Each year Design & Construction Week evokes inspiration for home updates, a remodel, or best yet building the most functional stylish home from the ground up. Thousands of professional contractors, designers, home improvement industry executives, and media fill two convention centers that house the NKBA Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) and NAHB International Builders Show (IBS) to see, feel, touch and experience incoming 2026 home trends for indoor and outdoor spaces.
From smart technology and sustainability to wellness and outdoor living, these home trends straight from the 2026 International Builders Show are all about refining our daily rituals.
9 Home & Construction Trends for 2026 from the NAHB International Builders’ Show
Beach House Shake Shingles | Clopay SmartGlass | Construx Building Systems | GE Smart Shades | Honeywell Home Smart Thermostat | Quaker Windows & Doors High-Impact Windows | Legrand Outlets & Switch Plates | Carrier HVAC | Ring Elite 4k 360° Security Camera
View more 2026 home trends from Design & Construction Week
Beach House Shake’s tando composite cedar exteriors provide style with longevity
A major 2026 home trend from KBIS/IBS is “resilient curb appeal”. Beach House Shake shows us this with exterior design trends centered on long-term performance just as much as curb appeal.
Natural beauty never goes out of style. Imagine cedar shingles that look as flawless decades from now as they did on installation day. Beach House Shake makes that vision a reality, combining innovative tando composite technology with remarkable authenticity and architectural precision. Each shingle is thoughtfully crafted to capture the subtle variations, texture, and character of real cedar—so no two are exactly alike—delivering timeless beauty without the passage of time showing through.
Homeowners and builders can view Beach House Shake’s 2026 trending composite shingles on their site, or at one of their official Beach House Shake dealers near you.
Clopay Avante® smart glass garage doors extend living space and preserve privacy
Garages are no longer just for parking cars. More homeowners are converting garages to functional spaces like home gyms, offices, studios, and entertaining spaces. Starting with the garage door can truly elevate a space with Clopay’s new Avante® garage door with C Power. This glass door switches from clear to opaque with a wireless remote, giving homeowners instant control over light and privacy. The patented C Power™ system delivers power directly to each section of the door, so there are no exposed wires or design compromises. Simply set the glass to clear to enjoy natural daylight and outdoor views, and switch it to opaque when you want privacy, reduced glare, or a cozier feel for your newly added functional space.
If Clopay’s Avante® smart glass garage doors are a trend that you want to add to your home in 2026, homeowner’s can request a quote or design their own custom door on the Clopay site.
Construx Building Systems rebuilds the future of house framing
One of the best home building trends wasn’t decorative at all, but showcased structural resilience.
Construx Building Products is rethinking traditional stick framing with a precision-engineered system built to a one-sixteenth inch tolerance that locks together with rigid, self-aligning connections. The result is framing that’s consistently straight, plumb, and square, while also exceeding 185-mile-per-hour wind load requirements in approved markets.
As labor shortages continue to challenge the building industry, systems that can reduce time spent on labor, permitting, and inspections are becoming part of the larger efficiency conversation. It’s not something you’ll ever see once drywall is up, but at this year’s show, the emphasis on durability, speed, and smarter building methods made solutions like this especially relevant.
While Construx Building Systems is new, homes are currently being built with the technology in South Carolina and Wisconsin, and it was designed to meet or exceed all existing building codes throughout the United States.
Consumers interested in building with Construx Building Systems can learn more about the building process on the Construx site.
GE Lighting smart shades
Smart home technology should make life easier, not more complicated. GE Lighting smart shades offer an evolved approach to automated window treatments that focus on simplicity, flexibility, and beautiful design. GE Lighting’s compatible shades can be controlled with the included remote or through Matter enabled platforms including Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home, and Samsung SmartThings. I prefer these shades because you can create automated schedules for privacy and energy efficiency right from your app or with voice control. The best part? Its screw free installation creates a clean, elevated look with white or black aluminum frames and fabric options in soft gray or white, all assembled in the USA.
GE Lighting smart shades are available on Amazon and the GE site.
Honeywell Home X8S smart thermostat moves beyond temperature control to lead the next smart home innovation
Smart home technology was less about flashy gadgets and more about consolidation, meaning fewer apps, fewer wall controls, and more meaningful integration at this year’s show. A standout product that is leading consolidation is the Honeywell Home X8S smart thermostat.
This smart thermostat not only manages temperature, but can also stream live videos from compatible First Alert or Ring doorbells directly onto its five-inch touchscreen. It also monitors indoor air quality and HVAC performance, sending alerts when something is off, helping homeowners gain whole-home awareness. Homeowners want smart systems that work together, not separately, to manage its smart home ecosystem in one place. Smart home gadgets and app consolidation is a home trend that we will see more of in 2026 as more smart home brands come together.
The Honeywell Home X8S Smart Thermostat is available through the Honeywell Home site, Amazon, The Home Depot, and other major home improvement stores.
Quaker Windows & Doors OPTICORE® and SOLIDCORE™ bridges beauty and quality with high-impact approved windows
Quaker Windows & Doors caught my attention because not only are they stunning with architecturally focused designs they also are engineered for all places home, and commercial – but the 2026 line up really showed off an expanded line of impact-rated products, that can handle the demands of coastal markets. They’ve been making products for almost a century and you could really experience it when you stepped into their booth. The booth showed off their proprietary technologies—such as OPTICORE® and SOLIDCORE™—enhance energy efficiency, improve acoustic performance, and strengthen long-term durability across diverse climates and applications.
Quaker Windows & Doors OPTICORE® and SOLIDCORE™ technologies are available to both home and commercial building. So both homeowners and business owners can join the 2026 home trend of visually appealing and high-quality building materials that can withstand whatever mother nature and father time throw at them, and timeless enough to stand up against trend forecasts.
Learn more about integrating Quaker Windows & Doors into your home or business on the Quaker Windows & Doors site.
Legrand transforms outlets, a common eyesore, to functional and stylish home feature
Legrand thinks about the finishing touches! You never knew there could be so much functionality and style in your outlets and switch plates. From multifunctional outlets with USB and USBC, to pop-up peekaboo to hide them away when not in use – you’ll never look at your outlets so one dimensional again. Not to mention enhanced charging speed – some of the fastest on the market they tell me. Don’t forget about style too, I called the switch plates the cover plates, also known as the cover models adding a decorative style to wherever your outlet is.
This is the perfect answer to the growing home trend of hiding or stylizing common household appliances and fixtures. We all need outlets, but going beyond the common norms helps homeowner achieve a more beautifully curated home.
Here are a few of my favorite Legrand outlets and switch plate options from 2026 IBS:
- The peekaboo Kitchen Countertop Outlet.
- USB Fast Charging Outlets & Stations, demo shows charging speeds and Legrand solutions, which are among the fastest on the market.
- New adorne® wall plate collection, which features tons of design-centric options for colors, and finishes that are a step above regular wall plates, switches, dimmers, and outlets.
Homeowners and stylists alike can shop all of the Legrand’s beautiful home products at the Legrand site.
Carrier’s more efficient HVAC takes smart home energy and savings to the next level
Carrier’s newest HVAC system combines a redesigned air handler, a high efficiency, variable speed heat pump, and smart thermostats built to meet SEER2, HSPF2, and ENERGY STAR® standards. Designed for electrification and easy service, it features adaptive controls, over-the-air updates, and InteliSense™ remote diagnostics. The compact Performance™ Series Air Handler is lighter, easier to install in tight spaces, and simplifies setup and maintenance with built-in NFC and smart monitoring.
Take a closer look at Carrier’s HVAC systems.
- Carrier Performance™ Series Next Gen Air Handler
- Carrier Performance™ Variable-Speed Heat Pump – 27VPA9
Find a local Carrier HVAC dealer to upgrade your system this year.
Ring Elite raises the bar for smart commercial and home security with 4K 360° real-time monitoring
I was so excited to see all of the innovation in the Ring booth – specifically for jobsite and professionals, but of course it can be used at home! Keep your eye out for Ring Elite – it redefines what modern security can look like.
Built around a powerful multi-lens system, it captures a seamless panoramic view—blending multiple Retina-quality 4K perspectives into a single, richly detailed image that reveals more of your property with fewer blind spots. Designed to adapt to everything from compact entryways to expansive spaces, Ring Elite delivers clarity, coverage, and confidence at a level that feels as considered as it is advanced.
Interested in the Ring Elite system? Sign-up to be the first know about Ring Elite updates and availability.
Personalization, performance, and smart design define 2026 smart home trends at Design and Construction Week
With hundreds of brands exhibiting at Design and Construction Week this year, the biggest trends continue to be about personalization, performance, and smarter living. Whether it is a garage door that transforms at the touch of a button, outlets and switch plates that bring function and style, or window shades that quietly adapt to your lifestyle, these design and smart home innovations are helping homeowners create spaces that are as functional as they are modern.
Stay tuned for more from Design & Construction Week when we share the best 2026 home trends from the Kitchen & Bath Show.
FAQ
Our answers to some common questions about home and building trends the NAHB International Builders’ Show at Design & Construction Week 2026.
Don’t see your question below? Ask it in the comments and we will get back to you with an answer.
What exactly is Design and Construction Week (DCW)?
Design and Construction Week is the massive co-location of the NAHB International Builders’ Show (IBS) and the NKBA Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS). In 2026, it brought over 117,000 professionals to Orlando to see the latest in residential construction and interior design under one (very large) roof.
What was the overarching “theme” for 2026 home trends?
The “wow factor” has shifted from flashy, standalone gadgets to consolidation and invisibility. Homeowners no longer want ten different apps; they want “unified ecosystems” where the technology—like GE’s smart shades or Honeywell Home’s X8S thermostat—works together quietly in the background.
Why are garage doors becoming a major focus for remodelers in 2026?
As the “flex space” trend continues, the garage is being reclaimed as a gym, office, or ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit). Products like the Clopay Avante with C Power allow these spaces to feel like true living areas by using smart glass to balance natural light with instant privacy.
Are “impact-rated” windows only for people living in hurricane zones?
While essential for coastal markets, impact-rated products like those from Quaker Windows & Doors are trending everywhere for their “secondary” benefits: significantly better soundproofing (acoustic performance) and increased home security against break-ins.
What is the most important “hidden” trend for new builds in 2026?
Structural Efficiency. Because of ongoing labor shortages, the industry is moving toward systems that are “plug-and-play.” Whether it’s self-aligning framing or HVAC systems designed for easier “NFC” setup, the goal is to build faster and more accurately with smaller crews.
