ASID’s 2026 Trends Outlook: Designing for Resilience, Dignity, and Long-Term Impact
At a Glance
- Design leadership is expanding, as interiors play a larger role in health, resilience, and long-term performance.
- Demographic shifts are reshaping housing, increasing demand for adaptable spaces that support dignity and independence.
- Maximalism returns with purpose, reflecting a desire for emotional connection, individuality, and richer material stories.
- AI raises new sustainability questions, pushing designers to balance innovation with energy literacy and material transparency.
As societal expectations around health, equity, sustainability, and performance continue to evolve, interior design is increasingly called upon to do more than respond—it must lead. The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) 2026 Trends Outlook Report frames the year ahead not as a moment of disruption, but as an opportunity for purposeful interior design to shape how people live, work, and connect over the long term.
“There has never been a more important time for design and designers to be in the position that they are to lead,” said Khoi Vo, chief executive officer at ASID. “With disruption comes change, and with change comes innovation. I think again that is all inherently in the design profession and within what our designers are trained and experienced to do, which is to really help their clients and their stakeholders navigate all of the changing waters around them.”
Get the Inside View
ASID members can download the 2026 Trends Outlook Report for free from ASID’s Resources Center. Non-members can access the report for a fee.
Grounded in research across wellness, lifestyle, technology, workforce dynamics, and the economy, the report underscores a clear shift: Clients are prioritizing outcomes over excess. Investment is moving toward interior environments that measurably support well-being, flexibility, and long-term value—elevating the role of interior designers as strategic partners in shaping healthier, more resilient spaces.
Fluid Living Arrangements
Demographic change is one of the most influential forces at play. As baby boomers rethink living arrangements through downsizing, co-living, and aging-in-place strategies, designers are increasingly tasked with creating interiors that balance independence, dignity, and connection. These evolving housing models reflect a broader demand for adaptability—spaces that can flex with life stages rather than segregate them.
“I think the common thread the report is getting at is adaptability,” said Nick Bryan, ASID affiliate and director of communications for the Gensler Research Institute. “We need to be able to evolve and support independence and really make people feel like a human at all stages of life.”
That adaptability is becoming critical as demand for living environments such as affordable multiresidential housing, senior living communities, and nursing/long-term care facilities grows to accommodate an expanding aging population with a range of needs.
Bringing Back Maximalism
Cultural expression is also reasserting itself. The return of maximalism signals more than an aesthetic shift; it reflects renewed confidence, individuality, and emotional connection in interior environments. For designers, this moment invites deeper exploration of color, materiality, and storytelling, which is anchored by intention rather than trend-chasing.
Balancing AI and Sustainability
At the same time, the ASID Trends Outlook highlights an emerging sustainability paradox. Technologies designed to optimize performance—from smart systems to AI-enabled tools—are increasing energy demand and placing strain on aging infrastructure. Interior designers are now essential translators between innovation and responsibility, integrating energy literacy, material transparency, and future load planning into everyday design decisions.
“Now more than ever, you’re hearing clients ask about air quality,” Vo said. “It’s putting more pressure on the designers to be more knowledgeable about this, but I look at this as an opportunity because I think our designers are already well equipped with this to educate the clients and their stakeholders in all of these things affecting their environment.”
Across residential, workplace, and institutional interiors, the message is consistent: Long-term thinking matters. By aligning design strategies with research, sustainability goals, and human outcomes, the ASID 2026 Trends Outlook positions interior designers as stewards of spaces that support both people and the planet—today and well into the future.
“I think it’s about being resilient in the face of compounding disruption, and it’s about really positioning the designer and design community to take the lead,” Vo said. “More than ever, I feel like all of the things that are going on are just again proof that the position that designers play is a vital one and now more than ever a necessary one.”
About the Author
Lauren Brant
Staff Writer, interiors+sources and BUILDINGS
Lauren Brant is Staff Writer for both interiors+sources and BUILDINGS. She is an award-winning editor and reporter whose work has appeared in daily and weekly newspapers. In 2020, the weekly newspaper won the Rhoades Family Weekly Print Sweepstakes—the division winner across the state's weekly newspapers. Lauren was also awarded the top feature photo across Class A papers. She holds a B.A. in journalism and media communications from Colorado State University-Fort Collins and a M.S. in organizational management from Chadron State College.