Style
the design direction for autumn/winter 2026
— trend experts curate the key emerging styles shaping the season in Livingetc’s biannual trend report
Pulse
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ately, I’ve found myself asking the question: is interior design in its conservative era? There’s a long-held idea that when politics swing less progressive, the arts tend to follow. In interiors, that might be seen to translate into some of
the trends that have defined 2026 so far.
There’s been, for example, a rise in more traditional styles entering the design language of even the contemporary design world. You might see some conservative traits in the rise of antique collecting and storytelling design — both big moments in this season’s report. You might even see it
in the choice of colors and materials, or the idea that warmth and comfort are the most valuable traits in interiors right now.
However, while there might be a subconscious move to styles that preserve the old, the practitioners of the art of interiors right now have largely never been more progressive. Their versions of these trends are bold and innovative, using ‘classic’ motifs as contrasts to truly highlight a distinctly modern approach to color, texture, pattern, and shape. In here, there’s something truly unexpected and exciting happening in design right now.
So, no, you won’t find conservative design
in Livingetc’s biannual trend report, but you will find the mold-breaking ideas that stem from its presence in the design zeitgeist.
Hugh Metcalf
Editor, Livingetc.com
Spotlight: Mosaic Flooring
This unexpected floor revival has fast become our Roman Empire
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The Biggest Bathroom Trends
Big personality is taking over bathroom design for next season
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What's Hot in Kitchens
The innovative ideas guiding the most spectacular kitchens this year
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Spotlight: Leather
Designers are exploring a new world of tactility using a timeless material
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Spotlight: Tobacco
Warm like terracotta, just darker and richer
— a color perfect for the season to come
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Spotlight:
Romantic
Minimalism
We’re predicting
a love story with
poetic interiors,
but pared back
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The Design Trends
That Will Shape Next Season
Our forecast of the big moments in design, in context
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Spotlight: Antique Collecting
How ‘something old, something new’
has become the mantra for 2026
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