The more the merrier: 4 home trends defining fall and winter 2026
Kendra Sinclair•Home Trends Expert at Thumbtack•Last updated Sep 25, 2026
Last updated Sep 25, 2026
This fall and winter, more is more — but not simply for the sake of it.
After years of picture-perfect interiors and pared-back palettes, homes are becoming warmer, more expressive, and more reflective of the people who live in them. Patterns are moving beyond the accent wall, earthy colors are replacing cooler neutrals, holiday decorating is spilling onto the lawn, and living rooms are working overtime when friends and family come to stay.
Drawing on insights from Sherwin-Williams, four trends reveal how people are rethinking their spaces for the season ahead — from how they decorate to how they gather and host. At the heart of these trends is a shift toward homes that reflect not just personal style, but how people actually want to live.
That shift is showing up not only in how homeowners think about their spaces, but in how they plan to invest in them. Nearly 58% of homeowners expect to invest at least $1,000 in home improvement or maintenance over the next six months, while one in five are budgeting $250–$499 specifically for holiday decorating or preparing to host.
Here’s what’s defining the season, and how homeowners can bring each trend to life.
Printplosion: Pattern is breaking out of the accent-wall box.
Printplosion is bringing pattern into more immersive and unexpected places, from wallpapered ceilings and framed murals between wall paneling to striped entryways, layered florals and checks, and prints that stretch across multiple surfaces.
Homeowners are ready to experiment: 61% would consider incorporating at least one type of pattern into their homes over the next year.
As pattern takes up more visual real estate, Sue Wadden, Director of Global Architectural Color Marketing at Sherwin-Williams, sees paint playing an important supporting role.
“Rather than competing for attention, color helps create balance and cohesion. Softer, more nuanced palettes allow layers of pattern, texture, and materiality to shine, creating interiors that feel curated rather than overwhelming,” says Wadden.
Pattern doesn't have to come from wallpaper or textiles, either. Wadden points to tone-on-tone stripes, color blocking, painted ceilings, highlighted millwork, geometric motifs, and modern stencils as ways homeowners can create the effect with paint alone.
Dirtcore: Earth tones get moodier.
Browns, clay, terracotta, moss, ochre, and muddy greens are bringing warmth and depth back into the home. These aren't barely-there nature-inspired neutrals — they're richer, muddier, and more enveloping.
Paint is one of the easiest ways homeowners are making that shift. Interior painting ranks third among Thumbtack’s most-requested indoor home update projects for fall and winter, with requests up more than 30% year over year.
Juliano Da Cruz, owner of Paint LAB Painting and member of the Thumbtack Pro Advisory Board is seeing particular interest in “warm taupes, rich browns, herbal greens, and terracotta colors” in gathering spaces, where homeowners are looking to create a cozy, inviting feeling.
Color choice is also increasingly about how a room feels, not just how it looks. Nearly six in ten homeowners want paint to create a warm and cozy atmosphere, while half are looking to create a sense of calm and groundedness.
Sherwin-Williams sees the shift as emotional as much as aesthetic. “Consumers aren't simply selecting colors anymore,” says Wadden. “They're creating environments that reflect how they want to live and, perhaps more importantly, how they want to feel.”
That thinking comes through in Sherwin-Williams Colormix® Trend Forecast: Rewild, inspired by landscapes, organic materials, and craftsmanship and featuring its Color of the Year, Celery SW 6421.
For homeowners accustomed to white or gray, Dirtcore doesn't have to mean four chocolate-brown walls. A smaller room, painted trim, or earthy accent can offer an approachable starting point.
Holiday curb appeal: The holidays are going big outside.
Holiday Curb Appeal turns the entire exterior into part of the celebration, from pumpkins and spooky lawn displays in fall to oversized decor, lights, and statement entryways in winter.
The line between indoors and out is blurring, too, with trees, lights, menorahs, and other indoor displays intentionally positioned to be enjoyed from the street.
Thumbtack data shows homeowners investing in the spaces that set the stage for seasonal displays. Requests for holiday lighting installation increased 37% year over year, while larger exterior gathering spaces also saw significant growth: requests for deck or porch remodels rose 50%, and patio remodels jumped nearly 67%. As gathering spaces expand beyond the interior, decks, porches, and patios can give homeowners more room to host — and more ways to bring people together during the holidays.
How to go festive without going overboard.
Choose a point of view rather than displaying everything at once. A few larger-scale elements that complement the home's architecture can feel more intentional than lots of smaller decorations competing for attention.
Meet the Flexing Room.
The Flexing Room is the living room that shape-shifts as friends and family arrive: everyday hangout by morning, kids’ zone by afternoon, dining overflow by dinner, and perhaps even guest room by night.
Rather than requiring more square footage, the trend is about making existing space work harder, especially during a season when homes suddenly need to accommodate more people, activities, and ways of gathering.
When holiday guests arrive, the living room is the space most likely to change jobs: 52% of homeowners say it takes on a different purpose. And that shape-shifting extends throughout the home.
Thumbtack data shows homeowners investing in projects that can help spaces work harder. Requests for closet and shelving system installation increased 49% year over year, home organizing rose 37%, and room remodels increased 26%.
Adaptability can also mean making a home work for more people. Requests for home modifications for accessibility rose 84% year over year. While these projects extend well beyond holiday hosting, they can help homes function more comfortably for multigenerational families and guests with different mobility needs.
But creating a Flexing Room doesn't necessarily require a remodel. Beth Blacker, founder of It’s Just Stuff! and a member of the Thumbtack Pro Advisory Board, recommends focusing on containment, organization, and lighting. Cubby systems, floating shelves with textured baskets, or adjustable storage can keep belongings accessible but easy to hide when guests arrive. For spaces that also need to become bedrooms, she recommends a daybed with a trundle, futon, or Murphy bed to add sleeping space without permanently sacrificing floor space.
Where to invest before holiday guests arrive.
When time or budget allows for only one or two projects, focus on the spaces that will work hardest during the holidays. That might mean painting or organizing the room where everyone gathers, rearranging seating, tackling a lingering repair, or refreshing the entryway before guests arrive.
The goal is a home that works better for how it's actually lived in. That's what connects Printplosion, Dirtcore, Holiday Curb Appeal, and the Flexing Room: homes that are more expressive, adaptable, and reflective of the people and lives inside them.
Whichever trend you're drawn to, a Thumbtack pro can help you bring it home this season — download the Thumbtack app to get started.
Survey Methodology: This SurveyMonkey online poll was conducted between September 7–8 2026 among a national sample of 1,010 homeowners (18+). Respondents for this survey were selected from the nearly 3 million people who take surveys on the SurveyMonkey platform each day. The modeled error estimate for this survey is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
Thumbtack Methodology: All year-over-year comparison data is based on comparisons between August 9–September 9, 2025 and August 9–September 9, 2026, examining home update projects (excluded maintenance, repair, replacement, removal, and cleaning projects) that have the greatest year-over-year increase.
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