What Are the
Home Decorating Trends This Year?  

February 19, 2026

I had the pleasure of meeting with our stager, Karen Durbin of Wildflowers Home Staging, to discuss the home decorating trends for 2026.  I was surprised to hear that the Pantone color of the year is actually a white—it is called dancing cloud white.  I like to talk with Karen regularly to find out what the current trends are.  This way I can share this information with clients if they are updating their home to try to get the most bang for their buck when they are selling or if they are just remodeling and want some guidance. For the purposes of this article, I am going to mostly talk in the context of remodeling to sell your home.

Let’s talk more about colors. When a buyer enters a house, we always want to make them feel like this is their home and help them to picture themselves in the home. That means we want to minimize distractions, like bright colored walls. At TK Homes, we always suggest white because it is clean looking and really freshens things up, so it is interesting that white is definitely “on trend” this year. Certain grays are out, but gray with brown undertones is in. Teal is in this year, but as more of an accent color. “Yummy” brown is also in. The idea is to keep things neutral in general.

If you are selling and need to replace your carpeting, a shorter pile multi-tone carpeting is the best way to go. The multi-tone (speckled) carpet is more durable and will hide stains better. If you are looking to purchase a mixed color carpet, Karen mentioned the colors gray, brown and cream. Although, more textured carpets are in, they are hard to clean, and they show dirt more easily. They work best in areas with not much traffic and with no pets. Shag on the other hand is definitely not in.

Wallpaper is back, which I can imagine makes some people cringe. I’ve spent many hours scraping off wallpaper and unintentionally redecorating the walls with gouges. It may be reassuring to know that wallpaper is easier to put up and take down nowadays. Both the textured and natural look are in when it comes to wallpaper.

If you are redoing your countertops, think natural. Countertops are more simplistic now— a basic granite without speckles, crazy patterns, not busy and without veins. Butcher’s block is also in. Marble is timeless, but it can chip, peel or stain quickly (marble tile in the shower works though). Choose countertops that age well—the simpler, the better.

Regarding flooring, hardwood is a timeless classic. It is definitely a splurge, but it will last forever. The current trend is warm brown, not yellow oak. LVP (luxury vinyl planking) with a wood or tile appearance works great for a quick upgrade, but there are a few pros and cons. The pros are it looks good, it’s less expensive than wood, and it’s waterproof. The cons are that it isn’t eco-friendly, it is difficult to repair, and it can be sensitive to temperature changes. Knowing that information will help you to make the right choice for your home. For example, if you’re doing new flooring to sell, the LVP might be your best bet versus spending the extra money on hardwood floors. However, if you’re upgrading your forever home, hardwood floors might be the better option.

If you want to do something quick and cheap (if you do it yourself), fresh paint is the way to go. Color drenching is the new thing. This means painting the ceiling, trim and walls all the same color. To make it look even nicer, you can use a different sheen on the ceiling, trim and walls, but of course, this may be more expensive. The idea is to make the room look bigger and more dramatic. So, no more—walls are a one color and the ceilings and trim are white. That’s definitely an old way of thinking in a designer’s eyes. Another way to update your home inexpensively is to bring in trends through easy accents like throw pillows, blankets, etc. Think of it like accenting your wardrobe with a belt or a jacket. Don’t make the mistake of chasing the trend.

The trend in 2026 is still earth tones and the idea of bringing the outside in. To sum it up, this year is a year of textures, layers, naturals and added jewel tones like purple, blue and green. Of course, these jewel tones are only meant to be accent colors in the room. Tuscan is also in—but it’s a bit different from the ’80s: lighter and airier.

At TK Homes, we stay current on design trends to help you make smart updates that maximize your return at closing. If you are interested in selling or buying a home in the Denver metro, contact a TK Homes agent today and let’s make your real estate goals a reality!

To learn more about Karen and her staging company, visit her website today!

~ Written by TK Homes REALTOR®, Mary Smith