DESIGN THAT ENDURES
A CONSIDERED PERSPECTIVE FROM MANDARINA STUDIOWe don’t design around trends. We pay attention to patterns in how our clients live, what they’re asking for, and what ultimately endures over time..
As we look toward 2026, the most compelling interiors aren’t driven by novelty or spectacle. They’re grounded, personal, and quietly assured. What’s emerging is a deeper alignment between how homes look and how they feel to inhabit over time.
Below are the principles that continue to shape our work and the homes we design, informed by years of creating spaces for clients who value longevity, craft, and emotional resonance.
6 ways to create homes with longevity
Quiet Materiality
There is a growing preference for materials that speak for themselves, without excess finish or embellishment. Honed stone, hand-troweled plaster, natural woods, and textiles with visible structure and depth are chosen not for immediate impact, but for how they age and how they respond to light, touch, and daily use.
Luxury is expressed through restraint. Materials are allowed to have variation and movement, qualities that make a space feel human rather than staged.
Color Used Architecturally
Color is used to define space, establish mood, and unify architecture rather than act as decoration. Rooms are treated as complete environments, with walls, ceilings, trim, and millwork layered within a narrow tonal range. Palettes are complex and grounded, drawn from nature and softened through finish and light.
Color is used to create atmosphere rather than make a statement.
Restraint as a Design Choice
Luxury today is often expressed through what is left out. Rather than filling rooms with statements, we design for clarity, calm, and careful editing. Fewer materials, used well. Proportion over excess. Details that feel intentional rather than decorative. This restraint allows craftsmanship, materiality, and light to take center stage.
Spaces designed this way feel confident and enduring, without needing to announce themselves.
Rooms with Purpose
After years of expansive, multi-purpose layouts, homes benefit from rooms that do fewer things and do them well. Dedicated dining rooms, libraries, and studies are re-emerging. Kitchens are being designed not only for function, but for calm. There is a renewed appreciation for doors, thresholds, and moments of separation.
Well-defined rooms support different rhythms of daily life and allow each space to feel purposeful.
Interiors That Tell a Personal Story
Homes feel increasingly autobiographical. Rather than following a single aesthetic, interiors reflect history, travel, collections, and point of view. Vintage and contemporary pieces coexist. Art is layered over time. Nothing feels overly coordinated.
The role of the designer becomes editorial, shaping and refining what is meaningful into a cohesive, intentional whole.
A Return to Emotional Comfort
The most enduring homes are those that support a sense of well-being as thoughtfully as they support daily life. Lighting is layered and intentional. Acoustics are considered. Color is used with confidence and purpose, whether restrained or expressive. Each element works together to create spaces that feel calm, balanced, and quietly restorative.
Homes are designed to feel restorative, without sacrificing beauty or intention.
Looking Ahead
The interiors we continue to design toward share a common thread: intention.
They are not driven by novelty, but by what feels right over time. Materials that age gracefully. Spaces that support daily life. Design shaped by clarity, proportion, and restraint.
At Mandarina Studio, we believe the most successful homes are those that reveal themselves slowly, deepening in character and relevance year after year.