offers clean lines without distractions and clutter, and allows for customizable lighting of all colors and softness levels.
Popular options include cove lighting (LEDs recessed where walls meet ceilings), recessed lighting, and flexible LED strips that can contour around curves and edges to accent architectural features. Integrated lighting works really well along staircases and in bedrooms, living rooms, closets, and bathrooms.
