The luxury home of 2026 looks meaningfully different than the luxury home of 2020. Cool gray modernism is over. Stark all-white kitchens are over. The carbon-copy “modern farmhouse” that defined the late 2010s is, if not over, deeply mature. In its place is a softer, warmer, more wellness-oriented, more deeply considered version of luxury — one that prioritizes feel over photograph, longevity over trend, and integration of design, build, and lifestyle over a la carte purchasing.
As an integrated design-build family that runs both a luxury custom home builder (Ashtin Group UT) and a home decor and interior design studio (Designly Done) in Utah County, Utah, we are designing and building these trends in real time across the Wasatch Front. The trends below are not abstract predictions pulled from a New York shelter magazine. They are what our clients in Provo, Lehi, Alpine, Saratoga Springs, Mapleton, and across Utah County are actually asking for in 2026 — and what we are building, sourcing, and styling on active projects this year.
Here is what is shaping luxury custom home building in 2026.
The Big Story: Warmth, Wellness, and Longevity
Before we get into specific trends, the broader narrative is worth naming. Luxury homeowners in 2026 are designing for three things: warmth, wellness, and longevity. Warmth has replaced the cool restraint that defined the previous decade. Wellness has expanded from a primary bath upgrade to an entire wing of the home. Longevity — both in materials and in lifestyle — has become a quiet rebellion against the disposable, trend-driven homes of the past.
The result is a luxury home that feels older than it is, healthier than it looks, and more personal than the catalog homes of the previous era. Every trend below is, in some way, a downstream consequence of that bigger shift.
Architecture Trends Defining 2026 Luxury Custom Homes
1. Soft Modernism and Curved Architecture
The hard-edged modern home of the 2010s has softened. Arched doorways, curved hallways, vaulted niches, and rounded archways are showing up in new builds at every price point in Utah County. Cathedral ceilings with exposed timber beams remain strong, but the silhouette is gentler. Square windows give way to arched ones. Sharp corners give way to plaster-rounded transitions. The home feels handcrafted, not machined.
We are designing more curves at Ashtin Group UT in 2026 than at any point in the last decade. A curved entry vestibule. A rounded kitchen island. An arched primary bathroom doorway. The curves are not decorative — they are structural, sculptural, and felt the moment you walk through the home.
2. Mountain Modern, Mature
The Wasatch Front version of luxury — what we call mountain modern — has matured beyond its early signature of dark steel, big timber, and floor-to-ceiling glass. The 2026 evolution layers in warmer plaster walls, hand-troweled finishes, limewashed exteriors, mixed-metal hardware, and softer interior palettes. The drama of the mountain backdrop is still the architectural anchor, but the home around it feels lived-in rather than freshly-installed.
3. Indoor-Outdoor Living That Actually Works in Winter
Luxury homes in Utah have always wanted indoor-outdoor flow. In 2026, the technology has finally caught up to the lifestyle. Sliding pocket doors that span 20 to 40 feet, motorized retractable glass walls, fully insulated and weatherized outdoor rooms with overhead heaters and motorized screens, and dual-zone HVAC systems that hold conditioned air at the threshold all make four-season indoor-outdoor living realistic in a climate with hard winters.
We are specifying NanaWall, LaCantina, and custom European pocket-door systems on most luxury builds in 2026.
4. Wellness Wings
The most common addition to luxury custom home plans in 2026 is a dedicated wellness wing — typically off the primary suite or the lower level — that bundles infrared sauna, cold plunge, steam shower, massage room, dedicated yoga/Pilates space, and recovery area. Five years ago this was a single oversized shower with a built-in bench. Today it is an entire room program, often 600 to 1,200 square feet of dedicated space, with its own HVAC zone and water management.
For Utah County clients specifically, the wellness wing is one of the most-requested additions to new builds, often with views toward the mountains for outdoor sightlines from the cold plunge and sauna.
5. Sculptural Stairs
The staircase has reclaimed its status as a primary architectural element. Sculptural staircases — floating treads, curved monorails, exposed steel stringers wrapped in white oak, plaster-clad spirals — are anchoring entry sequences in luxury homes throughout the region. The trend is part architecture, part art, and unmistakable from the curb.
6. Multigenerational and Dual-Primary Floor Plans
A growing percentage of luxury custom home clients are designing multigenerational layouts: a fully independent main-floor suite for aging parents or extended family, often with kitchenette, living area, dedicated entry, and accessibility features. Dual-primary plans — two equivalent primary suites on the main floor — are also up sharply, often driven by clients hosting frequent extended-stay guests or planning around shifting family structures over time.
Interior Design Trends Defining 2026
7. Warm, Earthy Palettes — Mushroom, Sand, Terracotta, Sage
The all-white interior is over. The cool gray interior is over. The 2026 luxury palette is built around mushroom browns, soft sands, warm terracottas, muted sages, deep clays, and the occasional moody plum or aubergine accent. Walls are often plaster or limewash rather than flat paint, adding texture and depth that flat paint cannot replicate.
We are specifying these warm tones across nearly every new project at Designly Done, from primary bedrooms in muted clay to great rooms in soft mushroom to powder rooms wrapped in deep aubergine plaster. The cool kitchens of the last decade are being replaced with warm, almost hospitality-inspired spaces that feel like restaurants and boutique hotels rather than appliance showrooms.
8. Plaster, Limewash, and Hand-Troweled Walls
Flat painted drywall is the budget option now, not the luxury one. Hand-troweled plaster, Roman clay, and limewashed walls are taking over luxury interiors. The materials add depth, light play, and a tactile imperfection that flat paint cannot achieve. They also age beautifully, developing patina over years instead of looking dated.
We are using Portola Paints, Bauwerk, Pure & Original, and select custom plaster artisans on most luxury projects in 2026. The texture is the design.
9. Reeded, Fluted, and Channeled Millwork
Reeded glass, fluted wood paneling, channeled cabinetry doors, and grooved stone profiles are everywhere in 2026 luxury interiors. The texture adds interest without color, light play without ornament, and a tactile sophistication that flat surfaces cannot match. We are designing reeded primary suite walls, fluted kitchen islands, and channeled bar fronts on most active projects.
10. Unlacquered Brass That Lives and Patinas
The brass moment is not over — it has matured. Polished bright brass has given way to unlacquered, living brass that patinas over time, developing the warm bronze tone that lacquered finishes can only imitate. We are specifying unlacquered brass plumbing, hardware, and lighting from brands like Waterworks, deVOL, and select custom forges.
11. Statement Stone
Calacatta Viola, Taj Mahal quartzite, Breccia Capraia, Fior di Pesco, Verde Alpi, and other dramatic veined stones have replaced the safer Carrara and Calacatta selections of the last decade. Luxury homes in 2026 are using stone the way previous generations used wallpaper — as a primary expressive surface. A single book-matched primary bath in Calacatta Viola makes a stronger design statement than an entire room of decorator pieces.
12. Vintage, Antique, and One-of-a-Kind Layering
Pure new construction is over. Luxury homes in 2026 mix new, custom, and vintage in nearly every room. A vintage Persian rug under a custom sofa. An antique European dining table in a brand-new kitchen. A reclaimed Belgian mantel in a new fireplace surround. A 1950s Italian chandelier in a modern dining room. The mix is what makes a brand-new home feel like a real home.
This is one of the central reasons Designly Done curates vintage and antique pieces alongside our wholesale and custom sourcing at our Provo storefront. The mix is the model.
13. Bouclé Is Out — Sherpa, Mohair, and Honest Wovens Are In
The bouclé saturation of 2022 to 2024 has cooled. Mohair, sherpa, channeled velvet, heavy chenille, hand-loomed wools, and honest natural-fiber upholstery are taking its place. The textures are warmer, more enduring, and feel more grounded in a soft modern aesthetic.
14. Maximalism, Curated
The minimalist interior — beautiful, restrained, photogenic — has given way to a more layered, art-rich, accessory-dense approach. But this is not 1990s maximalism. It is curated maximalism: more art, more books, more objects, more texture, all of it intentional and edited. Open shelves styled with three-dimensional vignettes. Walls layered with art salons. Coffee tables stacked with books and small sculptures. The result is a room that gives the eye something to discover for years.
Wellness and Lifestyle Trends Defining the 2026 Luxury Home
15. Cold Plunge, Sauna, and Recovery Spaces
The cold plunge has gone from biohacker novelty to standard luxury inclusion. We are installing cold plunges in most wellness wings in 2026, paired with infrared sauna, steam shower, and dedicated recovery space. The trend is downstream of years of research and lifestyle adoption, and the equipment has matured to the point where built-in installations look like integrated architecture, not garage-conversion afterthoughts.
16. Scullery Kitchens and Coffee Bars
The two most-requested kitchen-adjacent spaces in 2026 are scullery kitchens (also called second kitchens or prep kitchens) and dedicated coffee bars. The scullery handles daily mess, holiday prep, secondary appliances, and dishwashing so the primary kitchen stays photograph-ready. The coffee bar — often built into a butler’s pantry or a dedicated nook — hosts espresso machines, drip coffee equipment, and the entire coffee ritual without taking up primary counter space.
17. Dog Washing Stations and Lifestyle Mudrooms
The mudroom has expanded. Built-in dog washing stations, full lockers per family member, dedicated drop zones, in-mudroom laundry, and even small lifestyle features like a charging hub and packing station are showing up in luxury builds throughout Utah County. The mudroom is not an entry — it is a small command center for daily life.
18. Home Offices That Feel Like Libraries
The post-2020 home office continues to evolve. In 2026, the luxury home office reads as a library: bookshelves wall-to-wall, soft sconces, hand-troweled walls, deeper colors, a substantial desk, and acoustic considerations for video calls. The aesthetic is borrowed from boutique hotel libraries and member’s clubs.
19. Wine Rooms
Glass-walled, climate-controlled wine rooms are appearing in more new builds than at any point in the past decade. Many are installed off the dining room or great room as visual focal points, with cable racking systems that make the bottles part of the architecture.
Sustainability and Tech Trends Defining 2026
20. Heat Pumps and Geothermal HVAC
High-efficiency heat pumps and geothermal HVAC systems are increasingly specified on luxury custom homes in Utah County in 2026. The energy savings, the indoor air quality, and the long-term operational economics all favor modern systems over traditional gas-and-AC. On a 6,000+ square-foot home, the operational difference over twenty years is meaningful.
21. Whole-Home Automation and Lighting Control
Lutron, Crestron, and Control4 systems remain the default for whole-home automation. The shift in 2026 is toward more integrated lighting scenes, more shade automation (including motorized drapery), and tighter integration with security and climate. The interface is also evolving — voice and app-based control rather than wall-mounted keypads, though physical control still anchors most installations.
22. Solar + Battery Storage
Rooftop solar plus home battery backup is now common on luxury new builds, especially as Utah utility costs continue to climb. Architectural integration matters — solar arrays are increasingly designed into roof planes from the architectural phase rather than added on top of a finished roof.
23. EV Charging Infrastructure
Most luxury new builds in 2026 include multiple EV chargers, often two to four, with electrical capacity for additional future ports. Charger location, brand selection, and integration with home energy management are now standard pre-construction conversations.
24. Air and Water Quality Systems
Whole-home water filtration, water softening, point-of-use reverse osmosis at the kitchen, and HEPA-grade whole-home air filtration are standard inclusions on luxury builds in 2026. The wellness conversation has expanded from “what we install” to “what comes through the walls and the taps.”
Outdoor Living Trends Defining 2026
25. Outdoor Kitchens with Pizza Ovens and Smokers
Outdoor cooking has moved beyond the standard grill island. Built-in pizza ovens, dedicated smoker enclosures, full sinks, refrigeration, and prep counters are showing up in most luxury outdoor kitchens we build in 2026. The outdoor kitchen is hosting dinners, not just barbecues.
26. Bocce, Pickleball, and Sport Courts
Backyard sport courts are surging. Pickleball is the most common, with bocce courts as a close second. On larger lots, full sport courts, putting greens, and basketball half-courts are common inclusions.
27. Native, Xeric Landscaping
Utah’s climate and water conversation has finally caught up to landscape design. Xeric, native, low-water landscaping using rabbit brush, sagebrush, native grasses, ornamental alliums, and selected drought-tolerant trees is taking over from the irrigated lawn that dominated previous luxury builds.
28. Fire Features
Built-in fire pits, gas fire bowls, and dramatic outdoor fireplaces remain a defining outdoor feature on luxury builds, often integrated with seating walls, lounge sectionals, and overhead structures to extend the outdoor season into shoulder months.
What Is Fading in 2026
Just as important as what is rising is what is fading. The trends quietly leaving the luxury home in 2026 include cool gray paint palettes, all-white kitchens, modern farmhouse exterior detailing, shiplap on every wall, barn doors as a primary architectural element, bright polished chrome, single-finish kitchens, builder-grade brass that yellows but does not patina, mass-produced bouclé everything, and the carbon-copy designer Instagram look that defined the late 2010s.
None of these are bad in moderation. All of them have aged faster than their proponents expected.
Utah County–Specific Trend Notes
A few notes for clients building specifically in Utah County in 2026. The mountain backdrop is increasingly the architectural anchor of luxury builds, with floor plans rotated and window placements specified to maximize peak and ridge views. Warmer earth-tone exteriors (limewash, plaster, warm wood siding) are replacing the cool steel-and-stucco palette of recent years and read beautifully against Utah’s high desert landscape. Wellness wings are particularly strong here, where outdoor adventure, ski culture, and biohacker influence have all converged. Multigenerational floor plans are common in our larger Utah County builds, reflecting both family structure and regional population dynamics. And outdoor living is being extended seasonally — heated patios, covered outdoor kitchens, four-season courtyards — to make the most of a region with dramatic seasonal light but real winters.
How to Apply 2026 Trends Without Building a Time Capsule
The smartest way to incorporate 2026 trends is to use them where they reinforce permanent design principles, not as a costume the home wears. Warm earth tones are not a trend so much as a return to materials that have always read as livable and human. Curves are a 5,000-year-old architectural language. Mixed metals, vintage layering, and natural materials are the constants behind every luxury era.
When clients ask us how to “make it timeless,” our answer at Designly Done is always the same: build with materials and proportions that have looked good for a century and will look good for another century. Use the surface-level trends (specific tile selections, specific paint colors, specific accessories) lightly enough that they can evolve. Build the bones — the architecture, the millwork, the stone, the plaster, the floor plan — for the long haul.
A great 2026 luxury home is one that, ten years from now, still feels current — not because trends did not change, but because the home was built on what does not.
Frequently Asked Questions
The defining luxury home trends for 2026 are warm, earthy color palettes (mushroom, sand, terracotta, sage), curved and soft modern architecture, wellness wings (cold plunge, sauna, recovery space), plaster and limewash walls, reeded and fluted millwork, statement veined stone, multigenerational floor plans, indoor-outdoor living systems that work in winter, and mixed-metal hardware with unlacquered, living brass. Sustainability and tech trends include heat pumps, geothermal HVAC, whole-home automation, solar + battery, and built-in EV charging.
Modern farmhouse has matured and largely faded as a primary luxury aesthetic in 2026. The signature elements — shiplap walls, barn doors, all-white interiors, board-and-batten exteriors — have aged faster than expected. The 2026 successor is a softer, warmer take that retains the comfort of farmhouse without the visual shorthand. Limewashed exteriors, plaster interiors, hand-troweled finishes, and earthy palettes deliver the warmth without the formula.
The most-requested features on Utah County luxury custom homes in 2026 include wellness wings with cold plunge and sauna, scullery kitchens, dedicated coffee bars, mudrooms with dog washing stations, sport courts (pickleball is dominant), four-season outdoor living spaces, dramatic indoor-outdoor pocket-door systems, and multigenerational suites. Architecturally, mountain modern continues to evolve with warmer materials, plaster finishes, and curved elements that read softer than the early 2020s version. At Ashtin Group UT, these are the conversations on nearly every active build.
The 2026 luxury palette is built around warm, earthy tones — mushroom browns, soft sands, terracotta, muted sage, deep clay, and occasional moody plum or aubergine accents. Plaster and limewash finishes add depth and texture beyond what flat paint can deliver. The cool gray-and-white palette that dominated the 2010s has largely been replaced.
A wellness wing is a dedicated room program in a luxury home — typically 600 to 1,200 square feet — bundling infrared sauna, cold plunge, steam shower, massage or treatment room, dedicated yoga or Pilates space, and recovery area. It is one of the most-requested luxury home features in 2026, often located off the primary suite or lower level with its own HVAC zone, water management, and views to the outdoors.
All-white kitchens are no longer the dominant luxury direction in 2026. Warm, earthy kitchens — natural wood cabinetry, plaster hoods, dramatic veined stone, unlacquered brass hardware, and warmer wall colors — have largely replaced them. White cabinetry still appears, but as part of a layered palette rather than as a defining single-finish look. Our active projects at Designly Done almost universally lean warmer, deeper, and more layered than the white kitchens of the previous decade.
Ready to Elevate Your Home? Start Here.
Trends matter less than fundamentals — but the right trends, applied thoughtfully, can give your home the warmth, longevity, and personal character that define luxury in 2026. Whether you are building a custom home from the ground up or styling a single room, the Kuhni family of brands can help you build something that feels timeless from the day you move in.
Designly Done — Utah County’s Luxury Home Decor Store & Design Center | designlydone.com Ashtin Group UT — Utah County’s Luxury Custom Home Builder | ashtingrouput.com
Building and designing extraordinary homes across Provo, Orem, Lehi, Saratoga Springs, Eagle Mountain, Springville, Spanish Fork, Mapleton, Payson, and all of Utah County, Utah.
About the Founders Ashley and Justin Kuhni are the founders of Designly Done (luxury home decor store and full-service interior design center) and Ashtin Group UT (luxury custom home builder serving the Wasatch Front). Together they lead an integrated design-build team dedicated to creating and furnishing extraordinary homes throughout Utah County.
