Every day our Colours & Selections studio is visited by excited new homeowners, as we help them realise their dream style and create their new home's look from our huge range of inclusions and options.
We see lots of different styles, but their are some things that come up time and again. So our team have forecast the top trends for 2026 that Swanbuild can deliver in your new home. Keep reading to learn what's in vogue and the home designs that work perfectly with each style.
Your home is your sanctuary, and nothing makes a home feel softer and more welcoming than a neutral colour palette. Neutrals give your home a feeling of calm, stability and sophistication. At the same time, adding natural timber accents makes your living spaces feel welcoming and lived-in. In our most recently completed Inverloch display home, we paired the Spotted Gum Flooring with the warm neutral of the kitchen to create an inviting space we know families will love to spend a lot of time in.
There's a common phrase: "Everything old is new again," and nowhere is that more accurate than in home design and interiors. We have seen a recent swing back towards traditional federation and Victorian design accents and features, which pair perfectly with our classic Aussie country home designs. Some great examples include the VJ panelling on our Inverloch display home, pedestal sinks in the new Avoca 17, and large farm-style kitchen sinks that have been massively popular with our clients this year.
Tapware and hardware are often the smallest pieces in any room that can make an outsized impact. While some clients are choosing options to blend in and match their colour scheme, we are seeing more and more clients choose options like brushed Nickel and Stainless steel that really stand out. The great thing about these finishes is that not only do they look great, but they go well with almost any colour scheme. We've recently used brushed nickel in our Sandhurst 25 display home, and stainless steel has always been a popular option for our clients.
Another classic design element we are seeing more and more in 2026 is chrome making a comeback. Timeless for its sleek aesthetic and working in both modern and traditional designs, it's not just used for tapware; we are using it a lot more in hardware like drawer pulls, and to really make a statement, we recently used chrome light features throughout the Avoca 17.
It's not always just about the look, a lot of our home design work is also about the touch and feel of your home. Using rich textures and finishes is one of the most tactile ways to create a style and curate a mood in your new home. For bathrooms and kitchens, natural stone provides a solid, practical surface that looks great and offers durability you can't get from other surfaces. In living areas, VJ wood panelling adds an extra element of comfort. At the same time, timber floors and wool-pile carpets are part of the growing trend toward organic modern style.
Colour drenching is one recent trend that looks great and is easier to achieve than you might think. In its most simple form, colour drenching means painting every element of a room from the wall to the ceiling, architraves and skirting boards all the same colour. Contrasting colours are then used to create space and delineate surfaces. Colour drenching means bringing all the surfaces close together, so it's ideal for cosy living areas or bedrooms where you want to feel nestled in and relaxed. Check out our most recent colour drenching in the Inverloch display home, where we used a deep black to create a living area built for long nights of rest and relaxation.
You might be surprised by how many colours and finishes you have to choose from for your new home. We often find that, in the face of so many options, making a final decision isn't easy. That's where our expert Colours & Selections team comes in. Armed with mood boards and the right questions to get a picture of your own style and preferences, our team will pull together options and schemes that you'll love. Check out our most popular colours for 2026 below, and if you want to learn more about the process, reach out to the team for a consultation.