INSIDERS’ INTERIORS

What will our homes look like in 2026?

- MISTY WHITE SIDELL

The look of the home has become a calling card of personal taste and style.

And thanks to social media, it’s also subject to an ever-quickening trend cycle. That's not expected to slow in 2026.

In surveying some 15 experts from both mass market and high-end realms of interior design in the USA about how home design trends could change in the coming year, one theme became evident: Our interiors will evolve to reflect the wider world and emotional climate.

‘There is a growing taste for individuality, many said, and making the home a reflection of all of our quirks, while also creating a sense of refuge from the world outside.

The fantasy of many homeowners today is to metaphorically create a dwelling that “feels like a rustic cabin in the woods’ said Peter Shire, a member of the Memphis Design Group. His words echo what several other sources predict for the year ahead: that in a time of global uncertainty, the home will become even more of a sanctuary. Here's how that attitude could manifest.

A FLAIR FOR THE ECCENTRIC

There is a desire to “make your home your castle’; said MillerKnoll’s creative director Kelsey Keith. It’s a trend that’s felt in small touches that evoke a sense of individualism, as well as in larger projects like Keith’s observation of greater interest in things like wine cellars and saunas (the latter of which she recently installed in her own backyard).

“In the pandemic, itwas more about shoving a Peloton wherever, now it’s abouta dedicated closet, ayoga room,’ Keith said. “People are really designing for their own idiosyncrasies”

Bathrooms are becoming a focal point of that conversation. In the past year, Alex Tieghi-Walker, the founder of Tiwa Gallery in New York City, has seen numerous friends transform what was abedroom into a larger bathing space, which he said accentuates the home’s purpose as a refuge for relaxation.