5 'Anti-Resolutions' for Your 2026 Home Projects — Stop Doing These From Now If You Want a Home That's Better (and More Stylish) to Live in

At the start of the new year, we promise ourselves the same things: this will be the year we finally renovate the kitchen, update the lighting, or make our home one step closer to being 'done.' And yet, by December, many of us are still living with the same half-finished projects, impulse buys, and new editions to a never-ending list.

The issue isn’t a lack of intention — it’s the way we frame our intentions in the first place. Most home resolutions are built around interior design trends, adding new furniture, new paint, and new decor. If your home never quite feels finished or functional, it’s rarely because you didn’t do enough. More often, it’s because you’ve been repeating the same habits that quietly undermine it — moving things from one room to another, hiding mess instead of sorting through it, and prioritising aesthetics over practicality.

So for 2026, let’s try something new. Instead of setting out-of-reach goals you’ll abandon by spring, consider adopting anti-resolutions: the design habits to stop, quit, or fundamentally rethink. They’re not headline-grabbing or trend-driven, but they are far more powerful. Because sometimes, the fastest way to improve your home isn’t by doing more — it’s by knowing exactly what to stop doing, which you can start today.

1. Stop Designing for Trends, Not Daily Life

Trends are seductive. They give you a false promise of instant relevance and Instagram approval. But chasing them too closely is one of the fastest ways to end up with a home that falls out of style as quickly as it went into, or worse, impractical within a year.

If you work from home but prioritize a sculptural dining table you barely use, the problem isn’t taste — it’s misalignment. Your home should support how you actually live, not the version of life you aspire to photograph.

In 2026, stop asking, "What’s in?" and start asking, "What do I need this space to do?" The best design ideas are personal to you, shaped by your routines and habits. Trends can still play a role — but as accents, not as the foundations for every room.

2. Stop Treating Lighting as an Afterthought

When working on a renovation or home project, lighting is often the last thing considered. After months obsessing over paint colours, finishes, and furniture, lighting becomes reduced something chosen under pressure thats "fine" or "will do for now." And yet, planning your home lighting scheme has a greater impact on how a space feels than almost any other design decision.

The good news is that the solution isn’t expensive or complicated. It’s layered lighting — a concept interior designers regularly implement, but homeowners often overlook.

In 2026, start thinking about lighting in zones. Ambient lighting provides a soft overall glow, task lighting supports how you actually use the space (reading, cooking, working), and accent lighting adds warmth and depth. Table lamps on sideboards, wall lights beside beds, floor lamps tucked into corners — following these small lighting rules transform how a room feels without requiring excessive rewiring or renovation.

3. Stop Impulse Buying Furniture Without a Long-Term Plan

Impulse furniture purchases are one of the most common (and costly) home mistakes. That armchair that you bought because it was "on sale" or the sideboard that almost fits often works in theory, but not quite in reality.

The root of the problem is timing. Furniture decisions are frequently made in moments of excitement or urgency — inspired by a sale or a fleeting vintage furniture trend. Before buying anything new in 2026, pause. Ask where it will live in five years. Ask if it works in multiple spaces. Ask if you’d still want it if you moved house tomorrow.

This doesn’t mean everything needs to be a once-in-a-lifetime investment, nor does it require a home full of "safe choices. But prioritizing adaptable pieces — a well-made neutral sofa, a solid dining table that you'd take to your next home, storage that works without dominating a room — creates a foundation of pieces that can evolve over time.

4. Stop Trying to Fill Every Empty Space

There’s a common misconception that in order for a room to be ‘finished’ it should feel full — decorated surfaces, feature walls, and furniture forced into every available corner. We’ve been conditioned to see space as something that needs to be occupied and to avoid dead space and minimalism at all costs.

Negative space gives the eye somewhere to rest as it creates contrast and allows your key pieces of furniture to act as focal points. This year, stop filling space simply because it exists. Resist the urge to add another shelf, chair, or decoration. Instead, be more intentional with your home projects. Remove one thing from every room and live with the absence for a week. Notice how the room feels lighter, how your eye moves more slowly, how the remaining pieces suddenly feel more purposeful.

5. Stop Choosing Materials Without Considering Its Upkeep

Marble worktops, unlacquered brass, high-gloss cabinetry are all beautiful materials that, under perfect lighting, freshly installed and untouched, instantly make a room look and feel luxurious. But homes aren’t showrooms, and once fingerprints, spills, heat, and moisture enter the picture, that initial romance of these finishes can quickly turn into a luxury kitchen material you wish you had avoided.

Marble kitchen countertops stain if you leave any spillages for too long, unlacquered brass requires regular polishing to avoid patina, and high-gloss surfaces magnify every mark and reflection. None of this is a problem if you’re prepared for it — but it can be very frustrating if you’re not.

In 2026, stop choosing finishes purely for aesthetics. Consider how they age, how they clean, and how their upkeep fits into your daily life. A slightly less dramatic countertop material that you love living with will always outperform a high-maintenance showstopper that stresses you out.

The most meaningful home projects in 2026 won’t necessarily come from what you add — but from what you stop doing. Think of these anti-resolutions as permission slips: permission for you to slow down, to be selective, to design a modern home that genuinely works for you.

And that’s a resolution worth keeping.