Why settle for one when you can have two? This is the prevailing mindset among affluent homeowners as they embrace the latest trends in luxury and high-tech home amenities for 2026. From dual studies for retired couples to outdoor kitchens and double dishwashers, opulence is being redefined. Walk-in wardrobes now feature laundry chutes, and secondary saunas and cold plunge pools are becoming standard in master en suites, complementing family wellness zones.
Nina Maya of Nina Maya Interiors highlights a growing demand among CEOs and entrepreneurs for personal wellness spaces. These spaces, often located in gardens, gyms, or basements, are now being complemented by additional saunas, steam rooms, or cold plunge pools in master en suites. “It’s that immediate access,” Maya explains. “Sometimes if it’s in the garden, it takes a bit of effort to walk down to that area of the house.”
Wellness Retreats at Home
High-end executives and entrepreneurs are leading this trend, seeking to create personal retreats where they can start their day with a sauna session and a cold plunge, all within the confines of their master suite. However, they also desire a separate area in the garden or beneath the house for family enjoyment.
Maya notes an increase in requests for pulsed electromagnetic field therapy mats in home gyms. These mats, when charged, emit electromagnetic fields believed to aid the body’s natural recovery processes, offering benefits such as strengthened immunity, improved sleep, detoxification, pain management, and enhanced mental clarity.
“You can have full-body exposure to that light for 10 minutes a day while you’re working out or getting dressed,” Maya said. “They start from around $2500 up to $7000 for a full-body panel that you can build in, whereas infrared beds can start from $25,000.”
Red light therapy panels are also gaining popularity, particularly full-body panels installed in walk-in wardrobes, master en suites, or gyms. This therapy uses LEDs to target the body’s cells, with devotees claiming benefits like wrinkle reduction, hair growth, wound healing, pain relief, and improved sleep.
Convenience and Grandeur in Design
The trend towards convenience is further exemplified by the increasing popularity of multiple laundry chutes connecting to the main laundry. “If you’ve got a large home, people want an access panel in their wardrobe, in their kids’ bedroom wardrobes, or whatever room you’re in, where you can put the laundry in the chute,” Maya explains. “It’s the convenience of getting the laundry efficiently.”
Architect Vicky Cutler of Cutler & Co Architects emphasizes the importance of a grand entrance in luxury homes. Homeowners desire entry foyers with views leading to outdoor spaces, such as pools and gardens, to create a sense of arrival and luxury. “A round driveway is also popular where you can go one way if you are dropping someone off at the front door, as well as access around the back or side of the house,” she adds.
While marble remains a timeless choice, micro cement is emerging as a trend. This thin cement-based coating, mixed with resins and pigments, can be applied to floors, walls, ceilings, and furniture. Curved staircases are currently in vogue, but Cutler believes sweeping staircases will endure. “Only houses with the right proportion and size can accommodate a large sweeping high stairwell whereas others try to mimic that with a curvy one,” she notes.
Entertainment and Innovation
Interior designer David Hicks observes that in homes valued at $10 million or more, there is an almost checklist-like approach to including amenities such as steam rooms, saunas, Pilates zones, and entertainment areas with commercial-grade bars, glass washers, and ice machines. “More and more people are entertaining at home rather than going out,” he says. “The other trend is glass-encased entertainment zones where they can be opened up to be half inside, half outside.”
Glass is being used innovatively as a showstopper in luxury homes. Hicks recalls a project where the bottom of a pool served as the ceiling of a hallway, and another where a pool’s glass base allowed light to filter into the basement, creating an underwater ambiance.
As these trends illustrate, the luxury home design landscape for 2026 is defined by a blend of convenience, wellness, and grandeur, with homeowners investing in features that enhance both personal and family experiences. As the industry evolves, these innovations are likely to set new standards for opulence and functionality in high-end living spaces.
