Insights 2026: ‘A touch of real life’

Aimee Fletcher, product and development manager at Egger UK, reflects on the design-led shifts that shaped 2025 and reveals the tactile, tonal and textural influences guiding the brand and the wider market into 2026.

You can hear a full interview with Aimee on a special episode of The kbbreview Podcast. Listen NOW using the player below or go straight to this episode in Apple PodcastsSpotify or YouTube. Alternatively, simply search ‘kbbreview’ wherever you get your podcasts.

Design in 2025 has been about ‘feeling’ as much as ‘form’ when it comes to kitchens and bathrooms.

People aren’t just buying kitchens and bathrooms, they’re buying a mood, a sense of comfort, a space that feels thoughtfully considered. At Egger, that means obsessing over the little things: the way a wood grain catches the light, how a matte surface feels under your fingertips, or how an earthy colour palette can make a room feel instantly calm and inviting. 

Beige is the new grey. And I don’t mean that dull, flat beige we all swore we’d never revisit, I mean the new wave of soft, layered neutrals that shift beautifully between warm and cool. 

They’re subtle, grounding and quietly sophisticated. Alongside them, warmer shades like caramels, chocolates, mulberries and burgundies have really come into their own. They’re richer, a bit moodier, and they give designers something to play with when they want depth without going dark. 

Colour and texture

One of my favourite parts of developing these palettes is seeing how a colour behaves when paired with different textures. A tone that feels soft in a super-matte finish can suddenly feel architectural in a stone-effect surface. Those shifts are endlessly fascinating to me.

Texture has become central to how we think about design. Our ST17 finish, for example, makes a standard wood grain feel like a premium veneer. It has that honesty and tactility that people immediately connect with. And Ambience, the synchronised matte-and-gloss surface we’ve been refining, captures the elegance of natural stone at a far more accessible price point.

As we move into 2026, richer colour stories and layered textures will define the market

Aimee Fletcher, product and development manager, Egger UK

I love seeing customers’ reactions when they touch it for the first time. There’s this moment when they look slightly suspicious, as if it has to cost more than it does.

Curves and organic shapes have been creeping back into fitted furniture, too. Straight lines haven’t disappeared, but we’re seeing more soft tabletop edges, rounded breakfast bars, and curved end panels. It ties in with the ‘pebble-soft’ movement in interiors, a gentle, sculptural style that adds soul to surfaces and helps rooms feel more relaxed.

And then there’s colour drenching: using variations of a single colour across cabinetry, worktops, walls and accessories. It creates this seamless, cocooning feel that makes spaces feel curated without being contrived.

Craftsmanship has also stepped into the spotlight again. With the rise of AI, people want furniture that feels considered so think book-matched panels, in-frame cabinetry and those Italian-inspired details that hint at a human hand at work. It’s not only about looking premium, it’s about the sense of care.

I’m genuinely excited about what we’re bringing to the market in 2026. Our new collection launching in February feels like a natural evolution of everything we’ve learned this year.

PerfectSense is introducing earthy new shades that feel effortlessly current, ST17 is expanding across more wood grains, and Ambience is being carried through boards, worktops and wall panels so designers can create fully cohesively textured spaces.

One of the best parts of my job is showing these surfaces to customers and watching that little spark of excitement appear, the “oh yes, that’s it” moment that tells you a design direction is right.

For the wider market, the direction of travel is clear: layered textures, richer colour stories, and organic shapes that bring softness and humanity back into the home. Trends today are about creating spaces that feel alive, tactile and welcoming.

And as we move into 2026, translating those subtle signals into products that delight and inspire is exactly the challenge that keeps me energised every single day.

Visit egger.com to preview the new EGGER Decorative Collection 26+

Listen to a full kbbreview Podcast interview with Aimee Fletcher now using the player below…

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