It’s the beginning of 2026, the perfect time to share the interior design trends we’re likely to see this year. As designers, we love exploring fresh ideas, gaining inspiration and insight into what will shape the year ahead.

That said, it’s important to remember: when updating your home, don’t follow a trend just because it’s trendy. Choose pieces you truly love, ones that reflect your style and personality. Trends come and go, but your home should be filled with items that are meaningful and personal to you and your family.

Dark Wood
Personal Curated Spaces
Skirted Sofas and Decorative Piping
Decorative Picture Mounts
Decorating With Brown Shades
Plum and Damson Colour Trends
Maximalism, Grandma Style
Wallpapered Ceilings

Dark Wood

Dark wood became increasingly popular last year, and we’ve been using it more and more in our design schemes for customers, in favour of lighter Scandi-style woods. We think rich, warm-toned woods are set to continue as a key interior trend in 2026. Soho Home showcases dark wood finishes beautifully, offering great inspiration for furniture, but you can also find stunning pieces at more affordable prices from places like Dunelm. Dark wood doesn’t have to be limited to large furniture; it can also appear in smaller touches like a floor lamp or picture frame, making it a versatile element in the top interior trends for 2026.

Personal Curated Spaces

Your home should tell your story, and a trend we expect to see in 2026 is creating spaces that are personal and meaningful. Incorporating items that reflect your experiences, like a framed postcard from a favourite travel destination or a trinket dish you have inherited with sentimental value, not only adds character but also embraces the trend of storytelling through design. We anticipate a shift away from minimalist interior styling in 2026, with more homes featuring interesting, curated pieces that make spaces feel unique and individual.

Skirted Sofas and Decorative Piping

You might be thinking, really?! Sofa skirts seem old-fashioned or remind you of your grandma’s sofa, but they are back, and we think they are only going to become more popular. Whether it’s an armchair with a frilly decorative skirt or a simpler sofa with a straight skirt, skirted sofas are making a comeback. Brands like Loaf, Next, Daal’s, OKA, Sofa.com, and more are embracing this trend. A big plus is that some skirted sofas come with removable covers, making them ideal for family homes.

We’re also seeing sofas and armchairs becoming more detailed, with decorative piping along the edges, adding subtle elegance and a tailored finish to furniture pieces.

Decorative Picture Mounts

Choosing a beautiful piece of art for your home doesn’t stop at finding the perfect artwork. It’s also about how you frame it to make it truly special. In 2026, we think decorative picture mounts could become a big trend, with companies like The Poster Club and Pstr Studio offering a variety of mount options in interesting colours. You can also get creative and make your own patterned mount using leftover wallpaper or fabric you’ve been saving for a project. There are plenty of tutorials online to guide you. Adding a decorative mount helps make your artwork unique and completely personal to you.

Decorating With Brown Shades

Last year, we saw a colour shift, with browns becoming more popular, and we think this trend will continue to accelerate in 2026. Whether it’s with deep, warm brown paint colours or sumptuous chocolate upholstery, brown shades add warmth and depth to a room. Tying in with the return of dark woods, the brown trend also appears in walnut wood finishes, making it one of the key colour and material trends to watch in 2026.

Plum and Damson Colour Trends

Rich plums, damsons, and burgundies are shades we’re confident we’ll be seeing more of in 2026. Over the last few years, rust, terracotta, and blush pink accent colours have taken centre stage, but richer tones like plums and damsons are colour trends we’re excited to see emerging in 2026. These shades don’t need to appear in large pieces - think cushions, a table lamp, a vase, or a picture frame.

I’ve personally just used a beautiful shade by Coat called Piglet, a plaster pink with a brown undertone, which pairs beautifully with deep burgundy accent colours, such as the gorgeous bobbin picture frame shown below.

Maximalism, Grandma Style

You may have come across terms like Granny Chic or Grandma Core last year, and we can see this style becoming even bigger in 2026. Think maximalism layered with vintage patterns, decorative pieces, and antique furniture that nods to elements your grandma might have had, but with a modern twist.

Kendall Jenner’s holiday home is a great example of this 2026 trend, oozing character and a warm, homely feel. We think what truly makes this style work is the use of authentic pieces, such as vintage furniture or accessories sourced from antique markets or charity shops, which add personality and soul to a space.

Wallpapered Ceilings

People are becoming bolder with their design choices, and in the case of wallpaper, this means looking up and considering the ceiling. We think we’re set to see plenty of wallpapered ceilings in 2026.

The ceiling can often be forgotten but it needs as much attention as the rest of the room. You want to see this as the fifth wall, so why not be bold and wallpaper it? There are lots of murals that look amazing on the ceiling. This trend works beautifully if you have a traditional property with a picture rail, as you can start the wallpaper from the picture rail up to the ceiling which will add height to the space.

If you really want to embrace bold wallpaper in 2026, take inspiration from colour drenching, a trend that was hugely popular last year and shows no signs of slowing down.

The idea is to wallpaper every surface, including the ceiling, to create a statement space. Shall we call this pattern drenching?!

If you want to avoid costly design mistakes, take a look at our affordable online interior design packages to give you all the help you need. Whether you’re looking for guidance on choosing a colour scheme or struggling with your room layout, we can take the stress away and give you the confidence to move forward. Our online interior design packages are a flat fee and can work to any budget, large or small, saving you money along the way and ensuring you get the results you want and expect!

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