Those developing interior and textile products today often still look to trends in colour, material or style. Yet the core of design is shifting elsewhere: towards the values, behaviour and lifestyles of young people.
Textirama closely followed the MarketingTribune study Jongereniconen 2026 and distilled the key implications for textiles and interior. The study is a 10-part series based on more than 160 studies and input from 30 trend experts. It offers a strikingly clear picture of how Generation Z lives, buys and inhabits space — and above all, why.
And that picture is less exotic than we might expect, and at the same time more radical than ever.
1. The key word: “affordable”
The strongest thread running through the research is not sustainability, technology or lifestyle — but affordability.
According to the report, for young people it is all about “accessibility, also for me.”
Not the most beautiful product.
Not the most exclusive brand.
But something they can realistically afford.
This drastically changes their view of interiors.
Concretely, it means:
- no design objects as status symbols
- smart combinations of inexpensive and high-quality
- second-hand becoming normal
- brand logos losing importance
Vintage and second-hand luxury are explicitly gaining popularity because they last longer and offer affordable prestige.
For textiles, this marks a turning point:
sustainability becomes first and foremost an economic argument — not an ecological one.
Repairable, timeless and modular outweighs fashionable.
2. Authenticity over perfection
Gen Z immediately sees through forced trends. Brands that simply copy without original ideas are rejected.
They look for:
- authenticity
- personality
- story
The same shift is visible in fashion: logo-free clothing, simple materials and vintage combinations are becoming more popular than conspicuous branded items.
What does that mean for interiors?
The home is no longer a showroom, but a personal diary.
So:
- no perfectly styled catalogue interiors
- but mix-and-match
- visible repairs
- handmade elements
- patina
Textiles (curtains, carpets, upholstery) become more important than furniture: they are the easiest way to give a space identity without major investments.
3. The unexpected trend: calm
Perhaps the most important insight from the study:
Gen Z is not the loudest generation — but the most overstimulated.
Trend watchers even speak of a “right to calm” and a move towards quiet culture: smaller settings, silence and intimate environments replacing the big and busy.
Young people seek a “soft cocoon” and a safe space to decompress.
And that is precisely where the textile sector becomes directly relevant.
Why textiles suddenly matter so much.
Textile is the primary material of comfort:
- acoustic dampening
- tactility
- warmth
- a sense of shelter
Where lighting once defined interiors, today acoustics and softness are becoming decisive.
Think of:
- heavy curtains
- textile wall coverings
- carpets
- soft partitions
- textile ceilings
Not as decoration — but as mental infrastructure.
4. Living is no longer status, but function
Gen Z no longer sees work, life and identity as one fixed role. Work consists of multiple choices and roles at once.
And that changes housing too.
The home must simultaneously be:
- a workplace
- a place of rest
- a social space
- a creative space
And above all: flexible.
The new interior question:
Not: How do I furnish my home?
But: How can my space adapt to my day?
That is why soft, movable and modular solutions are gaining ground:
- curtains as room dividers
- acoustic textile panels
- mobile upholstery
- temporary zones
Textile thus becomes an architectural material.
5. The influence of digitalisation (that no one saw coming)
Another striking insight: young people are extremely digital — yet they react against it at the same time.
They are inspired by social media (64% purchase more quickly after seeing inspiration there), but in physical life they seek:
- intimacy
- tactility
- human experiences
They prefer one meaningful experience over constant consumption.
And that explains a paradox:
the more digital life becomes, the more important materials you can feel become.
In other words, textile becomes the counterweight to the screen.
6. Is this really new?
Yes… and no.
Young people still seek:
- identity
- a sense of belonging
- comfort
Previous generations did too.
The difference lies in the context:
- high housing prices
- mental pressure
- digital overstimulation
- climate awareness
As a result, their consumption behaviour shifts:
from ownership → to use
from status → to meaning
from design → to wellbeing
And that is precisely why interiors are becoming less an aesthetic discipline and more a wellbeing discipline.
Conclusion
The Jongereniconen 2026 research shows that Gen Z does not want a design revolution — but a living revolution.
They seek:
- affordability
- calm
- authenticity
- flexibility
And surprisingly, much of the answer comes from one material category: textile.
Not as finishing touch.
Not as decoration.
But as an instrument to make spaces softer, quieter and more personal.
The interior world still often thinks in furniture and form.
Young people think in feeling and mental space.
The next generation of interior design will therefore not be driven by architecture alone.
But by atmosphere. And atmosphere is almost always textiles.
