How can better-planned cities create the conditions for more creative, livable, and resilient urban environments? “Makati Urban Recipes for a City’s Survival,” a colloquium held at the Ayala Museum on September 15, brought together architects and practitioners from the fields of urbanism and the creative economy to discuss how design, planning, and collaboration can address […]
New Year, New Home: 2026 Interior Design Trends for the Filipino Home
As Filipinos embrace the new year and the changes it brings, they are also bringing an introspective look into their living spaces. BluPrint offers a list of interior design trends suitable for the modern Filipino home.
Modern Folk
Modern folk blends traditional craftsmanship, cultural expressions, and natural materials with modern simplicity. This design style taps into the current culture of nostalgia, where heritage is reimagined with contemporary details. Acting as a counterculture to the dominant minimalist style, modern folk embraces patterns, colors, and unique ornamentation, crafting a space that feels both collected and intentional.
Deep, earthy tones, traditional textile weaving, and organic materials are prominent features of this design style. For instance, Filipino indigenous textiles are often integrated into upholstery and decor. In turn, this weaves heritage and design, placing cultural storytelling at the heart of the interior. Ultimately, this allows people to engage with their heritage while balancing it to their modern needs.
Slow Curation
Interior designInterior DesignThe discipline of planning and shaping interior spaces for function, comfort, safety, and beauty. It covers layout, lighting, materials, finishes, furniture, and color, and in the Philippines is a licensedGo to Interior Design Glossary is not exempt from our fast-paced culture, exemplified by ready-to-assemble furniture and online shopping platforms that deliver people’s wants and needs with a mere click. Curating a personal interior design style has never been as accessible. Amidst this noise, an antithesis emerges: the art of slow curation.
Under this framework, interior designInterior DesignThe discipline of planning and shaping interior spaces for function, comfort, safety, and beauty. It covers layout, lighting, materials, finishes, furniture, and color, and in the Philippines is a licensedGo to Interior Design Glossary is defined by the intentional process of collecting furniture pieces that suit your design style over time. This marks a desire for less catalog-looking spaces. Instead, it allows individuals to build their personal style through experimentation. It ensures that their home reflects their personalities and experiences, rather than passing trends.
This can come in the form of mismatched dining chairs purchased from various second-hand thrift stores; ceramic bowls sourced from vintage stores; and art prints crafted by numerous local artists. By focusing on gradual transformation, people allow their homes to adapt alongside them—in both their personal style and changing needs.
Neo Deco
Art Deco, a style celebrating its centenary, is experiencing a contemporary resurgence through Neo Deco. This modern revival of a classic successfully marries the style’s signature 1920s glamour with contemporary functionality and materials.
Features like glossy lacquers are often found in kitchens, especially used on cabinetry, furniture, and accent pieces. Often in bold colors, it creates a sleek, reflective, and high-shine finish that evokes depth and drama. Paired with other materials, such as marble and wood, this feature offers a balanced look in interior spaces.
There is a strong emphasis on geometric patterns in this design style, with curved and sculptural accents serving as complementary silhouettes. In doing so, Neo Deco spaces are characterized by their layered textures. From velvet cushions and ribbed wood to fluted glass and stark lighting, the design style allows indulgence, countervailed with a modern, softer touch.
Elevated Maximalism
Elevated maximalism focuses on a deeply personal and vibrant aesthetic. Acting as a contemporary approach to the “more is more” philosophy, it intentionally crafts a curated space. Its abundance of material, color, and patterns translates into one of visual balance, rather than mere excess.
Saturated color palette, layered textures, and meaningful storytelling are vital elements of the trend. One of the ways in which people express this design style is through pattern splicing. It combines decorative, patterned, and solid-colored tiles to create a curated, layered effect without overwhelming the space. Often seen in kitchen backsplashes and restrooms, this feature establishes a playful character in otherwise auxiliary spaces.
Ultimately, genuine self-expression is the heart of this design trend.
Read More: How to Elevate Your Space with Cloud Dancer
Frequently Asked Questions
Modern Folk acts as a counterculture to standard minimalism by integrating traditional craftsmanship with modern simplicity. Technically, it focuses on weaving heritage into functional spaces. This involves using indigenous textiles for upholstery, organic materials for structural accents, and deep, earthy tones. It allows the modern homeowner to reimagine cultural storytelling without making the space feel like a museum, balancing nostalgia with contemporary needs.
Slow Curation is the antithesis of “fast-paced” design and ready-to-assemble catalog homes. It is an intentional, gradual process of collecting pieces over time rather than buying everything at once. From a design perspective, this creates a “non-catalog” look that evolves with the owner. Examples include mismatched dining chairs from various thrift stores or vintage ceramic bowls, ensuring the home reflects personal experience and experimentation rather than passing trends.
Neo Deco is the contemporary revival of 1920s Art Deco, marrying glamour with modern functionality. A key technical feature is the use of glossy lacquers—especially in kitchens—to create high-shine, reflective surfaces on cabinetry. This is balanced by pairing bold colors with natural materials like marble and wood. The aesthetic is further defined by geometric patterns and layered textures, such as fluted glass, ribbed wood, and sculptural silhouettes.
While based on a “more is more” philosophy, Elevated Maximalism emphasizes visual balance over mere excess. The technical approach involves “pattern splicing,” where decorative, patterned, and solid-colored tiles are combined to create a layered effect. This is most commonly applied to kitchen backsplashes and restrooms to add character to functional areas. It relies on a saturated color palette and layered textures to ensure the abundance of items feels curated and meaningful rather than overwhelming.
Glossy lacquers are becoming a favorite in Neo Deco and Elevated Maximalist designs because they offer a sleek, reflective finish that adds visual depth and drama to a room. Unlike matte finishes, lacquer provides a high-shine surface that interacts dynamically with lighting. When used on accent pieces or kitchen cabinets, it provides a durable, easy-to-clean surface that also serves as a bold decorative statement.
The fourth Manila Interior DesignInterior DesignThe discipline of planning and shaping interior spaces for function, comfort, safety, and beauty. It covers layout, lighting, materials, finishes, furniture, and color, and in the Philippines is a licensedGo to Interior Design Glossary Summit (MIDS) brought together more than 300 delegates for four days of conversations, exhibitions, and design […]
Held at the SMX Convention Center Aura in Taguig City, the first ASEAN Creative Industries Expo by Malikhaing Pinoy (ASEAN MPEx) features nine creative domains, including design, visual arts, digital interactive media, and performing arts. Organized by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the event includes exhibitions, cultural performances, industry talks, and pitching sessions […]
The SSS Building as an Expression of Civic Modernism My favorite modernist landmark in Quezon City is the SSS building on East Avenue. Designed by National Artist for ArchitectureArchitectureThe art and science of designing and constructing buildings, structures, and spaces that are functional, safe, and aesthetically pleasing. It encompasses the planning, design, materials, and techniques […]
Archie G. Carrasco, Chairman and CEO of AGC Power Holdings Corp. (AGC PHC), has been named to The BoF 500 Class of 2026 under the Media category, joining The Business of Fashion’s global community of individuals shaping the fashion industry. Carrasco is among 100 new members from 33 countries and 48 nationalities selected for the […]
Read the issues.
Collect the volumes.
Recommended Video
Tap to Unmute
Unmute
0:00
0:00