I've Just Come Back from Paris Déco Off 2026 — These Are the 3 Big Trends I Can't Stop Thinking About

When it comes to style, we'll always have Paris. The city is literally dripping in it, whether it's the iconic Haussmann facades, the locals lining the street, or the stores and showrooms showcasing the latest what's-what of design. And during the days of Paris Déco Off — the 'fashion week' of the interiors industry — all that doubles.

I've just spent four days in the French capital, cramming in as many previews, events, showroom visits, and showcases as I could (Maison&Objet was also on, which made it even busier better), and I've come back with a phone jam-packed with photos, but a clear idea of where we're headed in design in 2026. The TLDR? It's expressive, architectural, and, ultimately, human-centric.

In an increasingly AI world, where it's becoming harder to tell what's real and what's not, interior design trends are turning to the distinctly human-made, even if that means imperfect. That's led to a rise in craftsmanship, tactility, and design that tells a story, and allows our homes to be more than just beautiful, but a true reflection of us, in all our beautiful-messy humanness. But let's unpack that more, shall we?

1. Sculpted Surfaces

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Over the last few years, wallpaper trends have grown bigger, bolder, and brighter, but now, it seems, we're pushing things forward. And I mean literally — out of the wall. As a self-titled 'tactile tourist' (I feel a strong urge to touch things, especially if they seem particularly textural or I'm told not to), it was as if Paris Déco Off 2026 was designed for me.

With a strong focus on fabrics and wall coverings, it was hard to ignore the sculptural, almost architectural, nature of finishes. Block-printed, flocked, embroidered, beaded, fluffed, woven, hand-stitched — everything demanded to be touched, and sat firmly rooted in the real.

I watched as an artisan hand-beaded an embroidered wallcovering at de Gournay, each small section of the panel taking two people up to 15 hours to complete. Another standout was Arte's seven new collections, which included wallcoverings made from woven velvet jacquards to sisals "enhanced" with screen-printing, 3D padded textiles, hand-stitched leathers, metallic foils, hand-embroidered cottons, and richly textured panoramas taken straight from 17th-century tapestries, to list just a few.

Little Greene's new collection, 'In the Garden', inspired by National Trust gardens, even includes a pretty print called 'Moon Daisies', where each flower features a flocked center, adding tactility and a little moment designed purely to delight, and tap into the senses.

2. Old *Is* New

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It's a trend we've been seeing for a while now, but I couldn't help but notice how many times I heard the word 'archive' mentioned while at Paris Déco Off.

So many of the new collections started by looking back, whether that was scouring antique markets and auction houses to source original 17th-century tapestries, or rummaging through a brand's own extensive archive, as Kit Kemp was invited to do by GP & J Baker, to find inspiration for her upcoming release (a beautiful continuation of the previous colorful collaboration).

Playing with color, scale, and pulling small motifs or even just borders from pieces she found (one was even inspired by the reverse side of a piece of fabric for a "more softened, contemporary look"), the designer shared how it's all about "having an adventure" as you curate a scheme, looking to both the past and future for "combinations that don't quite feel right, and make you look twice"; that's how you create impact.

Elsewhere, Swedish wallpaper house, Boråstapeter, revealed its 'new' collections, pulled from the archives of some of the design greats, including Alvar Aalto and Arne Jacobsen — proving that good design truly never dates.

Taking the idea in another direction, Samuel & Sons revealed a new collaboration with designer Martin Brudnizki, which stretched my understanding of traditional passementerie (tassels, borders, braids, gimp, fringes) into something that could feel, surprisingly, quite modern. While fringed furniture is certainly having its revival, Martin described how he wanted this collection of trims to feel "not soft, but architectural".

3. Texture 'Clashing'

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We're collectively growing more relaxed about the idea of curated 'clashing' in our homes. You've likely heard of color and pattern clashing, but something that kept popping up as I explored Paris Déco Off was what I'm calling 'texture clashing' —particularly when it relates to the craft of marquetry and inlaying.

de Gournay previewed a wallpaper called Doucet, which appears as if it's made from a number of different inlaid materials when in reality it's rendered in bas-relief, and then antiqued, polished, and hand-painted for effect. Its 'Shanghai Marquetry' similarly depicts the look of inlaid ebony, maple, and burr, while some of its existing Deco Collection papers, including Dunand, Martelé, and Deco Dawn, channel a similar 'carved' effect.

But perhaps the most exciting example of this style that I discovered was at Ateliers Lison de Caunes, who had collaborated with designer Garance Vallee on a straw marquetry screen that took 15 days to lay.

New to the concept of straw marquetry, I was captivated as Lison herself took me around the workshop, explaining how each blade of straw is flattened by hand and laid, whether on a wall panel or piece of furniture.

It can also be dyed in any color and inlaid alongside anything and everything from mother-of-pearl to rooster features, meaning design possibilities are infinite. The craft originated during the Art Deco period, so, with its return, I expect to see much more of this craft in our homes in 2026 and beyond.

And honestly, that just scratches the surface of what I saw at Paris Déco Off 2026. There were so many designs that couldn't be neatly filed into a certain category or assigned to a specific 'trend' because that's what the best designs are all about — innovation, creativity, and challenging what we think we know and like.

Everyone's story and style are different, and that's what makes the world of interiors so wonderful. In a time where AI can make everything conform to the rules, let's reclaim our homes as a space designed to break them.

And why not start with the outdated interior design rules designers say to ignore?