My 2026 Predictions (They're Not What You Think)
- Jennifer DeWitt
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Every January, trend predictions flood the internet like clockwork. Most of them are created by an industry that wants to sell you something.
You just painted your dining room green? Congratulations, fire engine red is back. (I called that in last year's predictions, by the way. I was right.) Those cabinets you painstakingly painted over? Turns out you should have left them stained. Your skinny jeans can come out of hiding, but only when paired with a very specific shoe that you absolutely MUST HAVE in order to not look dated.
I think people are tired. The lifespan of a trend is meteoric these days. A new one floods your feed every single day. Interior designers recoiled at Pantone selecting white as their color of the year because white hasn't been out of favor long enough to be back in again.
We all need a breather. So instead of telling you what colors to buy or which aesthetic to chase, I'm sharing predictions about how the fashion and design industries themselves are shifting.
These industries work in tandem, partially against the consumer, so you feel like you're never fully ahead of or on trend.
In 2026, let's slow down and take a more thoughtful approach to how we dress ourselves and outfit our spaces. Here's what I think is changing.
The line between interior design and personal style will disappear completely.
Your environments should reflect you as much as your wardrobe does. The days of treating your home like a showroom and your closet like your personality are over. If you wouldn't wear beige head to toe, why would you live in it?
The "neutral home, colorful wardrobe" era is over.
People are finally realizing that if you can wear bold colors, you can live with them, too. Your home and your closet should speak the same language. The disconnect between how we present ourselves in the world and how we exist in our private spaces never made sense anyway.
Maximalism will be more about curation than excess.
Every piece in your home or wardrobe should earn its place. Abundance with purpose is the move. Maximalism isn't about having more stuff. It's about surrounding yourself with things you actually love and use, even if they are bold.
Smaller, specialized firms will outperform large, generalist ones.
You need a highly skilled team, not a massive one. Expertise over scale wins every single time. The era of firms trying to be everything to everyone is ending because clients are realizing that specialists deliver better results than generalists ever could.
People will start designing for a feeling.
"I want my living room to feel calm" is a clearer direction than "I want it to look modern." The spaces we inhabit will need to serve us in an emotional capacity, too. Function isn't just about whether the furniture fits. It's about whether the space supports how you want to feel.
The "I'll just figure it out myself" era is ending.
Not because DIY is wrong, but because your time is worth more than saving a design fee. A professional firm with a repeatable process delivers more than just a completed space. They give you your weekends back. They eliminate decision fatigue. They prevent expensive mistakes that cost more to fix than hiring them would have in the first place.
The science of color will take center stage.
The colors that work in your home and wardrobe should be the ones you love and are excited to live with. Preference and precision can coexist when an expert is at the helm. Understanding your personal coloring isn't restrictive. It's liberating because it eliminates the guesswork.
You'll stop measuring investment in dollars and start measuring it in time.
An excellent designer doesn't cost you time; they buy it back. Time is the one resource you actually can't afford to waste. Every hour you spend scrolling Pinterest, second-guessing paint colors, or returning furniture that doesn't work is an hour you're not getting back. Hiring expertise isn't an expense. It's reclaiming your life.
What This Means for You
These predictions aren't about following new trends. They're about permission to stop chasing them entirely. To invest in expertise. To choose quality over quantity. To design spaces and build wardrobes that actually reflect who you are instead of what you think you should be.
And if even one of these made you think "wait, that's exactly what I need," let's talk. My January discovery calls are open for full-service design, color analysis, or both. Book yours here.
Here's to a more thoughtful and bold 2026!
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