IKEA might not be your first stop for forecasting capital 'D' design trends, but perhaps it should be. Between cult, sell-out collaborations (Off-White, Gustaf Westman) and archival pieces now trading for four figures at auction, the Swedish giant has accrued more authority than we tend to grant it.
And yet, for 2026, its style guide is decidedly unserious.
If the past few years were ruled by hushed minimalism and disciplined palettes, IKEA’s new interior trend direction swerves hard in the opposite direction, favoring a chicified, almost childlike whimsy. Color is dialed up. Pattern is layered with abandon. Even typically sober storage solutions are reimagined with softness and wit. The goal, according to IKEA Home Furnishing Direction Leader Abbey Stark, is to ‘let your imagination soar.’
With the retailer’s 2026 Color of the Year landing on a bold, expressive Rebel Pink – pointedly in opposition to Pantone’s whisper-soft Cloud Dancer – you can likely sense where this is going. ‘It replaces white walls with a refreshing, empowering energy,’ Abbey cheekily observes. ‘It’s time for a new era of rebellion.’
Subtle, this is not.
Ahead, five unapologetically playful predictions that prove real design insight doesn’t have to take itself so seriously.
1. Joycore Decor
‘Joycore’ isn’t wildly different from the dopamine decor wave of a few years ago. Home is once again a refuge from the antics of the outside world, and you’re allowed to control the mood. According to IKEA, that might call for a lilac-legged stool or an orange swivel chair that muses a certain French fashion house.
It’s maximalism as an antidote to overly adultified minimalism – and what we guess might happen when the design professor's inner child gets a credit card. But this doesn’t mean you need to toss the beige sofa bought back in 2021. As the guide suggests, ‘With white walls and neutral furniture as a base, build up your unique color story. Start with two primary colors, then add a tertiary for balance. Color is joy, so go big.’
In other words: play.
2. Floral Daydream
Pattern-drenching, pattern-maxxing – whatever you prefer – may be reaching its final boss. Though the look can be tricky to pull off (designers will often caution you to vary tone and scale), IKEA’s latest florals are cross-compatible – ready to mix and mingle from the get.
The STRANDMON slipcover, for example, transforms a dependable solid wing chair into a bloom-heavy backdrop for whatever patterned throws you’ve been accumulating. And while florals are at the fore, they’re far from the only patterns here. The lemonade-yellow FJUNKLOCKA cushion cover offers a choose-your-own adventure: romantic foliage or classic stripes.
3. Lagom Living
There is beauty in the mean – a sense of balance elegantly captured by the Swedish concept of ‘lagom.’ According to the guide, it’s ‘about creating a harmonious, calming zone between clutter and sparseness, where you can relax and revive after a long day.’ This may sound familiar – we’ve been circling this organic look for years. Lagom simply pushes the idea toward something more lived-in.
This trend hinges on contrast, focusing on characterful, carefully curated textures, and light filtered through drapery in varying opacities. Its goal is coziness by way of surprise – a velvet cushion set alongside a rattan room divider, for instance, feels distinctly, deliberately lagom.
4. The Art of Storage
Storage is both art and science – and here, IKEA clearly prefers the former. The solutions are still pragmatic, but they’re also exceptionally imaginative. A shoe unit might moonlight as a coat rack – and a bench – while a woven ottoman could have the capacity to swallow off-season throws. Even an unassuming basket might disguise a clever under-shelf clip to steal back precious kitchen inches.
All of these solutions are smart on their own, but according to IKEA, smarter still if you treat them as design opportunities. Consider lining your closet in a punchy wallpaper, or trading the warm wood of your iconic IVAR shelving for a verdant green. In 2026, storage is meant to be hacked, painted, and customized.
5. Rebel Pink
We hinted hard at this earlier, but again, IKEA’s 2026 Color of the Year is Rebel Pink – and it's not because it’s already trending. In fact, the retailer says the opposite: it chose the shade not because it’s everywhere, but because of the color trend it could become.
‘It’s not about what’s trending, but how color can transform a space, evoke emotion, and reflect the way we live. It’s a bold neutral and our way to energize your everyday aesthetic without compromising our commitment to Scandinavian simplicity,’ notes the guide.
The idea of pink as a neutral sounds almost contradictory – until you remember just how thoroughly Millennial Pink saturated 2016. And if 2016 energy is steeping back into 2026, well… you catch our drift.
So don’t be surprised when by late 2026, there’s a whole lot more Rebel Pink in circulation – and not just from the Swedes.
You never quite know what 20 years will do to a ‘mass’ retailer. Today’s accessible whimsy might just become the IKEA auction-house darling of tomorrow.
So as you load up your cart with Rebel Pink and joycore curiosities, consider this your reminder to hang on to a few. Future you – or your children – might thank you.
