DESIGNING FOR LONGEVITY: THE INTERIOR TRENDS SHAPING 2026
Warmer minimalism, tactile materials and wellness focused layouts are redefining luxury interiors as homeowners design for comfort, connection and lasting appeal.
4 min
Luxury interiors are entering a more thoughtful era. In 2026, design is shifting beyond aesthetics alone, with homeowners increasingly prioritising spaces that support wellbeing, longevity and personal expression.
As lifestyle expectations evolve and more owners choose to renovate rather than relocate, interiors are being shaped by a desire for homes that feel deeply restorative while maintaining timeless sophistication.
The result is a move away from stark minimalism toward what designers describe as “warm minimalism,” where softer palettes, layered textures, and natural materials create spaces that feel both refined and liveable.
Homes continue to play a central role in everyday life, influencing mood, productivity and overall health. According to CSR General Manager Marketing Renee McGinty, the growing focus on comfort and emotional connection is driving a major shift in design choices.
“While creating a sanctuary at home is still key, the way we shape our homes is evolving, with homeowners prioritising spaces that feel warmer, more personal and better aligned with long-term living,” McGinty says.
“This shift is reflected in the finishes homeowners are choosing, with a growing focus on materials that feel restorative and grounding.”
Material expression takes centre stage
Walls are emerging as a defining feature in modern interiors, evolving from passive surfaces into expressive design elements that add architectural depth and personality.
Smooth plasterboard finishes are increasingly used as a foundation for textural layering, integrated shelving, and subtle zoning that enhance both function and visual interest. At the same time, natural materials such as stone and timber are gaining prominence for their tactile and authentic qualities.
“Natural materials immediately bring us closer to nature,” McGinty explains. “Evoking the wabi-sabi aesthetic they bring variation, imperfection and warmth, characteristics that are increasingly valued in homes designed for long-term living.”
Stone feature walls and timber applications are being used to introduce weight and texture while maintaining a calm, neutral aesthetic. These materials are often paired with soft colour palettes and pared back finishes to create interiors that feel grounded and quietly luxurious.
Comfort meets performance
Beyond visual appeal, functionality and acoustic comfort are becoming central to high-end residential design. Homeowners are embracing intimate, cocooning spaces designed to enhance relaxation and reduce noise within increasingly multi-functional homes.
Acoustic wall panelling is gaining popularity as part of this evolution, delivering both performance benefits and architectural interest across living areas, bedrooms, home offices and media rooms.
“As interiors move toward warmer, more emotive spaces, we’re seeing greater emphasis on texture and materiality on our walls,” McGinty says. “Acoustic wall panelling allows homeowners and designers to add depth and tactility while also creating calmer, more comfortable environments that support the way people live today.”
Paired with moody colour palettes and woven finishes, acoustic materials are helping to elevate interiors while enhancing everyday comfort.
The return of architectural detailing
Subtle architectural detailing is also enjoying a resurgence, reflecting a broader movement toward craftsmanship and considered design.
Softly curved wall niches are emerging as a key feature, introducing sculptural forms that transform walls into focal design elements. Using flexible plasterboard solutions, these recessed features offer homeowners an accessible way to add individuality and sophistication.
“Architectural details like curved wall niches allow walls to take on a more expressive role within the home,” McGinty says. “Using flexible plasterboard to introduce subtle curves and recessed forms creates a timeless look for an achievable investment.”
Cornices are also being reinterpreted for contemporary homes. Rather than purely decorative, modern profiles are being used to soften transitions between walls and ceilings, delivering cohesion and balance throughout interior spaces.
Harnessing natural light
Light remains one of the most powerful tools in interior design, with natural light playing a vital role in enhancing mood, sleep, and overall well-being.
Skylights are increasingly incorporated into residential design to bring daylight into kitchens, living areas, and transitional spaces, helping interiors feel brighter, more spacious, and more connected to the outdoors.
“Natural light has a profound impact on the way a space feels,” McGinty says. “Skylights brighten darker areas, add visual interest and create a softer, more ambient glow that brings the outdoors in.”
As light moves throughout the day, it highlights architectural features and materials, adding depth and subtle visual movement within the home.
To maximise these benefits, premium plasterboard finishes are being selected to create smooth, even surfaces that help diffuse light and reduce glare. This allows natural materials such as timber, stone and soft furnishings to deliver warmth without overwhelming the overall design.
Designing with the future in mind
Ultimately, 2026 interior design trends reflect a broader shift toward intentional living. Rather than chasing short-lived style moments, homeowners are making considered investments in materials, layouts and architectural details that will remain relevant for years to come.
“2026 is also about investing wisely in the home, making changes that are sustainable and can last the distance, rather than becoming outdated quickly,” McGinty says.
The result is a new luxury aesthetic defined not by excess but by comfort, authenticity, and thoughtful design that supports how people want to live now and into the future.
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At least for people who carry the APOE4 genetic variant, a juicy steak could keep the brain healthy.
3 min
Must even steak be politicised? The American Heart Association recently recommended eating more “plant-based” protein in a move to counter the Health and Human Services Department’s new guidelines calling for more red meat.
Few would argue that eating a Big Mac a day is good for you.
On the other hand, growing evidence, including a study last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests that eating more meat—particularly unprocessed red meat—can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s in the quarter or so of people with a particular genetic predisposition.
The APOE4 gene variant is one of the biggest risk factors for Alzheimer’s.
You inherit one copy of the APOE gene from each parent. The most common variant is APOE3; the least is APOE2.
The latter carries a lower risk of Alzheimer’s, while the former is neutral. A quarter of people carry one copy of the APOE4 variant, and about 2% carry two.
APOE4 is more common among people with Northern European and African ancestry. In Europe the variant increases with latitude, and is present in as many as 27% of people in northern countries versus 4% in southern ones. God smiled on the Italians and Greeks.
For unknown reasons, the APOE4 variant increases the risk of Alzheimer’s far more for women than men.
Women’s risk multiplies roughly fourfold if they have one copy and tenfold if they have two. Men with a single copy show little if any higher risk, while those with two face four times the risk.
What makes APOE4 so pernicious? Scientists don’t know exactly, but the variant is also associated with higher cholesterol levels—even among thin people who eat healthily.
Scientists have found that cholesterol builds up in brain cells of APOE4 carriers, which can disrupt communications between neurons and generate amyloid plaque, an Alzheimer’s hallmark.
The Heart Association’s recommendation to eat less red meat may be sound advice for people with high cholesterol caused by indulgent diets.
But a diet high in red meat may be better for the brains of APOE4 carriers.
In the JAMA study, researchers at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute examined how diet, particularly meat consumption, affects dementia risk among seniors with the different APOE variants.
Higher consumption of meat, especially unprocessed red meat, was associated with significantly lower dementia risk for APOE4 carriers.
APOE4 carriers who consumed the most meat—the equivalent of 4.5 ounces a day—were no more likely to develop dementia than noncarriers. (
The study controlled for other variables that are known to affect Alzheimer’s risk including sex, age, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption and education.)
APOE4 carriers who ate the most unprocessed meat were at significantly lower risk of dying over the study’s 15-year period and had lower cholesterol than carriers who ate less. Go figure. Noncarriers, however, didn’tenjoy similar benefits from eating more red meat.
The study’s findings are consistent with two large U.K. studies.
One found that each additional 50 grams of red meat (equivalent to half a hamburger patty) that an APOE4 carrier consumed each day was associated with a 36% reduced risk of dementia.
The other found that older women who carried the APOE4 variant and consumed at least one serving a day of unprocessed red meat had a cognitive advantage over carriers who ate less than half a serving, and that this advantage was of roughly equal magnitude to the cognitive disadvantage observed among APOE4 carriers in general.
In all three studies, eating more red meat appeared to negate the increased genetic risk of APOE4.
Perhaps one reason men with the variant are at lower Alzheimer’s risk than women is that men eat more red meat.
These findings might cause chagrin to women who rag their husbands about ordering the rib-eye instead of the heart-healthy salmon.
But remember, the cognitive benefits of eating more red meat appear isolated to APOE4 carriers.
Nutrition is complicated, and categorical recommendations—other than perhaps to avoid nutritionally devoid foods—would best be avoided by governments and health bodies.
Readers can order an at-home test from any number of companies to screen for the APOE4 variant.
The Swedish researchers hypothesize that APOE4 carriers may be evolutionarily adapted to carnivorous diets, since the variant is believed to have emerged between one million and six million years ago during a “hypercarnivorous” period in human history.
The other two APOE variants originated more recently, during eras when humans ate more plants.
APOE4 carriers may absorb more nutrients from meat than plants, the researchers surmise. Vitamin B12—low levels have been associated with cognitive decline—isn’t naturally present in plant-based foods but is abundant in red meat.
Foods high in phytates (such as grains and beans) can interfere with absorption of zinc and iron (also high in red meat), which naturally declines with age. So maybe don’t chuck your steak yet.
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