2026 Home Design Trends from a Design-Build Firm
As 2025 has wrapped up and we enter into 2026, we can’t help but reflect on the design trends that made 2025 great and what’s to come in 2026. As a disclaimer – our team isn’t interested in chasing down every trend that comes along. Our focus is on creating thoughtful, timeless designs, spaces meant to be lived in and appreciated for years to come. That said, paying attention to what designers and homeowners are leaning into is both useful and inspiring. Often the ideas that end up enduring aren’t fleeting trends, but rather elements that add lasting beauty, functionality, and value to a home.
Here are the 2026 home design trends and design directions that we’re highly anticipating.
1. Wellness Hubs
Wellness is far from a trend – homeowners are becoming more conscious of the benefits of including wellness-centered spaces in their homes. Doing so makes health practices more accessible and easier to incorporate into daily habits. Spaces like home gyms, pilates or yoga studios, infinity pools, sport courts, and saunas give homeowners the keys to take wellness into their own hands.
We’re excited to see more wellness hubs being incorporated into custom design build homes and for them to improve the lives of those who live in them.
The outdoor sport and tennis courts at SSDB’s Modern Lake House are thoughtfully designed to encourage friendly recreation and active living, all within a beautiful, serene setting that supports health and well-being.
2. Nature-Driven Design
Whether in color or in material, nature is consistently our top inspiration. In 2026, we expect to see an increase in nature-driven colors, textures, and natural materials – warm earth tones, layered stone, rich woods, and organic finishes that bring a sense of calm and authenticity into the home. These elements have a way of grounding spaces, creating warmth, and adding timelessness to any space.
This Modern Craftsman home not only includes natural materials, like this gorgeous stone fireplace, but also emphasizes an indoor-outdoor connection and relationship to its natural surroundings.
3. Golf Simulators
Golf simulators have been in high demand from our team and we highly anticipate this continuing through 2026 and beyond. In-house golf simulators are becoming a sought-after luxury home design feature, blending entertainment, wellness, and year-round functionality. Homeowners will continue to carve out dedicated rooms that feel more like professional golf spaces than basements, prioritizing high-tech solutions and high-end design to create functional, joy-sparking spaces.
The golf simulator in this traditional French country home in Glencoe incorporates a Full Swing simulator system and putting green into one cohesive, inspiring space that comfortably accommodates a foursome and their golf bags.
4. Reclaimed, Recycled Materials
Our team has always been passionate about the use of reclaimed materials, so seeing this “trend” become increasingly popular is so special to us. Home building has long been a resource-intensive process, and SSDB is committed to rethinking that approach. Utilizing reclaimed items is an incredible way to not only choose to be environmentally-friendly, but also to infuse personality and character that new builds don’t always have innately. In 2026, we’re excited to see more and more reclaimed materials being used in creative ways.
This Modern Pool House uses recycled ash thermory siding – reclaimed wood that is chemically treated and baked.
5. Screen-Free Rooms
Technology fatigue is becoming more and more real – many homeowners are becoming more apt to incorporate screen-free rooms, or “analog spaces,” as they’ve been coined, into their homes. This space is simply designed to unplug, recharge, and enjoy screen-free past times. These rooms are ideal for playing games, reading, enjoying hobbies, sitting down with a cup of coffee or a cocktail, and connecting with the ones that you love. The furniture in the room isn’t centered around a TV, but instead intentionally designed for connection and comfort.
The sunroom in our Wilmette Contemporary Shingle Style home is designed for coziness and connection, and is the perfect place to spend time with loved ones or enjoy a favorite hobby.
6. Smart Home Features
In the past, smart home features weren’t always intuitive and discreet. Today, we’ve found there to be a plethora of options that are beautiful, functional, and truly improve quality of life for homeowners. We’re looking forward to seeing the creative ways that smart home technologies are incorporated into homes this year, whether it be seamlessly integrated lighting and climate control, intuitive security systems that offer peace of mind, or behind-the-scenes automation that simplifies daily routines. When thoughtfully designed, smart technology doesn’t just add convenience, it enhances how a home feels, functions, and supports the owners’ lives.
This Modern Fusion home includes automatic shades that rise and fall on a timer to the seasons. The kitchen shades are hidden up and behind the tile so they aren’t seen until in use.
The world of home design is always evolving, and it’s a privilege to be part of what’s next. We can’t wait to see how 2026 evolves, and which home design trends prove to be timeless.