Design trends
Each month, DNN Editor in Chief Courtney Porter curates five developments shaping the design industry, from international fairs and technology launches to regional shifts and standout interiors. The January 2026 edition spans Paris Design Week’s most compelling products, CES’s evolving relationship between technology and the home, and a sober assessment of California’s wildfire rebuild one year later, reframed through global philosophies of resilience and impermanence.
This month’s briefing also considers Dallas’ potential rise as a year-round design destination and closes with a close reading of Sheldon Harte’s refined desert interiors, which signal an evolution of Palm Springs style without erasing its past. Together, these selections map a creative landscape defined by nostalgia, adaptation and the search for durable cultural meaning in a period of ecological and economic pressure.
From richly textured hand-knotted wools to high-performance outdoor designs, these 10 new rugs prove that the floor can be the most expressive surface in the room. Discover standout introductions that pair thoughtful materials with compelling stories, offering interior designers fresh ways to ground a space.
Design Network News Editor in Chief Courtney Porter steps back from the month-to-month churn to identify the five themes that defined the design conversation in late 2025 — and will shape how interiors, furnishings and materials evolve in 2026. From indoor-outdoor performance luxury and contemporary chintz to nervous-system-driven spaces, collectible design as cultural R&D and the industry’s most credible experiments with AI, this quarterly briefing captures where taste, technology and client expectations are heading next.
The internet overrides Pantone’s 2026 color of the year and paint companies name their picks instead
The internet had a field day with this year’s selection: Criticisms range from calling the COTY pick boring to tone deaf. One viral meme renamed the shade “landlord” white, and Threads users banded together to override the decision entirely.
Comprised of data generated from a survey completed by nearly 700 industry experts, including designers, manufacturers, remodelers, architects, and more, the report provides a comprehensive look into current and upcoming trends in residential baths that will have the biggest impact in 2026 and beyond.




