Your home will do more in 2026, supporting your health, boosting your mood, and accommodating your family’s changing needs.
According to the American Society of Interior Designers 2026 Trends Outlook, this year’s leading trends aim to make homes more comfortable, practical, and enjoyable for you and your family.
Here is what the experts predict will drive new home design in 2026.
1. Comfort-First Design
Comfort is now just as important as style when choosing furniture, lighting, and layouts. Expect to see more multi-sensory design, including textured materials, cozy acoustics, and layered looks. That’s the strategy behind warm minimalism, the aesthetic dominating new home trends in 2026.
Rooms should look and feel cozy and relaxing, making every space enjoyable. Kitchens and living spaces are designed to make daily tasks easier while creating a welcoming, feel-good atmosphere.
Comfort–oriented upgrades will be popular this year, including spa-like bathrooms, wine storage, coffee and beverage bars, radiant floor heating, and enhanced daylighting, a technique that makes the most of natural light in a home.
2. Nostalgia-Driven Design and Decor Choices
People are choosing decor that reminds them of home, family, and meaningful memories.
Warm, familiar colors and cozy fabrics such as pinstripes and herringbone are gaining popularity.
Many homeowners love adding vintage or second-hand items to personalize their homes and support sustainability. According to the report, Pinterest has become a go-to source for thrifting inspiration, fueling interest in the “estate-sale” aesthetic.
Homeowners are investing in durable, high-quality pieces that will last instead of chasing trends.
3. Health and Wellness Are Now Core Design Elements
Health and wellness have been among the top new home trends for the last few years, but they have evolved to be core elements of design. How your home is built and decorated can affect your health and comfort for years to come.
With new products on the market, from wellness appliances to saunas, it’s becoming easier to create a home to actively support your health and well-being every day.
Meanwhile, many homeowners are choosing clean air, safe water, and non-toxic materials for a healthier home.
Color is now a wellness-oriented tool to help improve mood, focus, and relaxation. Green is particularly popular this year, chosen for its serene, restorative qualities. It’s versatile too, and works as a neutral, dominant color, or accent.
4. Generational Preferences Shape Home Design
According to the report, your home design priorities are heavily influenced by which generation you belong to. That’s because each group is faced with unique challenges, and new homes can offer solutions when designed with these challenges in mind.
Gen Z wants flexible, eco-friendly spaces that grow with their lifestyle.
Millennials want homes that feel immersive and support their health and wellness goals.
Gen X needs homes that are easy to maintain and include spaces for work and family life.
Boomers want homes that are safe, comfortable, and encourage family and community connection.
5. Tension Between Conservation and Sustainability
Smart devices can make life easier and more comfortable, while helping you to live more sustainably too. However, having many smart devices in a home can require more electricity. Designers in 2026 are recognizing this imbalance and are proactively planning to anticipate energy needs.
Homeowners are learning how to balance tech with energy efficiency for a more sustainable living space.
6. Smaller, but Smarter Living
Because of affordability and a desire for a lower maintenance lifestyle, homes continue to get smaller in 2026.
Especially in smaller homes, every inch counts — flexible layouts make life easier and more comfortable.
Expect to see a greater focus on indoor-outdoor connections, which helps make smaller spaces look and feel bigger, thanks to longer sightlines.
Backyards, patios, and balconies are must-haves for extending living space without adding square footage.
7. Families' Dynamics are Changing, and so are Their Homes
Households are changing in 2026. Single-parent, multi-generational, and non-traditional family groups have replaced the typical nuclear family. Home designs are shifting to work for diverse families, offering privacy while keeping everyone connected.
Your home can be designed for both togetherness and personal space. The key is flexible, inclusive layouts.
8. Melting Metallic Finishes
Metallic finishes are getting a makeover in 2026, with iridescent sheens, liquid-like looks, and lustrous surfaces that look like they are in motion in the right light conditions. Nickel and chrome are trending, alongside traditional metals.
Mixing metals is an easy way to add texture and elegance to your new home. Beyond traditional hardware and fixtures, metallics are trending as impactful focal points, from range hoods to backsplash to artistic accents. Shiny and reflective surfaces can make rooms feel lively, modern, and unique.
In 2026, home design is less about keeping up with trends and more about creating spaces that feel good to live in — supporting your health, routines, and everyday connection with the people you share your home with.
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This article was originally published on Builderonline.com.
