“High Point Market 2026: Trends, Secrets & What Every Interior Designer Needs to Know”

Hello everyone! Today's video is all about what 2026 trends I saw at High Point Market with safety. For the next few days, this little town completely transforms into the center of the design world. Designers, retailers, creators, and furniture companies from all over come together to share new ideas, spot upcoming trends, and honestly, just be inspired. One of my personal favorite things is looking at all the stunning displays that each vendor puts on in their showrooms. Most people think interior design is just picking out pretty things, but this, this is where the real work happens and I'm going to show you what designers are really looking for and what you need to know if you want to do this yourself. As we go through High Point Market, I'm not just going to show you beautiful furniture and the latest trends. At the end of this video, I also want to talk about what all of this actually means for your home, what ideas are worth paying attention to, what designers notice, and what things truly make a home feel beautiful, warm, and timeless. My overall take on High Point 2026, the focus was on making homes feel personal, layered, warm, and lived in, and honestly, that made me so happy because that is exactly how I feel homes should be. One of the biggest things I noticed walking through market this year was the return of color and honestly, after years and years of interiors centered around gray and muted palettes, it was so refreshing. If I had to pick one color that absolutely dominated market this year, it's the color green. It was everywhere, deep moody greens, softer sage tones. It was beautiful, but what I loved most was it still felt very livable and timeless and not trendy and green just has a way of making a home feel happy and warm and grounded. It's actually a way to feel connected to nature, which honestly, I think is why so many people are drawn to it right now. One thing I noticed over and over again at market was the shift for homes to feel more cozy, comfortable, and lived in. Furniture feels softer, rooms feel warmer, and everything just felt more inviting overall, and I love this because I think people are craving homes that feel restful, welcoming, and comfortable to actually live in. One thing that really stood out this year was the amount of texture and pattern being layered into spaces. After so many years of everything feeling very plain and minimal, rooms are starting to feel richer and more collected again. I saw textured fabrics, layered patterns, trend details, wallpaper, woven materials, all the little things that make a home feel interesting and full of personality. Wallpaper was definitely having a moment at market this year. I don't think I saw one showroom that wasn't showcasing some type of wallpaper. I saw beautiful murals, lots of traditional patterns, and large-scale prints. Grass cloth is back, and it's stunning. I was a little nervous about it coming back, but now that I see it, it's beautiful. The next trend I saw quite a bit of was scalloped details, mirrors, furniture, lighting, upholstery, and accessories. I saw it everywhere. One thing that always inspires me at market is seeing the innovative and creative furniture pieces that companies come up with. I love multifunctional pieces, hidden storage, any thoughtful details that make furniture not only beautiful, but smarter and more functional for everyday living. Learning how to think like a designer is a skill. It's a big part of what I teach inside my program, helping people understand not just how to decorate a room, but how to truly think like a designer. So if you're someone who has ever wanted to pursue interior design professionally, I will leave a link to my website where you can learn more about my interior design program and everything that's included. And I ran into one of my design students at market. It was so fun to see her navigating through market. What a delight. Take advantage of special speakers at market. I cannot stress this enough. I got to meet a delightful gentleman, John McClain of John McClain Designs, and I learned a lot. So let's bring this back to real life for a minute. You do not need a massive budget or a perfectly designed home to create a space that feels beautiful and welcoming. Sometimes a few intentional changes can make a bigger impact than people realize. So here are seven design takeaways that prove you don't have to spend a fortune to create a home that is warm and cozy. All right, takeaway number one is going to be lighting. I cannot speak about this one enough. Lighting changes everything. It's the easiest way to completely shift the mood and feeling of a space. Good lighting makes a room feel warmer, softer, cozier, and more welcoming. Takeaway number two is texture. Texture makes a home feel rich. Not expensive, but rich. Layering different finishes, fabrics, and natural elements will add depth and warmth to a space. All those layers are what make a home feel collected, cozy, and beautifully designed. Takeaway number three, the use of larger accessories and statement pieces. Bigger lamps, oversized artwork, larger floral arrangements, bigger pottery. These pieces tend to make a home feel more elevated and intentional. It is easy to add lots of small decor to fill a but often it can actually make a room feel cluttered instead of designed. Number four, cozy over perfect. People are drawn to homes that feel warm, comfortable, and lived in. Not overly styled or untouchable. A home should feel beautiful, but it should also feel like a people can truly relax and enjoy living in. Another takeaway from Market is that paint changes everything. And if you know me, you know I love to talk about paint, whether it's painting a room, changing a piece of furniture, because I believe it's one of the most impactful things you can do in a home without spending a fortune. One thing I saw a lot at Market this year was the use of antiques and vintage inspired pieces mixed into newer interiors. And I love this because antiques bring so much warmth, character, and personality into a home. They make a space feel collected over time instead of looking like everything came from a store all at once. When editing a room, there are usually three common problem areas that I see the most. First, too many accessories and photo frames. Too many small items can make a space feel cluttered instead of intentional. Second, too much furniture. Rooms need breathing room and removing even one piece can improve the flow dramatically. And third, too many competing colors and styles. Repeating tones, textures, and finishes helps a room feel more cohesive and pulled together. One of the things that will really help you edit a room is actually taking a photo of the room. Seeing your room through a picture gives you a completely different perspective and makes it much easier to spot what needs to be edited or simplified. Well again, thank you so much for watching and I hope you had some really good takeaways for your home. I'm going to see you in the next video. Take care.