Maximalism, chocolate brown and vintage antiques are top designer choices: 2026 interior design trends

November 17, 2025

Living room designed by Maggie Smith. Image credit: Sam Frost

Chocolate brown continues its reign as top color, while maximalism and eclecticism strengthen their positions as leading design aesthetics for top designers worldwide.

The findings were part of design marketplace 1stDibs’ ninth annual Interior Designer Trends Survey, taken by 468 design professionals globally to highlight trends, year-over-year shifts and evolving tastes that are expected to dominate in 2026. The survey identifies trends in project types, sourcing, styles, motifs and colors.

“This year's survey results also highlight a fascinating contrast: Designers are embracing the future by beginning to adopt AI tools for efficiency while also looking back to vintage and antique furniture for inspiration and quality craftsmanship,” said Anthony Barzilay Freund, editorial director of 1stDibs, in a statement.

1stDibs is a New York-based online marketplace showcasing sellers of vintage, antique and contemporary furniture, home décor, art, fine jewelry, watches and fashion.

The company commissioned researchers with South Norwalk, CT-based market researcher Surveys & Forecasts to conduct 468 online interviews between July and August 2025. The interior designers who were interviewed are part of the 1stDibs Trade 1st Program.

Per 1stDibs, key findings from the 2026 Designer Trends Survey include:

Aesthetic shift: Designers report that maximalism (39 percent) and eclecticism (38 percent) are the most requested styles.

Dominant color: 33 percent cite chocolate brown as the top trending color.

Iconic vintage and antiques: Collectibles from the 1920s to 1950s and pre-1920s antiques are growing in popularity, while interest in the 1970s has declined.

Design technology adoption: Three times as many designers are using AI tools in their design processes (e.g., for renderings and presentations).

Tariffs: 92 percent of designers report that tariffs introduced in 2025 have had an impact on their businesses.

PART 1: The design trends

Color trends 2026: Brown, burgundy and earthy tones dominate, but pastel hues are emerging

Chocolate brown prevails again as the top color designers anticipate using in 2026, with 33 percent of survey respondents selecting it this year, a percentage that has almost doubled over the four-year period beginning 2022, when it stood at 17 percent, per 1stDibs.

Meanwhile, deep, moody hues have continued their steady rise: Interest in burgundy dramatically rebounded, increasing from 7 percent for 2025 to 21 percent for 2026, with dark green and sage also showing growth for 2026.

However, soft pastels have also experienced a sizable shift among designers, reflecting rising popularity across fashion and home decor this year.

Butter yellow more than doubled in popularity, from being cited by 14 percent in 2024 to 30 percent in 2025, with cornflower blue, powder pink and pistachio also emerging as popular choices.

Overall, designers are predicting that the palette for 2026 will trend toward earthy, dramatic hues, with deep browns, greens and reds leading, according to the 1stDibs survey. This reflects a broader pivot toward warmth and expressiveness.

Vintage and antiques market report: 1920s–50s styles gain

Although new and contemporary pieces remain popular among designers, on average, 36 percent of all items sourced for a given project in 2025 were vintage or antique — the highest proportion since 2021, per the survey.

Additionally, 85 percent of designers sourced vintage pieces, made between the 1920s and 2000, the strongest usage of vintage across designers’ projects in five years.

The percent of respondents employing antiques, made before the 1920s, also surged, from 56 percent in 2024 to 63 percent in 2026.

In the coming year, designers expect to lean less on customization and contemporary production and even more heavily into antiques and vintage items, the survey found.

2026 trending aesthetics: Maximalism, eclecticism and florals

Designers predict that the 2025 design aesthetics most likely to remain popular in 2026 are maximalism – cited by 39 percent of respondents in 2025, up from 34 percent in 2023 – and eclecticism, which was tapped by 38 percent of designers.

Organic modernism also held steady, suggesting its persistent appeal alongside contrasting bolder aesthetics.

Additionally, floral and botanical motifs remain the most favored among respondents for 2026, named by 22 percent.

While geometric patterns and stripes continued to slide in popularity, to 10 percent and 9 percent, respectively, newer, niche patterns edged into the mix — including flame-stitch brocade, shibori and houndstooth, per the 1stDibs study.

Curvy shapes and skirted seating

Curvy and irregular-shaped furniture continue to be popular, with 43 percent of designers identifying them as trends for 2026.

Wicker and rattan furniture maintained their appeal, cited by 27 percent, followed by skirted seating (24 percent) and irregularly shaped rugs (21 percent), both new to the survey and ranking among the top five furniture and lighting trends for 2026.

New contenders emerged in the design elements category this year, with 35 percent of designers citing color drenching as a surging trend and 30 percent noting the ascent of upholstered walls.

Notably, wallpapered ceilings are expected to grow in popularity, named by 35 percent.

Niche vintage seating and lighting gain ground

Murano-glass pendants are expected to be the most popular lighting element in 2026, according to 28 percent of designers, indicating a growing interest in ornate styles, per the 1stDibs study.

In the category of vintage iconic lighting designs, the Venini-style Mushroom lamp was cited as a trend for the year ahead by 10 percent of respondents, as it has been since 2024, while the Louis Poulsen PH Artichoke lamp returned to its 2023 high of 9 percent.

Several niche designs were predicted to be in vogue, including the Ingo Maurer Lampampe and &Tradition Flowerpot. And 1960s and ’70s designs, such as Afra & Tobia Scarpa’s Soriana seating and the de Sede DS-600 Snake sofa, continue to grow in popularity, per the study.

PART 2: Room-by-room design requests 

Living rooms and kitchens remain on top

Living rooms and kitchens remained the most-requested spaces in 2025, named by 63 percent and 52 percent of respondents, respectively, compared with 55 percent and 48 percent in 2022.

These rooms have shown consistent growth, alongside bathrooms and dining rooms, which were cited by 24 percent, up from 17 percent in 2021.

The prominence of these spaces reflects a shift among clients toward prioritizing everyday function and self-care upgrades, according to 1stDibs.

When asked to recommend “bonus” rooms to clients, most designers suggested second kitchens (56 percent), mudrooms (44 percent), outdoor kitchens (43 percent) and home libraries (34 percent) — underscoring the demand for both entertaining amenities and personal retreats.

PART 3: Industry outlook

Artificial intelligence use triples among interior designers

Use of artificial intelligence (AI) had a meteoric rise in 2025, with new innovations beginning to penetrate all aspects of daily life, per the 1stDibs study.

The design landscape was not untouched, with the share of designers adopting AI tools tripling in 2025, to 29 percent, or almost a third, from 9 percent in 2023. Its use is only expected to increase, with another 20 percent of designers indicating that they plan to integrate AI tools into their work, bringing the potential user base close to half of all surveyed designers.

Although the broader trajectory of AI points to a growing assimilation into design workflows, 24 percent are strongly against its application in their practices, signaling opportunity for growth in this space as well as debate about its role in creative practice.

Tariffs' impact on designer businesses and sourcing

The global tariffs rolled out in summer 2025 are already impacting designers, with 92 percent reporting some degree of negative impact on their businesses, per the 1stDibs study.

Designers continue to search far and wide for the right piece, but the share of pieces purchased internationally declined in 2025, to 28 percent from a peak of 32 percent in 2024.

Conversely, the portion sourced domestically rose to 72 percent in 2025, suggesting that designers are seeking items locally to avoid the costs and operational complexity of buying internationally.

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