When Detail Speaks: A Reflection on Decorex + What’s Trending for 2026
Detail, texture, and handmade materials took centre stage at Decorex this year. The result? A move toward interiors rich in craftsmanship, colour, and emotion… spaces designed not just to be seen, but to be felt.
This year Decorex moved beyond decoration, embracing tactile materials, honesty, and emotional resonance. From sculptural lighting to grounded colour palettes and richly tactile surfaces, the fair signalled a clear direction for 2026: interiors with depth, narrative, and soul.
Key takeaways from this years showcase:
1. Craft & the Human Hand Return to Centre Stage
One of the standout features of Decorex 2025 was the live showcase of artisans weaving, carving, and firing pieces, bringing the tactile, imperfect, and deeply human side of design to life. It reflects a broader movement: luxury is shifting from polished perfection to provenance, where every seam, join, and brushstroke tells a story. Heritage, narrative, and craftsmanship are being celebrated like never before—and we couldn’t be more excited.
2. Tactile Richness & Material Layering
Designer showcasing were layering texture, mixing velvets with raw linen, plaster with oxidised metals, carved wood with sculptural resin, to create visual depth and sensory tension. It’s a pushback against slick minimalism, and a reminder that touch is as important as sight.
3. Heritage, Reimagined
Decorex 2025 was leaning into craft traditions like marquetry, weaving, metalwork, but with a twist: reinterpretation rather than replication. Natasha Mann, the show’s creative collaborator, wove together geometric motifs, florals, and gilded delicacy in the show branding itself, signalling that tradition and futurism can cohabit.
4. Colour, Confidence & Earthy Depths
Gone (or at least fading) are the days of “safe greys.” At Decorex, I noticed a return to rich, grounded palettes: terracotta, ochre, clay-red, muted greens across furniture, textiles, and even architectural elements. Standout brands displayed coloured patterns, boldly coloured basins, and tinted bath surfaces, affirming that even in functional zones, colour is no longer off-limits.
5. Lighting as Sculpture
Pieces that are more object than fixture were everywhere. Think dramatic pendants, link-chain alabaster forms, free-blown glass shapes, undulating metal ribbons. Big statement lighting is having a moment and I think it might be here for a while.
6. Biophilic & Emotional Textures
Organic shapes, natural materials, shifting greens, and a sense of “space that breathes” were central narratives. Trends seem to be leaning into interiors that narrate stories of place, memory, and identity, no longer generic shells and slick surfaces but emotional landscapes with imperfections to celebrate.
What’s Trending for 2026 (and Why It Matters)
Richer and Deeper Colour Directions
After years of restraint, the pendulum is swinging toward bold yet earthy tones. Muddied & Muted Palettes such as rich reds, warm browns, dusky pinks, combined with soft greens, blending beautifully with both vibrant palettes and muted pastels. These shades offer warmth and drama without the harshness of primary pigments. We won’t abandon colour, but the trend is toward desaturation, tones softened with grey, earth, or neutral undertones. Interiors will lean expressive but composed.
Sculptural Furniture, Bulky Silhouettes & the Return of Skirting
Curves, softness, and voluminous forms dominated Decorex, signaling a shift toward comfort and tactility. Generously scaled sofas, enveloping chairs, and statement-on-statement layering created an atmosphere of warmth and ease. Complementing these sculptural silhouettes was the revival of skirted furniture, tables and consoles dressed in tailored linens and flowing fabrics. This return to skirting added movement and texture, softening modern lines and blending nostalgia with contemporary design.
Statement Lighting & Marble Moments
Lighting took on a sculptural presence - think oversized pendants, bold geometric forms, and luminous installations that blurred the line between art and function. Statement lights are set to define interiors in 2026, with designers embracing exaggerated scale, warm metallics, textured materials and diffused glows to create atmosphere and drama. Alongside them, marble continues its reign, evolving beyond countertops into furniture, lighting bases, tiles and decorative accents. From richly veined slabs to subtle tonal varieties, this timeless material added both luxury and grounding weight to contemporary spaces.
Craft, Artistry & Natural Refinement
At Decorex, craftsmanship took center stage, celebrating the human touch in every detail. Sustainability is no longer a trend but a guiding principle, expressed through responsibly sourced woods, biomaterials, artisan ceramics, and finishes that let natural texture shine. This appreciation for the handmade extended to surfaces and flooring, where illustrative rugs, hand-painted tiles, and painterly brushstroke motifs turned functional elements into works of art. It’s a movement that blends authenticity with refinement, where material honesty and artistic expression meet in perfect balance.
To get your ticket for next years showcase, visit the Decorex site here.
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