The Meaning of Quiet Luxury in 2026? I Think It's Much Closer to Minimalism
Wealth was once expressed through abundance, but excess comes with hidden costs: maintenance, decision fatigue, clutter, and a constant mental burden
There has been a slow, quiet shift in design over the last few decades toward a minimalist approach in high-end residential design.
It was one of the original pioneers of minimalism, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who coined the term 'less is more.' His designs were about finding beauty in the essential and stripping everything else away.
There is a shift happening in interior design in that having less but having it be exceptional has become the true marker of luxury. A home that functions beautifully without demanding constant attention feels far more luxurious than one overflowing with things that break, age poorly, or require endless upkeep.
In many ways, quiet luxury is really about freedom. Freedom from excess, freedom from maintenance, and freedom to spend your time and energy on living rather than managing your belongings.
The most luxurious spaces in 2026 are often the ones that feel calm, intuitive, and quietly permanent.
Spaces where nothing is fighting for attention and where the homeowner is freed from the exhausting cycle of constantly upgrading, replacing, organizing, and managing more. When they complete their renovation, they have something timeless.
I personally find this to be such a thrilling challenge in our designs. I also love to occasionally indulge in a more maximalist feel in a space, but through wallpaper and paint and layering texture rather than through actual objects, accessories, or collections.
I still feel the energy of a space that is loaded with items to be overwhelming in my own life.
If a client comes to us with collections, we utilize this personal touch but also work to contain those collections to certain areas so that they don’t spill out over the whole house, creating a feeling of clutter or overwhelm.
When thinking of the term 'quiet luxury' in my designs of homes for clients, and for myself, I also understand that the term is not just about owning less for the sake of minimalism.
It’s so much more layered in the approach. It’s more about living with intention. And what comes with that in this day and age means removing the constant low-level noise that comes from managing too much stuff.
So, how do we deal with this in a time when children come home with goodie bags filled with plastic toys, stickers, and candy from a birthday party, or when each time someone comes to visit, they feel the need to bring a 'hostess gift' that lands on the counter or in a drawer?
In my own lake house, I wanted a more extreme restraint in color and pattern, and I wanted the view of the water over the changing seasons to be the true star of the show.
An immediate reminder to me each time I enter the house that this is a place where I can leave my work behind and focus on the deep relaxation I had intended for this home.
For years, wealth was expressed through abundance. More rooms, more furniture, more collections, more storage units filled with things we might need someday.
But the modern luxury client is beginning to recognize that excess often comes with a hidden cost: maintenance, decision fatigue, clutter, repairs, and the constant mental burden of managing objects.
The goal is not simply to create a beautiful home. It is to create a home that asks very little of the people living in it.
Interior designer Jess Cooney is one of Homes & Gardens' Editors-At-Large for By Design, where she shares her thoughts on decor. See the rest of her articles here.
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