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Colour, Cosiness, and Comfort: 2026’s Top Home Design Trends
- Bill Zhao
- Jan 16
- 4 min read
With a brand-new year splayed out on our calendars, the world continues to change at a blistering pace, and so do the trends of our homes. The core themes of 2026 revolve around individuality, expression, and most of all, comfort. All of these can come in many shapes and sizes, find out which one gels with you the most:
Analogue Rooms
Sought after by both wisdom-enriched generations and even dedicated pockets of Gen-Z, a room without all the noise and nuisance of modern tech can be a reward in and of itself. Analogue rooms are a burgeoning trend that aim to create a screen-free space. Seen as a retreat to connect with those physically around you rather than through a monitor, its popularity is steadily growing thanks to hands-on activities it encourages.
Whether it’s a quiet and cosy reading space, a flashy foosball room, or a comfy family retreat for board games, analogue rooms are all about living in the moment with what’s in front of you. They can also serve as great entertainment spaces for karaoke, meditation, or vigorous guitar solos.
Cocoon Spaces
Unlike the name, cocoon rooms aren’t about literally living in a pod, but replicating the soundness, privacy, and meditative properties of wellness spaces. The aim of spaces like these is to create a warm, enveloping, and personal surrounding that helps you recharge. This works best with smaller rooms that are thoroughly personalised with comforting colours, patterns, and textures.
Lighting also plays a large role in such spaces. Being able to change the colour, temperature, or brightness of the room can drastically alter its mood, making personalisation that much more powerful. Smart bulbs are a good way to control this. If you’re looking to take it one step further, Cave Core may be just the right kind of weird.
Kitchen Sculleries
Once a staple of Victorian-era homes, the kitchen scullery has seen wavering popularity in and out of the past century. With kitchens continuing to grow in popularity and modernisation, interest in sculleries has once again seen a strong resurgence.
Sculleries can provide everything from walkable pantry space, to an entire second kitchen, with plenty of room to house all those kitchen appliances often seen splayed across benchtops. One of the main draws is the look and feel of professionalism when working in one, and walking out with a perfectly prepared meal – just like a pro.
Colour-Richness
Propelled off the back of the ‘loud and proud’ maximalist trend, vivid colours, rich palettes, have forged ahead into 2026, though this time charged with a different kind of energy. The key change this time around is the differing attitudes behind its momentum.
There has been a marked trend towards inward expression, rather than outward. As such, homeowners are colouring not for a fulgurous desire for flamboyance, but rather for their own wellness, comfort, and revitalisation. This time, colour for yourself instead of as a showpiece for guests, but of course, it can’t hurt if your friends have the same taste.
New-look Office
The home office has seen notable changes in popularity over the past decade, with niche popularity before Covid and surging necessity during. While many home offices were simply repurposed bedrooms, many have retained their office arrangement long after Covid. This is due to the renewed appeal of a dedicated multi-use space, where working, studying, and unwinding can coexist.
With these offices here to stay, why not shape them to your liking? You can pair soft whites and light wood tones with a sprinkle of greenery for a cosy Scandinavian-style space, or bring out your colour swatches to hit that perfect balance of playfulness and diversity.
Granny Flats
Granny flats, sleep-outs, and accessory dwellings in general have all been enjoying increased popularity, thanks to uncertain housing prices and closer familial ties. Staying close to your loved ones is not only popular, but in many cases essential. With the granny flat building consent lift having recently come into effect, New Zealand can expect a healthy surge of these backyard beauties.
Often thought of as secondary when it comes to design, the increasing prevalence of granny flats makes them just as important when personalising. These compact packages are perfect for adding a cocoon space, analogue room, or home office. With brand new comfort colours from Dulux, and an influx of Scandi designs from IKEA, feel free to colour and accessorise to your heart’s content!
Nature-Infused Fusion
One of the strongest staples of contemporary design, fusion home styles with strong natural elements continue to blossom. Popular fusion trends like Japandi and transitional style homes often weave in a healthy dose of biophilic design.
In 2026, expect to see stronger colours and bolder textures, such as burnt oranges, blushed berries, and verdant spearmints. This combination offers expression and versatility, while bringing you closer to nature. It comes just in time for a granny flat that truly feels like a part of your garden, or perhaps an educated excuse for a Sylvia Park shopping trip.
With comfort and personalisation as the domineering trends of this year, feel free to take a load off, relax, and enjoy some well-deserved me-time to unwind. Make your space yours through bold expression and natural ornamentation in your own home (or granny flat).
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