5 Home Trends from 2025 That Are Here to Stay

Sometimes it feels like the only thing that’s constant in interior design is change. But some decor trends do stick around longer than others, and those are the design elements that can get elevated to the status of “classic” one day, if you just wait long enough to see how everything plays out in apartments and homes around the globe. 

In the meantime, I’ve put together this short list of current trends that I can confidently say are here to stay for 2026 (you may even recognize some of them from Apartment Therapy’s very own 2025 New/Next List, our midyear trend prediction package). So if you’ve been thinking about trying one or more of these in your own home, you can take the plunge knowing that you won’t immediately time-stamp your space by doing so. Designers are behind these looks, and they set the interiors agenda, but, of course, your home is your haven. So feel free to do whatever you want regardless. 

The all-white everything kitchen — and the millennial gray cook spaces that dominated design five to 10 years ago — have disappeared from designer moodboards. All that momentum has shifted toward bold kitchens that feel increasingly individualistic and ripe with luxe, bespoke features when the budget allows for it.

“In times of uncertainty, people increasingly seek joy, individuality, and self-expression within their homes,” says Kristin Keilt, principal designer, Research in Design at Electrolux/Frigidaire North America. “In kitchen design, this translates to a growing embrace of vibrant colors, bold design elements, and customized details.”

You’ll continue to see statement colors popping up on cabinetry (think: mostly warm hues; I’ve spied everything from lilac purple and cranberry to olive green and chocolate brown this year). Dramatic colored stones are still popular for countertops and seamless backsplashes, while metal mixing is showing no signs of slowing down, either. “Playful metallic accents and luminous pops of color introduce a retro-futuristic edge to modern kitchens,” says Keilt.

This colorful takeover isn’t just about the major features in the kitchen, either. “Personalization is also evident in statement handles, knobs, and fixtures — shifting from purely ergonomic components to decorative design elements that add character and set the tone of the space,” adds Keilt. For 2026, expect no detail in a kitchen to go unnoticed — even in the spaces that lean minimalist and modern over exuberant and maximalist. 

The nook-ification of homes and apartments everywhere is all about the cozy factor, which is a quality people definitely are still prioritizing in their spaces. At Apartment Therapy, this movement has become synonymous with the term “covecore,” and you’re going to be seeing more alcove tubs, beds, and reading corners next year.

These features make awkward corners, tiny rooms, and plain spaces feel more intimate and special. And often, the build-outs in smaller areas like this can be less expensive than, say, an entire room of floor-to-ceiling shelving, for example. So an alcove may be more accessible than you think.

Covecore is even coming for your kitchen, as more and more designers incorporate stove coves into their floor plans. Taking an architectural beat to nook out your stove area isn’t just about aesthetics, though — it’s a great little area to pack a bit more functionality into a kitchen with recessed shelves for spices and other cooking essentials.

If you can splurge on a built-in nook or alcove in any of your rooms, go for it. It’s also possible to DIY covecore makeovers, too. But another way I know that this trend isn’t going away anytime soon? Readymade furniture is starting to emulate the nook look. Take this Anthropologie bed, for example, which, when closed, creates a little cave-like sleeping moment. Keep your eyes peeled for other finds that allow you to get the look without any construction at all. 

Designer Kelly Wearstler doesn’t follow trends, but one thing she says will never go out of style is a sense of history in a home. Maybe that’s the architecture itself, if you live in an old apartment or house. If your construction is recent, though, she doesn’t recommend decorating with all brand-new furnishings.

“Having everything that is new in your home can actually make it seem more dated sooner,” Wearstler told me and a handful of other journalists at a SoFi panel a few weeks ago. “Incorporating older things helps you diversify your design.” This way, she says, it’s harder to visually tie your home to a specific time. 

So keep hitting up the flea market and decorating with family heirlooms if you have them, because vintage finds and antique items aren’t going anywhere in 2026. 

Judging by the amount of designer projects and big home decor brand lookbooks I see on a weekly basis, I can confidently say color drenching, or the trend of painting a room’s walls, trim work, and ceiling all in the same color, is going to carry over into 2026. It creates a soft look in a room that feels enveloping and visually calming. 

Although color drenching isn’t going away, you may see it evolve a bit with more tonality. That’s exactly what color capping is — a similar designer paint treatment where a shade from the same color family as the walls is carried onto the ceiling or above a picture rail. This almost makes a room look like it’s wearing a “cap,” and typically, the “cap” color is just a few shades darker than the walls.

The effect is definitely more dramatic, as it’s tonal rather than the same. Both techniques, though, are ways to add more color in a room that can still be harmonious within an entire home.

Crisp white or contrasting colored trim isn’t bad by any means, but it can chop a room up a bit. Color drenching is not only a way to create an immersive environment, but it can also optically elongate a space with the continuity it creates from floor to ceiling. Making a small room look bigger? That’ll never be passé. 

The days of bland, sterile, one-note tile applications are over, as designers and homeowners continue to seek layered spaces that aren’t relying solely on white subways or basic solid tile floors. “There’s so much more of a richness and texture in design right now — and so much color,” says Jamie Chappell, vice president of brand and product at Fireclay Tile.

“People are sick of homogenous, white-on-white-on-white spaces, and people are staying in their homes longer and are really wanting to personalize a space and make it what they want rather than think about resale value.”

To that end, people are really going for it with their walls and floors by dreaming up colorful tile combos and even patterns underfoot and on walls. Take this kitchen and bath makeover, for example. First-time homeowners Michelle and EJ Samuels used Fireclay squares to create a lively checkerboard pattern that’s anything but expected in this happy, retro-meets-modern kitchen. Expect more creative tile installations throughout 2025 and well into 2026.