The Biggest Trend I'm Seeing for 2027 (And It Isn't a Colour)

Trends · 6 minute read

The perfectly staged, everything matches home is on its way out. Here's why that's the best news I've read all year, and a little starter kit for building a home you love.

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Every autumn the trend forecasts land, and every autumn I read them with a cup of tea and a slightly raised eyebrow. Brown is in, pink is in, purple is in. Pantry doors are in, pantry doors are out. The trends are endless, and that's kind of the point. It's an endless cycle that keeps us buying new and buying more.

But this year I'm really pleased to say something a little bit different keeps popping up. Reading my usual go to's, Homes & Gardens, Livingetc and Ideal Home, the same message keeps coming through. The perfectly staged, everything matches home is on its way out, and character, comfort and the lived-in look are in.

For someone who bangs on about buying less, buying quality and not changing your decor every two seconds, this is a dream come true!

We're all starting to look the same

We see so many people's homes online now. Scroll for five minutes and you'll see the same sofa, the same lamp and the same shade of oatmeal on the walls, all styled in exactly the same way. There's nothing wrong with that, and if it's what you love then go for it.

But I do think it's making a lot of people scared to experiment. Scared to try something new in case it doesn't look "right". We want our homes to look like everyone else's because that's what looks aesthetic on social media, and if your home looks aesthetic, your life looks aesthetic too.

The homes I find the most beautiful are the complete opposite. They're full of personality, books everywhere, a bit of clutter and things with stories behind them. Homes that are lived in and loved, not styled for a photo.

Give yourself permission to do the opposite

So this is my little plea to you. Stop copying everyone online and build a home that you love.

Go with the aubergine you fell for on the paint chart. Keep your nan's slightly wonky side table. Hang the odd little painting from the car boot because it made you smile. Experiment, have fun, get it wrong and paint over it!

Your home doesn't need to look like anyone else's on Instagram. It just needs to feel like yours.

My home is one big experiment

When we bought our 1912 Edwardian house, built in the Arts and Crafts style, I could have played it safe. Plenty of people told me to think about resale, that dark colours would make it feel small, and that I might want to calm down on the pattern.

I didn't listen. (Well, mostly. There were a few wobbles at 2am.)

So we've got dark walls, opened up fireplaces, reclaimed floorboards, a solid wood kitchen, and a ceiling in the boys' bedroom painted like the night sky with little gold stars. It's a bit whimsical, a bit Harry Potter, and none of it came from a trend report. It came from working out what made us happy and being brave enough to go for it.

How to give yourself permission (a little starter kit)

1. Look at what you already love. The jumper you've had for years, your favourite mug, the painting you'd grab in a fire. The colours that keep turning up are your palette, and they've been hiding in plain sight.
2. Stop saving the same rooms as everyone else. If every room you save looks identical, you'll end up with that room too. Close the app for a bit and walk round your own house instead.
3. Start with one small room. A downstairs loo, a hallway or a reading corner. Low risk, high reward, and if you hate it, it's one tin of paint to change.
4. Keep the things with stories. Secondhand finds, family pieces, odd bits from holidays. They're what make a house feel like yours and not a showroom.
5. Buy less, but better. Before you buy something new, ask yourself if you'll still love it in ten years. If not, leave it in the basket.
6. Let it evolve. A home that feels finished on day one usually feels a bit flat by year two. Leave room for it to grow with you.

I still love a trend report

I'm not saying ignore the trends completely. I love reading them! I just use them as a menu rather than a set of instructions. Take the bits that make your heart skip and leave the rest on the plate.

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Tell me the one thing in your home you'd never part with, no matter what anyone online says 🖤

Alana MillerInterior designer since 2008, founder of Delve Interiors and lover of dark walls, old things and buying less but better.