40 design ideas to explore for 2026

New year, new spaces—they say meaningful shifts begin with the environments that we inhabit. However not every transformation requires a dramatic reinvention.

Whether at home or at work, a space can evolve through thoughtful and well-placed interventions that elevate both its spatial character and its lived experience. A few adjustments can recalibrate proportion, light, texture, and mood—enhancing not just how a room looks, but how it feels and functions. Your 2026 spaces should serve you better.

Here are a few ways you can subtly initiate that much delayed upgrade, modify your spaces, or simply breathe new life into the places that shape your everyday rhythms and support your lifestyle. Welcome, 2026!

1 Curvilinear walls

Curvilinear walls soften not only corners, but the navigation of a space as well. Junctions feel less abrupt, movement flows more smoothly, and spaces feel less aggressive. No new walls to build? Then add a curvilinear screen or partition as a second skin or as a floating panel.

2 Sculpted plaster wall

Hire an artist to create a sculpted plaster wall, produced by shaping relief patterns with venetian plaster, gesso, or even regular cement plaster. Add depth and dimension in a subtle way. Plasterwork reads organic, fluid, and maybe even abstracted.

3 Ultra matte finishes

Explore using ultra matte or dead flat surface finishes for cabinets, wall panels, and countertops for a really quiet and modern feel—with the guaranteed advantage of modern technology that will keep the surface from fingerprints and stains.

4 Monochrome

Does your space feel too busy? Tone it down with a monochrome color in a warm, neutral, and clean palette of warm beige, taupe, cream, and mushroom. It’s a modern yet classic palette that will still be popular in 2026.

5 Strip lighting

Dealing with harsh lighting? Slightly rewire your electricals and find little spaces where you can introduce strip lighting. Integrate them into existing curtain coves, shelving, or ceiling shadow lines. With indirect warm lighting, volumes feel soft and weightless.

6 Soft-edged furniture

Create more graceful furniture settings with soft-edged furniture forms. Think rounded armchairs, curved benches, and sweeping sofas. Rectilinear table groupings and other accent pieces can all be made more fluid by applying a radius at their corners.

7 Material layering

For visual softness, try material layering. Combine the grains of soft timbers, the weave of linen textures, the flatness of light colors, the beams of natural light, and natural looking stone for a mellow and creamy monochrome palette of materials.

8 Thin-profile cabinetry

Building up new shelving or millwork? Modern materials support the construction of thin-profile cabinetry, where door panels go down to a mere 12-mm thickness, and where surfaces are devoid of detail. With less material, there is less consumption, and the bonus of lighter looking furniture and millwork.

9 Panel reliefs

You can introduce some panel reliefs in your cabinetry panels, going for slatted or grooved surfaces, or even with the narrow—and still contemporary—perimeter framing like the “slender-shaker” panels. Try applying them as accents to an existing cabinet system.

10 Shadow lines

Building a new space? Instead of baseboards or skirtings, apply one of the smaller design details that add height and elegance to a room: shadow lines. With sensor-driven robot vacuum, you need not worry too much about damaging walls when cleaning.

11 Natural stone veining

Tired of the trendy yet sometimes jarring and heavily veined natural stones like exotic marble? Go soft and subtle with natural stone veining in neutral tones. Less dramatic, but more calming.

12 Timid palette

Bold can be beautiful, but the more timid palette of light and neutral on light and neutral need not be boring despite its monotone scheme. Layering various textures and patterns within a space with natural light creates depth and a contrast of textures.

13 Single superstar plant

Have a substantial single superstar plant instead of many little plants that litter your space and take too much effort to maintain. Take time to find a dramatic statement plant that fits perfectly, in terms of scale and shape, into a prominent corner of your space.

14 Soft natural light

Make your space more soothing with softened and diffused natural light. Slimline blinds, sheer curtains, frosted films, and textured glass temper sunbeams and create a more even distribution of brightness.

15 Stone veneers

Bring in the warmth of stone with these lightweight, fiberglass-backed stone veneers or composite stone material for elements that can’t accept the weight or thickness of natural stone. Use them for cabinetry, door panels, or wall cladding.

16 Horizontal elements

Bring nature’s peaceful horizon line from the outdoor into your indoor spaces by integrating horizontal elements with warm lighting, mimicking the late afternoon horizon and the sun at dusk. That answers why most resorts and other places for relaxation emphasize horizontal lines in their designs

17 Complementary colors

Nature-inspired complementary colors like clay, olive, sand, bone, eucalyptus are paired to create a non-seasonal palette that is not only timeless but reflects our search for grounding and balance.

18 Soft brutalism

Explore some soft brutalism with primitive naturalist concepts, where lines and materials are clean and honest (unlike our Philippine politicians), and are softened with chic and sophisticated details in the décor.

19 Boucle, brushed fabrics

Tactile experiences are explored with the use of textural boucle and other brushed fabrics for upholstery, giving users more comfort, warmth, and a sense of luxury. The experience is akin to being enveloped in a cloud.

20 Smart technology

Go beyond Alexa and explore smart technology. Incorporate sleek electronics, hands-free operations, and maximum security in your spaces with digital applications that allow you to manage your spaces remotely.

21 Acoustic treatments

Give yourself the luxury of quiet and explore installing acoustic treatments for certain area. Prioritize the zones where noise flows freely from one space into another, like your hallways, staircases, and other open areas. Alternatively, isolate a room,—your bedroom perhaps—for the most luxurious treat: silence!

22 Biophilic experiences

Accentuate your space with carpet patterns that create biophilic experiences. Create soft footing zones with a nature-infused character through area rugs that purposely evoke the positive feelings of being in nature.

23 Warm accent lighting

Manage your circadian rhythm by introducing a dominance of warm accent evening lighting in lieu of general ceiling lights. Table lamps, floor lamps, wall sconces can provide warm, subtle, and dimmable lighting, helping promote a good night’s sleep ahead.

24 Smart lights

Go a step further and hack your room lighting with the use of smart lights. With smart lights, you can effectively change your room colors and create any ambience.

25 Track lights

Enhance your liminal spaces and create dramatic lighting with track lights. Not only are they in fashion, they are also functional—allowing for so much flexibility in creating the ambience for a space, with the option of calibrating the light levels and throw angles to change with you and your lifestyle.

26 Micro sanctuary

Insulate yourself from the woes of the world and create your own little quiet “pause” corner. Assemble your micro sanctuary with a chair that sits close to the ground, a small table, and soft lighting. Don’t forget thick blankets and fluffy pillows for comfort.

27 Mosaic tiles

Looking for an accent material? The world isn’t quite done with the use of mosaic tiles. While subway tiles have become tiring, other shapes have a way of turning ordinary walls into statement surfaces. A classic grid is timeless, but instead, find a unique geometric pattern in a bold color.

28 Shadow and light patterns

Purchase some outdoor stake lights and mount them onto the pots of your indoor plants to create shadow and light patterns indoor. Cast these gentle shadows onto your ceilings for drama, texture, and a biophilic experience. Use blue-colored light for a moonlight effect.

29 Layers of window treatments

Why stick to one when two or more will give you better protection, more diverse experiences, and better aesthetics? Combining two or three layers of window treatments gives you more flexibility in controlling natural light as well.

30 Bricks

Explore sustainability and comforting textures with the use of bricks. For a more contemporary approach, paint bricks with your usual latex house paint, modernizing the color from the usual brick red, but maintaining its unique running bond texture. This works so well as a backdrop to other design elements that have clean aesthetics.

31 Microcement finish

Modernize your spaces with a microcement finish. More than just a stucco, it’s a material made up of a mixture of cement with resins, fibers, other aggregates, and polymers. It creates soft, seamless surfaces for walls and floors, and is applicable in wet areas.

32 Textured glass

Soften the glaze of plain glass panels and use reeded glass or other textured glass for more visual interest and more visual privacy. Use it for doors, screens, or wall partitions. It’s an easy way to divide rooms without the feeling of massiveness or heaviness.

33 Accent wall cover

Tired of plain walls? Lacking outdoor green space? Try an accent wall cover to bring the outdoors into your space and infuse a sense of calm and restoration. This simulated greenery will give you grounding yet refreshing energy.

34 Terrazzo top

Replace your old, battered tabletop with a new, solid terrazzo top. Nostalgic color patterns are available in various styles—from playful to elegant—with aggregates that create various visual textures and which can turn your flat surface into a layered visual composition.

35 Metallic tones

Tired of the usual brushed stainless or brass? A simple change in hardware finish can instantly shift a room’s mood. Try fresh metallic tones—champagne, warm bronze, antique nickel, or blackened steel—for your door handles, locksets, and cabinet pulls. These small accents catch light in new ways and add quiet depth, giving your spaces a refined, renewed feel with minimal effort.

36 Glass blocks

Need more natural light but can’t accommodate windows? Literally hack your walls and replace them instead with glass blocks. Glass blocks maintain privacy and insulate heat better than your usual glass panels. They also come in an assortment of textures and sizes.

37 Scent diffuser

Find an aesthetically pleasing, automatic scent diffuser to constantly and consistently give off your personal scent profile—clearly conveying to your olfactory sense, that indeed, you are in your space.

38 Outdoor lanterns

Have a balcony or a garden? Or simply need more accent lighting in your interiors? Line your pathways with portable and rechargeable outdoor lanterns or use them in any corner to create a more atmospheric space.

39 Change visual temperature

Change the visual “temperature” of your room by working with what you already have. You can shift a space toward a cooler or warmer tone through selective updates: re-upholster key pieces, repaint walls or accents, and refinish surfaces to harmonize with your desired palette. Small, thoughtful adjustments can completely recalibrate the room’s mood while keeping your existing elements intact.

40 Layer textures

Play with kinesthetic comfort and layer various textures of materials. This not only makes your space more interesting, but it also invites you into a more tactile experience by compelling you to reach out and touch the surfaces. The space becomes interactive and immersive.

The author is a principal architect of Asuncion-Berenguer Inc. Founded in 1997, Asuncion–Berenguer Inc. is a full-service architectural and interior design firm recognized for its timeless aesthetics, meticulous detailing, and enduring client relationships. Isabel is dedicated to designing experiences and spaces that elevate everyday living through thoughtfully crafted environments. Contact her through @isabelbasuncion