Seven Trends to Watch After WOW!house 2026
The WOW!house at Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour, has long been a barometer for the direction of British interior design. It's a place where designers push boundaries and set the trends that will define the coming year. This year's showhouse, with its 22 rooms designed by some of the country's most exciting designers, revealed seven key trends that are set to shape the future of interior design.
1. The frieze reimagined
One of the most striking details to emerge at WOW!house this year was the frieze. Traditionally a long, slender decorative panel drawn from classical architecture, the frieze has been reimagined in contemporary interiors. In Studio Duggan's Speakeasy Salon, a neoclassical-style plaster frieze designed by Atelier Blundell & Therrien and made by Ovolo London added a delicate punctuation to the deep plum walls. In the Misia for Casamance Group Bedroom Suite, Henri Fitzwilliam-Lay used an unusual frieze with an abstract, geometric relief that suggested Art Deco motifs and ancient glyphs. Another unexpected take appeared in the Lalique Home Bar designed by Elicyon, where Charu Gandhi chose marquetry panels from Shamsian with a floral design to unify the crystal, silk and timber that dominate the space.
What makes this trend particularly fascinating is the way it challenges traditional notions of what a frieze should be. By using the frieze in unexpected ways, designers are pushing the boundaries of what is considered contemporary and modern. This trend suggests that the frieze is not just a decorative element, but a versatile tool that can be used to create a sense of rhythm and movement in a space.
2. Plummy colours
As befits the general mood of rich, inviting rooms, the colour story at WOW!house this year was dominated by moodily warm shades of plum and berry. Salvesen Graham used their own 'Gussie' fabric in Damson on the armchair and footstool of their Primary Bedroom, with a matching voile inside the four-poster canopy. Max Rollitt put Schumacher's 'Patent Linen' in plum on his dining chairs. Most prominently, Studio Duggan wrapped their Speakeasy Salon in a lacquered, plum-brown Romo fabric, and added a curving sofa in the same brand's cotton velvet in the medjool colourway. These purples – whether they lean a little more brown or a little more red – are the perfect shades to evoke a sense of glamour.
What makes this trend particularly interesting is the way it plays with the idea of colour as a mood-setter. By using rich, warm shades of plum and berry, designers are creating spaces that are both inviting and sophisticated. This trend suggests that colour is not just about aesthetics, but about creating an atmosphere that is both comfortable and elegant.
3. Deeply textured fabrics
Almost every room in this year's showhouse contained fabrics you wanted to touch, whether on walls, furniture, floors or even ceilings. Russell Sage's Nucleus Media Room made textured fabrics part of the immersive experience – the room was designed with cutting-edge audio-visual technology to enable media viewing in the round – draping the walls with panels including Evitavonni's semi-sheer 'Aurora' and Joro's embossed velvet 'Dupion'. Where that was light and airy, Martin Kemp Design went for a darker glamour, suspending Dedar fabrics with sensuous satiny and velvety textures from ceiling to floor in the Parlour. Henri Fitzwilliam-Lay's bedroom made use of French fabric house Misia's wide range of jacquards and cut-pile textiles, creating an endlessly intriguing interior.
What makes this trend particularly fascinating is the way it challenges the notion that texture is only for tactile experiences. By using textured fabrics in unexpected ways, designers are creating spaces that are both visually and tactically engaging. This trend suggests that texture is a powerful tool for creating a sense of depth and richness in a space.
4. The enduring appeal of curves
It might be a bit over-the-top to declare that straight lines are out, but one of WOW!house's overwhelming messages was that curves are definitively in. Whether it was in the repeated presence of architectural arches or the rounded and circular forms of furniture, curves contributed to the feeling of inviting, informal warmth. On the architectural side, we loved the curved alcoves and ambitious dome in the Drawing Room by Albion Nord and the scalloped niche that housed the bar in Elicyon's Lalique bar. Circular furniture formed an unusual centrepiece in a few rooms, such as the circular Japanese ofuro bathtub in the Samuel Heath Primary Bathroom by Rigby & Rigby and the circular sofa in Russell Sage's Nucleus Media Room.
What makes this trend particularly interesting is the way it challenges the notion that curves are only for decorative purposes. By using curves in architectural and furniture design, designers are creating spaces that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing. This trend suggests that curves are a powerful tool for creating a sense of fluidity and movement in a space.
5. Coffered ceilings
WOW!house is always an opportunity for designers to show off all the tricks of the trade, and decorated ceilings are one of our favourites. Why waste a wall when you only have a limited space to work with? Painted motifs, lacquered finishes, tented silk – there were endless ideas to steal here, but coffers – ceilings split into a grid with intersecting beams, were especially noticeable. The painted coffers (inspired by Korean folk art) in the Benjamin Moore Minwah Salon by Young Huh immediately drew the eye, as did the very deep coffers in the neighbouring Philip Jeffries Morning Room by Sara Cosgrove. Salvesen Graham went for a more traditional design, enhancing the coffers with discreet painted borders, while Henri Fitzwilliam-Lay created a highly dramatic look with backlit coffers, their squares filled with blocky mouldings by Ebanisteria Marelli.
What makes this trend particularly fascinating is the way it challenges the notion that ceilings are only for practical purposes. By using decorated ceilings, designers are creating spaces that are both visually stunning and architecturally interesting. This trend suggests that ceilings are a powerful tool for creating a sense of drama and sophistication in a space.
6. Fabric-wrapped walls
Fabric-wrapped walls are a surefire way to make a room feel more enveloping, their soft, textured surfaces creating a sense of retreat from the world outside. Designers ran with the idea this year, starting with the Garden Folly Room by Studio Enass, where the walls were upholstered in Phillip Jeffries' opulent 'Amalfi Silk'. The Studio Duggan Speakeasy Salon has walls in Black Edition's richly textured 'Miri' copper fabric, while Albion Nord's Drawing Room created a soothing atmosphere with linen on the walls. Max Rollitt's Dining Room, designed in collaboration with fabric house Schumacher, was a particularly escapist interior, lit by candles that made the terracotta damask-lined walls glow seductively.
What makes this trend particularly interesting is the way it challenges the notion that walls are only for structural purposes. By using fabric-wrapped walls, designers are creating spaces that are both visually stunning and tactilely engaging. This trend suggests that walls are a powerful tool for creating a sense of intimacy and comfort in a space.
7. The home bar as a proper room
There were no less than three dedicated bars within WOW!house this year, proving just how much of an object of desire the home bar is. First up was that showstopping Lalique bar by Elicyon, an almost literal jewel box where every surface showed off some exceptional craftsmanship, from Lalique's own crystal to Shamsian's amazing marquetry. Studio Duggan's Speakeasy Salon features an intimate concealed bar space, its deep plum interiors and curved banquettes making for an especially escapist feel. At the end of the WOW!house sequence, the Perennials and Sutherland Garden Terrace by Fettle Design also, delightfully, was rounded off by a curvy wooden bar. With its smart marble top and charming Murano lamps, it had us convinced that our gardens won't be complete without a built-in bar this summer.
What makes this trend particularly fascinating is the way it challenges the notion that the home bar is only for entertaining guests. By creating dedicated bar spaces that are both visually stunning and functional, designers are making the home bar a proper room in its own right. This trend suggests that the home bar is not just a place to drink, but a space that can be enjoyed and appreciated for its own sake.
