My 2026 Interior Design Forecast Formula: From Trends to Design Agility
Key Highlights
- Design agility beats rigid playbooks when disruption becomes the norm—and expectations keep rising.
- Treat forecasts as inputs, not answers: test ideas against real context before you commit.
- Quantify the experience: Pair data with what people say, feel, and do in a space.
- Build defensible strategies by linking insights to outcomes clients can understand and support.
Staff writer Lauren Brant and I recently attended a live virtual presentation in which ASID panelists provided an inside look at the annual Trends Outlook Report and then discussed the conclusions. Lauren’s news report focuses on high-level trends the ASID outlook uncovered, whereas here I’ll explore the wider industry message I took from that presentation, in conjunction with related research into the trajectory of the design profession and the built environment.
Leading into 2026, I’ve picked up on a “formula” for moving interior design forward:
Disruption plus rising expectations for the built environment—and the professionals who shape it—pushes the industry toward design agility over rigid frameworks: explore context, quantify experience, and build defensible strategies.
That’s a mouthful, isn’t it? Let’s break it down into parts for clarity.
First, identify the disruptions.
ASID marketing director Lindsey Koren observed during her introduction of the report and ASID CEO Khoi Vo’s opening remarks, “Designers are not operating in a vacuum. They are working inside a world that is being shaped by economic pressures, political polarization, climate stress, rapid technological change—all of which show up quite literally in the spaces that we occupy.”
Next, outline rising expectations and develop design agility.
ASID’s Khoi Vo and IIDA’s Cheryl Durst have both pointed to the evolving role of interior designers as strategic partners and advisors, with key expertise to offer further upstream in building projects.
Furthermore, in an I Hear Design podcast episode covering Gensler’s 2026 Design Forecast, co-CEOs Jordan Goldstein and Elizabeth Brink urged a shift in both client and designer mindsets to planning for change and long-term outcomes, as opposed to static building usage and “square footage optimization.”
Here’s what agility looks like in actionable terms.
Why “explore context”?
Because, in a nutshell, context makes a difference. In their remarks on ASID’s mega trends, Koren and Gensler Research Institute’s Nick Bryan emphasized that analyzing generational needs and values, economic factors, infrastructure demands, and environmental impacts yields essential information on how interior spaces should be responsibly designed to accommodate longevity, accessibility, well-being, and connection.
Is it possible to quantify experience?
Certainly! Brink and Goldstein offered examples of how internal training models and AI-enabled tools have improved designers’ ability to collect and analyze data on dwell time, emotional response, behavioral patterns, productivity, and more. By assessing that collected data and applying the necessary context through human insight (from clients, stakeholders, and designers), design teams are positioned to...
...Generate defensible design strategies!
See how I arrived at this?
Gensler’s emphasis on actionable data insights, ASID’s interpretation of dynamic market forces, and IIDA’s drive toward futurism clarifies the arc of the design profession. In 2026 and beyond, that arc strengthens by integrating empathy, creativity, research, and practice into placemaking that demonstrates clear value and improves the human experience.
About the Author
Carrie Meadows
Head of Content
Carrie Meadows is Head of Content for interiors+sources, where she leads editorial strategy, content development, and brand storytelling focused on the people, projects, and innovations shaping the design industry. With more than two decades of experience in B2B media, she has built a career connecting technical expertise with creative insight—translating complex topics into meaningful stories for professional audiences.
Before joining interiors+sources in 2024, Carrie served as Editor-in-Chief of LEDs Magazine within Endeavor Business Media’s Digital Infrastructure & Lighting Group, guiding coverage of emerging lighting technologies, sustainability, and human-centric design. Her earlier editorial experience spans across Laser Focus World, Vision Systems Design, Lightwave, and CleanRooms, where she managed print and digital publications serving the optics, photonics, and semiconductor sectors.
An advocate for clear communication and thoughtful storytelling, Carrie combines her editorial management, SEO, and content strategy expertise to help brands and readers stay informed in a rapidly evolving media landscape. When she’s not crafting content, Carrie can be found volunteering at a local animal shelter, diving into a good crime novel, or spending time outdoors with family, friends, and her favorite four-legged friends.