5 Low-Lift Renovations Designers Want to See You Make in 2026 That Deliver Maximum Impact
These low-lift, high-impact upgrades look expensive and don’t require upending your entire home
It’s the start of the year, and while most of us are still busy tracking protein quotas, squeezing in Pilates, or recovering from an over-scheduled holiday season, a huge renovation project probably isn't at the top of your to-do list.
Or so you thought. Designers tell us 2026 is about working smarter, not harder. These updates can be as involved or as minimal as you want, but many are simple enough to pull off without calling in a contractor.
5 Renovations Designers Want You to Make in 2026
1. Designate an Entryway
Some foyers come with grand bones, others less so, but even the humblest entry can feel infinitely more elegant with a spot to slip on shoes, a few favorite objets, and a good rug.
‘Meet me in the foyer’ is simply a chic, smugly superior sentence. But this isn’t just a decorative, for-show relic meant to impress guests. According to holistic interiors expert Gala Magriñá, it can actually improve how your home functions, shaping the flow and setting the tone for everything that follows.
Gala, who is also certified in Feng Shui, explains that according to its principles, ‘it’s ideal to have a foyer, or similar welcoming space, at the entrance of your home,’ adding, ‘This serves as a buffer between the public world and your private realm and provides a moment for transition.’
How formal that entryway is can be entirely up to you. It could entail a grand gesture, like adding entryway-specific flooring or raising a ceiling to new heights, but depending on your home’s bones, it may not require any structural changes at all. ‘While this can be challenging in a smaller home,’ Gala continues, ‘incorporating even a subtle entryway with a catchall, small bench, or wall-rack to unload can make a meaningful difference.’
This Scandi-inspired seat, upholstered in a ferocious olive-green leopard, makes its point immediately known while maintaining a low profile.
Make arrivals more playful and exits far less frantic with this smart little coat rack, complete with a built-in shelf for keys, jewelry, or whatever else you’d prefer not to realize you’ve forgotten halfway down the block.
Speaking of small details that do the heavy lifting, an elegant marble catchall like this one by Shea McGee for Target lends a newfound authority to any entryway table you already own.
2. Add Character With Millwork
With the right details, faking a little provenance is easier than you think.
If you couldn't already guess from the industry-wide pivot toward vintage and antique everything, the new mantra for 2026 is in with the old, out with the new. Not everyone gets to live in a pre-war gem with original trim intact, but designers agree that millwork is the easiest renovation you can do to fake a sense of history.
‘Newer homes often lack historical charm and attention to craftsmanship,’ notes Gabriela Eisenhart, founder and creative director of Atlanta-based Silo Studio Design. ‘Upgrading crown molding, trim, and refining details like door profiles, window casings, and adding paneling can instantly introduce architectural depth to a space,’ she says.
You can go full Victorian if that’s your fantasy, or keep things pared back and quiet. Either way, the beauty of this renovation is its range, with big-box retailers like Wayfair now selling pre-cut options that make the upgrade far less intimidating than it sounds.
And beyond the immediate visual payoff, it’s also a smart long game. According to New York-based interior designer Alice Moszczynski of Planner 5D, it’s worth considering if resale is ever on the horizon. ‘These are the kinds of upgrades people assume require a full renovation, but they can often be done room by room,’ she explains. ‘In 2026, I’d love to see more commitment to architectural bones. Things that upgrade your home’s value,’ she muses.
3. Swap in Timeless Hardware
Resist the urge to over-experiment with hardware. Timeless, expensive-looking touchpoints have a way of making everything around them fall in line.
Does swapping tired hardware for something better really count as a renovation? Yes. In fact, it was the most frequently recommended update for 2026 across the experts we consulted.
Among them is Shelley McIlroy of Shelley McIlroy Design, who notes that ‘These details are easy to overlook, but they quietly elevate an entire home.’ You may not clock them immediately, she adds, ‘but you’ll absolutely feel the difference.’
Hard as it may be with novelty hardware everywhere you look, this is one area where keeping it classic pays off. A playful silhouette can go a long way (Anthropologie remains a reliable source), but committing your entire kitchen to pink resin pulls is the kind of decision that tends to age like milk.
‘I like to choose materials that won’t date quickly, like bronze or unlacquered brass,’ says Silo Studio Design's Gabriela Eisenhart, with New York–based interior designer Alice Moszczynski of Planner 5D echoeing the sentiment, adding, ‘I’m excited to see people move away from default chrome or overly trendy finishes and toward hardware that feels considered – aged brass, unlacquered bronze, soft black, or polished nickel.'
A square towel ring? Absolutely. While finishes are best kept classic, playing with shape is fair game.
If your dresser hardware could convincingly pass as jewelry, you’re on the right track.
Polished nickel is already timeless, but introduce fluted detailing and suddenly your towels have found their forever perch.
4. Integrate Built-In Storage
Building storage directly into the walls frees up precious real estate in kitchens and dressing rooms alike, while also offering a fresh canvas for personal expression.
When the goal is a more organized life, most of us counterintuitively default to buying more: another armoire, another dresser, another storage ottoman. The trouble is that these are often band-aid solutions for a bigger issue, and they end up eating more square footage than you realize.
Building storage ideas into the architecture itself, or reworking the closet flow you already have, does the opposite. It frees up visual space, streamlines daily routines, and makes a home feel calmer and more open without adding a single extra piece of furniture.
‘Rather than expanding closets or adding bulky furniture, I’d love to see more people invest in smarter storage within their existing footprint,’ notes Alice Moszczynski, a New York-based interior designer at Planner 5D.
That can mean anything from built-in benches and a more intentional closet layout to additional shelving in pantries. But it’s often the smaller, less glamorous tweaks that pack the biggest punch. ‘Simple upgrades like drawer inserts, pull-out pantry shelves, toekick drawers, or converting dead cabinet corners can dramatically improve daily life,’ Alice explains.
And if you’re already in a January purging mindset, the timing couldn't be better. ‘People sometimes start the new year by cleaning their house out, so this is a great task to tackle now,’ she adds.
5. Reimagine Your Fireplace
Not every renovation needs to look new. This green-marble revamp of a historic Greenwich Village parlor room reads as though it could have been part of the original 1841 design.
The fireplace, functional or not, still operates as the emotional center of a home. In a living room especially, it’s where the eye lands first, which means it dictates how the entire space is read. If you’re going to make one cozy focal point count, this is it.
‘Fireplaces, much like built-in features, serve as the anchor and often the statement feature of a room,’ explains Atlanta-based designer Gabriela Eisenhart. ‘Visually, they act as the heart of the home, setting the mood for the entire space' – which is exactly why addressing one stuck in the wrong era is such a satisfying renovation to tackle.
There’s a meaningful difference between time-earned materials like antiqued wood or veined Calacatta marble and the glass tile moment that peaked somewhere around 2012. If you’re dealing with the latter, swapping tile, refinishing a too-gray surround, or simplifying the profile altogether can radically shift how the room feels.
And if your fireplace is living in that awkward, almost-right limbo, you’ll be relieved to know this is not a rip-it-out situation. A new mantel or a well-chosen mirror from 1stDibs or Chairish can pull a lackluster hearth out of aesthetic purgatory fast.
If we were to tack on a sixth suggestion, paint would take the cake. Designers consistently say it's quickest way to reset a room’s energy. For inspiration, Homes & Gardens’ favorite colors from last year offer a strong jumping-off point for every room in the house.
