For years, the ultimate design aspiration was the show home. Spotless white walls. Matching cushions. Coffee table books positioned at exactly the right angle. Every room is pristine, polished and ready for inspection. But much like the beauty world has embraced skin texture over filters and individuality over perfection, interiors are undergoing a similar shift. Welcome to the end of the show home, by style director Louise Hilsz.
The most desirable homes in 2026 aren't perfect. They're personal. They're layered with colour, texture and character. They tell a story about the people who live in them rather than looking like they were styled for a property listing. And perhaps the biggest change of all? Homeowners are becoming braver with paint and wallpaper.
Colour Is Back
After years of safe greys and endless shades of white, we're seeing a return to richer, moodier palettes. Think olive greens, warm browns, deep burgundies, terracotta and buttery neutrals that create atmosphere rather than simply fading into the background. Rather than treating walls as blank canvases, designers are now using paint to define a room's mood.
Resene Olive Green paint, Resene Mission Brown paint, Resene Volcano paint and Resene Raging Bull paint available from Resene ColorShops.
Colour drenching — where walls, ceilings, trims and even doors are painted in the same tone — continues to gain momentum, creating spaces that feel cocooning, sophisticated and far more intentional than a standard white room. The result is a home that feels considered, inviting and deeply personal.
Wallpaper Is Having a Renaissance
Wallpaper is no longer reserved for powder rooms or feature walls. From oversized botanicals and subtle textures to nostalgic florals and contemporary stripes, wallpaper is becoming a key tool for adding personality and depth. Designers are increasingly embracing full-room applications, wrapping walls in pattern to create immersive spaces that feel collected rather than curated.
Resene Eldorado Wallpaper Collection 15502, Resene The Icon Edit – Black & White Wallpaper Collection 24531, Resene Florentine IV Wallpaper Collection 367553 and Resene Unify Wallpaper Collection E358060 available from Resene ColorShops.
A wallpapered dining room, bedroom, or study instantly introduces warmth and individuality that paint alone sometimes cannot achieve. Importantly, today's wallpaper isn't about making a statement for the sake of it. It's about creating a feeling. A room that feels cosy. A space that sparks conversation. A corner of the home that reflects your personality.
Character Over Perfection
The rise of paint and wallpaper reflects a broader shift in design. People are moving away from homes that look untouched and towards interiors that feel lived in. Vintage finds sit alongside contemporary furniture. Artwork doesn't have to match. Bookshelves are filled with actual books. Collections are displayed proudly.
The Interior Barn Hand Painted Vintage Sideboard, $1,499. Inka Art House Sardinas by Baroo Bloom print, from $50. Fausto Puglisi Casa Cavalli Home, $156. &k Amsterdam Perch Fish Plate 38cm, $83.
The New Luxury
The true luxury today isn't having a home that looks like everyone else's. It's creating one that couldn't belong to anyone else. Whether that's a colour-drenched library in oxblood red.
A bedroom wrapped in a romantic floral wallpaper, or simply a hallway painted in a shade that makes you smile every time you walk through it, the most stylish homes are embracing individuality.
The era of the show home is ending. And in its place is something far more interesting.
Layer this look in your home.