With the new year quickly approaching, design teams forecast their predictions for color trends in 2026. These picks inspire interior designers and clients when styling a new home or renovation. The trend across the board is a grounding in natural and neutral colors from white, brown and green. Sherwin-Williams’s pick of Universal Khaki is described as, “An essential neutral selected by our color experts for its beautiful balance of livability and longevity.” Pantone’s unveiling of Cloud Dancer was repeated across headlines after it’s release. It is described as, “Lofty white…
Read MoreAuthor: Sofia Feeney
Stable Construction Labor Market
Analysis from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) shows that the construction labor market remained relatively unchanged through October. This information originates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). However, the current level of open jobs is down measurably from two years ago. This decline aligns with the decrease in residential construction activity. While majorly unchanged the labor market was at 7.67 million in October compared 7.66 million the month prior. There is some notice that Federal Reserve’s decision to reduce interest rate…
Read MoreInterior swinging door market grows
As trends across the remodeling industry shift the interior swinging door market shows major growth. According to research from market.us, they expect an estimate of growth of around USD 1.5 Billion by 2034, from USD 1.0 Billion in 2024. This indicates growth a CAGR of 4.2% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. While some experts think that open concept layouts will be phased out in 2026, this opens opportunities for growth in the door market. “The growing preference for minimalist flush-panel swinging door designs is emerging as a key trend in the Interior…
Read MoreDespite lumber price drop construction materials price rises
Overall the price for construction materials rose month to month according to the producer price index (PPI) report. Coming from a backlog of information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) due to the government shutdown, only now is new information being released. In September, the consumer price index (CPI-U) showed a 3.0 percent year-over-year rise in the seasonally adjusted all-items. With lumber, a hot topic in turns of material price and trade, softwood lumber price index dipped this month while the soft plywood price index grew. Other construction materials…
Read MoreOptions for remodelers at IBS 2026
Remodelers make up about a fourth of all NAHB members and will have access to educational resources at the 2026 NAHB International Builders’ Show® (IBS). Taking place in Orlando from Feb 17–19, IBS offers remodelers opportunities to hone their skills and business practices through education sessions. The sessions for attendees include “Avoiding Costly Mistakes: Remodeling Project Management Best Practices,” hosted by Adam Finch from Melloul Blamey Construction, this opportunity will outline strategies for planning, scheduling, budgeting and delivering projects on time. A session on market outlook for 2026 will reveal…
Read MoreU.S. Lumber Coalition Responds to Mass. Governor Healey
The U.S. Lumber Coalition made a statement to Massachusetts Governor Healey on the claim that lumber imports cause housing pricing affordability issues. On Oct. 14, the additional 10% tariff on softwood lumber and timber imports took into effect. This increases the current tariffs on Canadian lumber to a total of 45%. Currently, up to 85% of all U.S. lumber imports hail from Canada. While some hardwood and lumber companies across the U.S asked for federal support because of the effect of tariffs on their businesses, the U.S. Lumber Coalition is in support of enforcement…
Read MoreLowe’s CEO predicts a home renovation boom in 2026
Lowe’s CEO, Marvin Ellison is reaping a 6% boost in the chain’s stock, he expects success to continue to 2026 with an upwards trend in renovations. In an interview with Yahoo Finance, the CEO described a perfect equation for renovation activity, “Americans have “significant equity” of an “average of $400,000 in equity per home,” said Ellison. “We expect homeowners to start, at some point, to tap into these … home equity lines of credit (HELOC) to start to finance larger, more discretionary home improvement projects, because they’re going to be…
Read MoreCensus releases August construction report
Delayed by 42 days because of the government shutdown, the Census presented their August construction spending report this week. The overall construction in August bounced back a bit, 0.2 percent, above the revised July estimate. However it is 1.6 percent below the August 2024 estimate. Looking at private construction projects, spending rose 0.3% in August compared to July. Residential construction remains in the positive, with a reported 0.8% increase in investment. However a report from Reuters suggested, “But outlays on new single-family housing projects dropped 0.4%. Spending on multi-family housing…
Read MoreDesign trends popular for the last half of 2025
Designers report the market is shifting away from the neutral minimalist color schemes and design trends as we wrap up 2025. Melissa Dittmann Tracey from the The National Association of Realtors shares her insight on where these trends are heading. First she indicates that the market will gravitate towards layered textures like boucle, grasscloth, plaster, zellige tile, fluting and handcrafted details. “Texture can adds warmth, depth and subtle dimension to spaces,” said Tracey. “It also adds personality, welcoming homeowners to reach out and touch.” The pendulum of style is greatly…
Read MoreRemodeling rising to the top of the residential construction market
Remodeling activity including firms and employment is growing in the residential construction market. The National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) analyzed the quarter-century of Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data and found that the rise of remodelers is not a a short term trends, but a possible market shift. As the U.S. housing economy is currently unfavorable for middle class homeowners looking for starter or move-up homes. Life still happens to homeowners for example welcoming a child or need for multigenerational living, therefore the demand is there for more…
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