Rooms to Remember: Vote Now in Homes & Gardens Readers’ Choice Award
Lots of rooms are beautiful, but only some are unforgettable. Here, we're showcasing the 18 spaces we published in 2026 that really stayed with us. Now it’s your turn to choose a favorite...
Some rooms just have it. It might be an audacious color combination, a piece of furniture you immediately want to steal, an ingenious decorating idea – or simply that hard-to-define feeling that makes you want to linger a little longer. Great rooms are personal, though, and we were curious to know which ones had the same effect on you.
As part of this year’s Homes & Gardens Design Awards 2026, alongside our awards celebrating exceptional projects and products, we wanted to hear from you. So we've selected 18 Rooms to Remember from the houses we've published over the past year: spaces that stayed with us long after we first saw them. From richly layered sitting rooms to bold kitchens, romantic bedrooms and characterful corners, each one has something that made us stop, look and remember.
Now it's your turn to be the judge. Explore the shortlist, choose the room that speaks to you, and cast your vote for the Rooms to Remember, Homes & Gardens Readers' Choice Award.
1. A Sunset-Orange Living Room by Bryony Richardson
This coral-toned living room pairs deep green velvet seating with leafy botanical upholstery and a wall of styled bookshelves.
The sunrise-inspired living room in this 400-year-old farmhouse designed by Bryony Richardson proves just how transformative color can be in a period home. Woven silk wallpaper brings both pattern and texture to the walls, while the warm palette gives this family house the welcoming, slightly escapist quality Bryony was aiming for.
2. A Characterful Cedar-Clad Kitchen by Neal Beckstedt
Timber, open shelving and a classic black AGA give this characterful kitchen a collected country feel.
Reclaimed yellow tiles and plenty of blue and white china bring a beautifully aged quality to this wood-clad kitchen by New York–based interior designer Neal Beckstedt, where an antique Swedish table, freestanding furniture and a classic Aga reinforce its 1890s character. Neal deliberately embraced the period feel here, creating a kitchen that feels authentic to the house without becoming pastiche.
3. A Soft, Serene Bedroom by Nancy Gouldstone
Soft blush and sage tones give this bedroom a calm, layered feel, with an arched doorway adding interest.
This bedroom captures architect Nancy Gouldstone's softer side, with an enveloping yet deliberately low upholstered headboard, muted pinks and sage greens creating a calm, boutique-hotel feel. The designer also carried details between adjoining spaces: the headboard fabric and wooden trim are repeated in the dressing room, giving the scheme a sense of cohesion.
4. A Folk-Inspired Ski Loft by Heather Peterson
This cozy loft sitting room pairs floral wallpaper with warm timber, vintage-inspired furniture and views of the surrounding trees.
This treehouse-style loft in a French Country meets folk ski retreat by Heather Peterson is memorable for the way it embraces pattern and warmth without losing the feeling of serenity that comes from its woodland setting. The generous seating arrangement, timber architecture, and richly patterned textiles make it feel like a room designed first and foremost for switching off.
5. A Rustic French Manor Kitchen by Pia Casal
A characterful kitchen mixes olive-toned cabinetry with rustic timber, patterned tiles, and woven bistro chairs.
The kitchen in this 'unpretentious' château, designed by Pia Casal mixes French character with a much more relaxed, contemporary sensibility. The vintage-inspired materials, hand-painted tiles, copper worktops and garden-facing layout make the space feel as though it has evolved naturally with the house, while the Dublin-based designer deliberately avoided the more formal trappings associated with château interiors.
6. A Floral-Wrapped Joyful Pantry by Yond Interiors
Deep yellow cabinetry and delicate floral wallpaper give this compact pantry a charming character.
This pantry by Julia Miller of Yond Interiors makes a strong case for treating utility rooms as opportunities for personality rather than pure practicality. The oh-so-charming Antoinette Poisson backdrop, warm ochre cabinetry, and carefully considered open storage give this hardworking service space the character and richness of a more front-of-house room.
7. A Classic Cotswolds Drawing Room by Vanessa Macdonald
Patterned upholstery, antique furniture and a traditional fireplace bring warmth and personality to this layered drawing room.
This drawing room demonstrates Vanessa Macdonald's talent and belief in creating interiors that feel ‘long-lasting and not shouty’. Comfortable sofas and deep armchairs sit alongside antique furniture, considered lighting, and the couple's collection of British art, creating precisely the layered-over-time atmosphere that has become central to their approach.
8. A Playful Living Room by Studio Portobello
Bold striped sofa takes center stage in this colorful sitting room, where vivid red, sculptural lighting and graphic artwork add further charm.
This sitting room is a brilliant example of how to make a period room feel collected rather than overly traditional. Studio Portobello wrapped the space and the adjoining dining room in bookshelves, art, and a woodburner, then brought in a squashy Buchanan Studio sofa, contemporary artwork and a projector in place of a television to create a room that feels genuinely lived-in.
9. A Contemporary Green-Tiled Kitchen by Carden Cunietti
A tailored kitchen pairs dark timber cabinetry and glossy green tiles with leather bar stools and an abundance of trailing greenery.
Designed by Carden Cunietti, the dark wood cabinetry in this dignified kitchen creates a rich backdrop for the handmade green tiles wrapping the curved island, while the floating quartzite worktop and sculptural shape make the island feel as much like a piece of furniture as a hardworking cooking and hangout space.
10. A Layered Pattern-Filled Living Room by Salvesen Graham
A layered sitting room brings together floral curtains, patterned upholstery, warm walls and an eclectic collection of art for an inviting, collected feel.
This reading room captures the playful-meets-quintessentially-British quality that makes Salvesen Graham's work so distinctive. The mix of florals, chintzes, art, freestanding furniture and warm color gives the space an evolved-over-time feeling, while the designers deliberately used pieces that could move with the family rather than being permanently tied to the architecture.
11. A Sun-Baked Banco by French and French Interiors
A built-in banco wrapped in rich, patterned wallpaper creates an intimate and inviting spot for relaxing.
Described by designers French & French as the room that best captures the spirit of this Santa Fe home, the cozy banco (or nook) is the ultimate summer retreat. Creating an almost cocoon-like experience through pattern, texture, and enclosure, the botanical wallpaper and layered furnishings give the small space a sense of escapism, demonstrating how a compact corner can have just as much impact as a full-size room.
12. A Romantic Pattern-Filled Bedroom by Sarah Brown
This romantic bedroom layers floral fabrics across the canopy bed, curtains and upholstered bench, with soft pinks, powder blue and pops of yellow.
The primary bedroom in this late-19th-century brownstone is romantic without tipping into overly saccharine territory, thanks to the way its floral fabrics, half-tester canopy, patterned walls and soft accents have been layered together by designer Sarah Brown. An upholstered bench introduces another touch of pattern, while at the other end of the room, a pair of sunshine yellow armchairs offer a place to sit, read, or pause.
13. An Earthy and Arty Bathroom by Finch Interior Design
This moody bathroom combines a copper-toned tub with earthy tiles, dark olive paint and a collection of artwork.
This earthy bathroom by Finch Interior Design is a brilliant example of taking a traditionally functional room and giving it a more eclectic, collected energy. The existing slipper bath was retained and repainted, while new floor and wall tiles and vintage art sourced by the client turn the space into something that feels much more like a decorated room than a purely practical bathroom.
14. A Calming Dining Area by Studio Lio
A tactile dining nook combines a chunky oak table, woven chairs and sculptural pendant lights against a wall of generous windows.
A square bay window provides the perfect setting for this relaxed family dining area by Studio Lio, with a custom-built banquette and natural materials giving it an easy, sun-baked feel. Marrakech-sourced pendants add the final 'refined Mediterranean' touch, reflecting designer Aurélie Brelivet's southern French influences.
15. A Color Confident Bedroom by HÁM
A dramatic walnut four-poster bed and deep teal walls are balanced with a gathered headboard, patterned prints and a pretty sofa.
Soft pinks and a moody teal green create a wonderfully restful contrast in this main bedroom, where layered textiles bring depth and a tactile quality. Anchored by a grand four-poster bed, the result is a confident use of color that feels warm and inviting rather than overwhelming – a hallmark of mother-daughter duo Pamela and Kate of Hám Interiors' approach throughout the home.
16. A Glamorous Green and Gold Kitchen by Suzy Hoodless
This contemporary kitchen is given personality through textured green cabinetry, an aged brass island, and a dramatic chevron-patterned floor.
This kitchen by Suzy Hoodless is a masterclass in making a practical space feel expressive. The daring pairing of the green-dyed tulip timber veneer cabinetry and brass-wrapped island (the client favored this over a 'lump of stone') brings color and contrast, while contemporary Italian references sit comfortably alongside the Arts & Crafts bones of the house.
17. A Zesty Green and Pink Bedroom by Studio Ashby
A sculptural headboard and lime-colored bedspread bring a playful hit of color to this elegant bedroom.
Soft pink, zesty green, and botanical pattern give this art-led bedroom by Studio Ashby its gentle sense of playfulness, with tactile fabrics adding another layer of fun. As throughout the rest of this London home, verdant tones take their cues from the landscape of nearby Hampstead Heath, while berry shades nod to the deep red brick of the exterior facade.
18. A Jewel-Box Green Study by COAL Cornwall
This deep green and teal home office combines colorful shelving, vintage pieces and a tactile midcentury-inspired desk.
The Art Deco-inspired rich green and teal cabinetry, carefully arranged collection of objects, and layered lighting turn this hardworking home office into a joyful destination rather than a space that encourages Sunday scaries – perfectly in keeping with designer Emily Reilly of COAL's approach of using color, art and creativity to give the Cornwall home its personality.
Cast Your Vote Now
You have until October 2nd to vote for your favorite room in the Homes & Gardens Readers’ Choice Award. The winning rooms will feature in our January 2027 print issue and be revealed on our social channels.
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