Spotted on Zillow: Six Home Trends To Follow in 2026

If your scrolling finger is tired of the same neutral palette, the same white kitchens, and the same minimalist aesthetic everywhere you look, you're not alone. Come 2026, homeowners will be embracing bold color and personalized whimsy in their most intimate spaces. But this isn't just about fun; it’s a functional shift. Home features trending in Zillow® listing descriptions suggest home buyers are equally drawn to spaces that are smarter, greener, and tougher, with an eye toward climate resiliency. 

These two seemingly opposed forces — playfulness and practicality — are defining the future of home going into the next year. Zillow researchers have the full breakdown of 2026's most important home trends,* plus what’s staying behind in 2025. And to help you capitalize on what’s “in” next year if you’re planning to sell, we’ve included tips for incorporating (and highlighting) the newest popular features in your home listing.

1. Color drenching

A desire for comfort and character throughout 2025 has evolved into an appetite for dramatic color. 

The biggest change in listing descriptions over the last year has been a surge in the term “color drenching,” where a single hue coats walls, ceilings, and trim. Mentions of this bold design choice are up 149% year over year, showing that buyers are really craving immersive, cohesive, and mood-driven spaces.

Seller tip: If you plan to sell your home in 2026 and want to capitalize on this trend, it pays to be strategic with your choice of color. Zillow's research on the best paint colors for each room shows which shades can add value; for example, deep blue in your bedroom could boost your sale price by more than $1,800.

2. Personalized touches

Homeowners are embracing details that make a house feel more personalized, such as hand-painted accent art and small-batch, handmade decor that’s unique to the owner. Listings are increasingly mentioning “artisan craftsmanship” (up 21%), “vintage accents” (up 17%), and “whimsy” (up 15%). These trends show up in popular interior design styles like the highly decorative and personal aesthetic of maximalism as well as the cozy, nature-inspired comfort of cottagecore. 

We're seeing more desire for highly-personalized spaces because buyers are looking for homes that serve as a safe space and a reflection of their individual identity, often incorporating soft, multi-layered ambient lighting to create a warm, inviting atmosphere — in contrast with sterile, brightly-lit, minimalist interiors that were popular in years past.

Seller tip: If you have it, flaunt it! The common advice is to depersonalize your home, but the data suggests that home buyers (in fact, more and more) may appreciate the features that make the home unique.

3. At-home escapes

The term “cozy” saw a big boost in listing mentions going into 2025. That interest in home comfort is continuing into 2026 with mentions of “reading nooks” up 48%. 

A reading nook is typically a dedicated, small-scale space — like a window seat, a built-in alcove, or a creatively repurposed closet — designed for quiet, private focus. Their growth in listing mentions echo the resurgence of physical books: despite the rise of digital media, print book sales have proven resilient, with some studies indicating that a high percentage of younger readers still prefer a physical book over an e-book. We may also be seeing more demand for reading nooks because it serves as a dedicated wellness zone, away from the distractions of an open-concept living space.

Speaking of wellness, “wellness features” rose in listing description mentions as well. Wellness features could include everything from a dedicated meditation zone, smart cleaning technology to  a peaceful outdoor garden. In the same vein, “spa-inspired bathrooms,” which were mentioned 22% more often, signal a desire for daily luxury and personal sanctuary. This specific trend is coming to life with high-end, therapeutic fixtures like luxury fittings (such as brushed brass or matte black faucets), and specialized amenities like a steam shower, soaking tub, and heated floors to create a genuine, restorative home-spa experience.

Seller tip: To capture the full value of your investment, use Zillow Showcase to help buyers virtually immerse themselves in your wellness spaces, and Zillow SkyTour to let them more fully appreciate your outdoor oasis.

4. At-home sports

Another popular way to unwind is gaining traction in the home: spaces for sport. This may reflect a change in what a home’s traditional “recreation room” looks like. In the past, rec rooms held more passive activities like billiards tables, pinball machines, or entertainment centers. A demand for more active skill building is changing things up.

Now, golf simulators, pickleball courts, and batting cages are growing in popularity. Of those three, batting cages might be the most surprising addition — but they’re catching on, up 18% in mentions in 2025 — likely as homeowners look for creative ways to stay active (and entertain guests) without leaving their property. And while installing one may seem ambitious, there are plenty of DIY tutorials that make it surprisingly doable if you have the space and budget.

Seller tip: Don’t have these amenities in your home? Highlight similar spaces nearby, like a park with a basketball court or a neighborhood soccer field.

5. Renewable and efficient energy

Interest in how to live sustainably is on the rise as buyers are actively searching for eco-conscious living options that offer both environmental benefits and cost savings. Mentions of a home being “sustainable” or “green” are up 21%, along with renewable energy-related features.

“Whole-home batteries,” which store extra energy generated by solar panels for the home to use during a power outage or on cloudy days, have risen in listing mentions over the past two years — 62% in 2024, and another 40% in 2025. And electric vehicle chargers are appearing in 25% more for-sale listings. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, there were over 3.5 million electric cars on the road as of late 2023 — more than a million of them in California, followed by Florida and Texas. 

Of all the sustainable living terms that saw a surge, “zero-energy-ready homes,” or “ZERH,” was the most significant, up 70% year over year. A ZERH is a high-performance, energy-efficient home that is built so efficiently that it can offset most, if not all, of its annual energy consumption by using renewable energy systems like solar panels or heat pumps. There are various types of homes that may fall into this category, like passive houses or Earthships.

Seller tip: Zillow has a guide on whether solar is right for your home based on where you live, and how much it could cost you ahead of selling.

6. Resilient homes

Listing mentions of features that make homes more resilient to natural disasters are growing as homeowners look to make their homes safer and keep costs of insurance and maintenance manageable.

Resiliency-related features that rose in listing mentions include:

• Flood protection, up 64%
• Elevated, up 50%
• Defensible space landscaping, up 36% (referring to a wildfire safety practice)
• Fire protection, up 28%

Seller tip: Zillow research found 86% of home buyers said it’s very important that a home be “climate-proof”, and another 44% said the same about a home having wildfire-resistant landscaping.

Home trends that may be going out of style

With the rise of some home features comes the fall of others. These home trends could be staying in 2025:

• Juice stations, mentions down by 19%.
• Marble sinks, down 15%.
• Man cave, down 10%.
• Barn doors, down 6%.

When you’re ready to sell your home (and buy your next one), Zillow can help you. You can find an agent and browse homes for sale, too. 

*To find these trends, Zillow® researchers browsed hundreds of keywords across millions of listings on Zillow, then identified the features that are being mentioned way more now than they were a year ago.