Trending Interior Design Styles for 2026 (With Coordinating Handrail and Stair Designs)

On today’s blog, we’re going to look at trending interior design styles for 2026, and how to choose a modern railing style to match your home aesthetics.

Whether you’re fully transforming your home with a TikTok inspired home renovation, or you’re just doing some personalizing touches on a starter home, you’ll need to wade through the sea of information and inspiration online by way of Interior Design and Aesthetics.  Fortunately, thanks to the magic of the internet, we can find just about anything we want with a click of a button!  If you find that your search got a little too overwhelming and you’re looking for some guidance on how to narrow it down, we’ve got you covered1  

On today’s blog, we’ll get you on board with a small selection of the most popular design trends for 2026.  This way, you’ll be able to narrow down your options to the one that best suits your tastes and needs!  Plus, since it’s our specialty in carpentry, we will also share some of our suggestions on what indoor handrail and staircase styles go with that indoor home aesthetic. So, let’s get to exploring!

“Curated Maximalism”

First on our list is the curated maximalism trend.  This particular interior design aesthetic focuses on individuality with a focus on personal styortelling, where every piece in the home has an intention, meaning, and specific impact.  Refined maximalism trends focus on creating a luxurious, curated style that focuses on bold colors, whimsical and eclectic patterns, and layering modern and vintage items together for a space that honors the individual.  It is a departure from the minimalistic, clinical trend of all-white and greige interiors from recent years, and a welcome departure at that.  This audacious style celebrates a fully unique perspective in homeownership and a “lived-in” feel.  It focuses on enjoying the home you have now, and not designing for a future buyer, a concept we can truly get behind. Maximalism is a very charismatic form of design that is uniquely tailored to the homeowner and no two designs will be alike!  We love working with clients like this, as it always brings about fun material choices and unique finishes.

For a curated maximalism design, we’d recommend going with something custom with a lot of texture and ridges, as well as unique geometric panels in place of balusters. Generally the oval or square or even knot designs work well here.  Alternatively, a simplistic option like black metal bars and a Scandinavian style handrail can work wonders for those who love to change their maximalist textures frequently, but need something that “goes with anything” and remains timeless but doesn’t feel “boring and done before.”

Here are some suggested designs we’d offer a client with this type of interior style:

“Cozy Maxxing”

The Gen Z and Gen Alpha slang is making its way into the interior sphere slowly but surely.  The Cozy Maxxing interior design trend is all about transforming your home into a soft, calming space that makes you feel like sinking into rest and relaxation.  Trending options for this aesthetic include earthy tones, warm textures, soothing patterns, soft lighting, and even aromatherapy scents to create a mood.  The space is all about decorating with mindfulness and self-care in mind, for a home that is not just to exist in but to live in and get lost in.  Creamy neutrals, soft greens, warm taupe, earthy reds and oranges are all the perfect palette for a “cozy maxxing” home.  Selecting textural elements like natural fabrics of linen, hand knits, chunky wool, fringed items, embroidery, and even handwoven baskets and natural rattan or wicker furniture would be ideal.  You’ll notice these homes focus on soft lighting, so a bright and airy staircase with open risers and simple baluster design would invite more light into generally dark areas of the home.  This design ethos also involves less glossy and overwhelming finsihings and a focus on softer, more organic textures such as natural stained woods, matte and satin finishes, warm toned wood furniture, and deep autumnal and winter colors.

Here are some suggestions we’d make for indoor handrails and stairs for this type of interior style:

“Mid Century Modern + Folk Combo”

Mid century modern and Folk styles might seem a little contradictory, but hear us out!  By blending the traditional elements of Folk, which focus on handmade pieces with a story, warmth and comfort blended with handmade heritage, rich textures, and earthy palettes into the Mid Century home is actually quite a brilliant idea.  Mid Century Modern is a perfect counterpart as it also focuses on organic shapes, earthy palettes, and blending modern living with functional design.  The juxtaposition of manmade materials with the pop of richness of natural wood and ornamental decor creates clean design with character!  For those folks looking to jazz up your Mid Century Modern homes with a bit of coziness and more personalized, hand crafted elements, this is the vibe for you.  With just a few accent pieces in the main rooms of your home, you can add a lot of visual interest and unusual collectibles.  It creates a visually striking but soft, welcoming environment.  Adding a hand painted mural, handmade tapestry on the wall, cozy woven blanket to the MCM bed, punch up the paint color to something slightly more saturated in the same MCM color family, etc.  It’s a lovely way to bring in two different vintage styles for a truly eclectic, personalized home.

Here are some suggestions we’d make for indoor handrails and stairs for this type of interior style:

No matter what your home or business’s interior style, Pinto Carpentry can help you find the indoor handrails and custom stairs of your dreams!  We work in a variety of styles and materials to suit just about every aesthetic. With availability for both residential and commercial projects, we’ve got a flexible skillset to get the job done.  Our expert staff and master carpenters have more than two decades of industry experience, so you know you’re getting reputable, trustworthy service and workmanship that will stand the test of time.  

Give us a call at 908-922-1778 and our admin staff will get you set up with an appointment for a consultation and create a customized, personalized estimate for your project. Not sure what materials or inspiration you’re looking for with your project?  No problem! We’ve got a full portfolio of images on our website and social media to help you narrow it down. And of course, feel free to ask our staff for suggestions on materials and styles that may suit your needs.  All of us here at Pinto Carpentry look forward to working with you!