High Point Market: The Art of the Collected Home

In April, our designers Jackie Nefzger and Jackie Kiracofe traveled to the Spring High Point Market in High Point, North Carolina. As the world’s largest home furnishings trade show, it featured over 1,500 brands, 11.5 million square feet of showrooms, and keynotes that highlighted how innovation, intentionality, and human-centered design are shaping the future of the industry.

The Spring 2026 theme was Preserve, which views historical elegance through the lens of elevated naturalism, merging neotraditionalism with organic elements. As life becomes increasingly fast-paced and digital, the home is being asked to provide calm, continuity, and meaning. The result is a move beyond aesthetics toward storied, soulful environments.

For us, Market is less about chasing what’s new and more about gathering inspiration we can carry back to our clients’ homes. A trend only matters if it makes a real space feel more personal, more livable, more like you. So instead of simply reporting what we saw, we want to share what genuinely moved our designers this year, and exactly how you can bring those same ideas home. Three things stood out: a return to photography as art, a fearless embrace of pattern, and the rise of deep, moody color.

Let Your Photos Tell the Story

One of the first things our designers noticed was how heavily showrooms leaned on personal photography in their art installations, not just abstract pieces.

“I was so excited to see that art installations were heavy in photography. Photos tell so much more of a story than abstract art, which helps make a space feel more personal. It’s a good reminder that photos can be way more than posed portraits of your family and/or pets,” said Jackie Nefzger.

How to bring it home:

• Pull from your actual life. The travel photo you took, the landscape from a meaningful trip, a candid black-and-white print. These read as art, not as a family photo wall, and they make a room unmistakably yours.
• Treat photography with the same intention as any other piece. Our guide to selecting art for your home walks through framing, matting, and scale so your photos feel curated rather than casual.
• Group thoughtfully. A cluster of personal images can carry real visual weight in a room. Our notes on finding cohesion in your home cover how to balance and organize photos so a grouping feels deliberate.
• Consider the entryway. It’s the first impression of your home and the perfect place for a photo-led gallery wall. See our entryway design tips for arrangement ideas.

Be Fearless With Pattern

This year’s Market leaned firmly into traditional, timeless design. Spaces emphasized rich, tactile fabrics, layered patterns, and wallpaper over the pared-back minimalism of recent years.

Plaid, in particular, has reemerged as a major interior design trend. Typically carrying a more masculine feel, it’s recently been executed in color combinations that let it mix comfortably with softer, more feminine styles.

“If you must stick with a neutral palette, please have fun with patterns and a range of color values,” said Jackie Nefzger. “These can help provide contrast, depth, and structure to a space that feels bland or too monochromatic.”

How to bring it home:

• Start with one anchor pattern, then layer. A bold plaid throw, a striped lumbar pillow, a subtle textured rug. Vary the scale so the patterns play off each other rather than compete.
• Use color value, not just color, to create depth. Even an all-neutral room comes alive when you range from pale oatmeal to deep espresso across your patterns and textures.
• Don’t overthink the rules. Our full guide to pattern mixing breaks down how scale, color, and balance work together, so you can layer with confidence instead of caution.

Go Deeper With Color

Moody, rich, and earthy tones defined the show. Burgundy, deep green, terracotta, and cocoa brown were everywhere, signaling a clear move away from the cool, safe palettes of recent seasons.

“I really hope the deep plums and rich oxblood colors aren’t just a trend! A great option if you want to spice things up and veer away from the ever-so-popular greens and blues,” said Jackie Nefzger.

How to bring it home:

• Commit to the color. These saturated tones reward confidence. If you love a deep oxblood or plum, consider color drenching the walls, trim, and ceiling in one shade for an enveloping, intentional effect.
• Layer in texture so the depth reads as richness, not flatness. Pair a moody wall with a vintage rug, a leather chair, a nubby wool throw. Incorporating different textures and finishes keeps the space from feeling flat or monotonous.
• Mind your lighting. Deep colors absorb light, so plan layered lighting to keep the room feeling warm and inviting rather than dark or heavy.
• Need a starting point? Explore The Interior Collective’s recommendations for the best oxblood paint colors.

Putting It All Together

The themes didn’t live in isolation at Market. The most memorable spaces wove all three together, and one in particular captured it perfectly for our designers.

“This space perfectly captured one of the biggest themes we saw at Market. Rich, saturated color paired with layered texture and organic warmth. I loved how the deep greens, warm auburn tones, and vintage-inspired rug created a space that feels bold and dramatic while still incredibly inviting and livable. It’s a great example of the shift toward more collected, personality filled interiors,” said Jackie Kiracofe.

That’s the real story of Spring 2026: a clear shift toward highly personalized, collected-over-time interiors. Rooms that feel layered, lived-in, and unmistakably tied to the people who live in them.

For a deeper look at everything on the floor, check out the High Point Market Spring 2026 Exclusive Lookbook.

At Dwell, we don’t just follow trends. We get inspired, we listen to your needs, and we translate what we see into spaces that feel like home. Want to see how these ideas come to life? Take a look at our portfolio, then stop by our Coralville showroom to talk through your space with a designer in person. You’re also always welcome to get in touch to get started.