It's no surprise that a placed filled with dreamers and doers would be a mosaic of aesthetics. From artful retreats in the city to soulful getaways in the Hamptons to the sophisticated homes of Connecticut, the region's diversity in design is apparent. The through-line is, too; design here is contingent on individual expression and bespoke execution. Keep reading to discover the latest interior design trends across Greater New York, the Hamptons + Connecticut.
The Big Picture: Exploring Design In Greater New York, the Hamptons + Connecticut
As one of the world’s premiere melting pots, New York is a town where diversity in design (and otherwise) is embraced and celebrated. This translates to a regional vernacular that’s impossible to slap labels on—and a magazine as colorful and varied as the populus. One thing is for certain, though: New Yorkers are passionate about interiors. With a lack of outdoor space and, ahem, suboptimal weather, we turn hungrily to inner worlds: museums, theatres, restaurants, and most of all, our homes.
In New York, good taste means a distinct point of view. We value cultural clout and individuality in design: collections with meaning, interesting art, conversation-sparking furniture and custom elements. Further afield, in the city’s commuter towns and second home markets, the same emphasis on authenticity and sophistication permeates the submissions we publish, albeit with a different set of priorities—whether that’s communion with nature or the sublime luxury of a private garage—and yes, most often, an awful lot more space to spread out.
Oak floors laid in a chevron pattern contrast with the adjacent dining room painted Farrow & Ball’s Off-Black in this Greenwich, Connecticut home designed by Monica Fried. The mixed-media work is by artist Diana Al-Hadid.
What's Trending In Interiors
Loft Living 2.0
Luxury apartment living has headed south, almost in defiance of declarations that the city is dead post-Covid. (The magnificent 50th Anniversary Kips Bay Showhouse, in a first, moved to the West Village this fall.) In turn, I’ve seen a flood of downtown industrial loft conversions in my inbox. Offering generous square footage, high ceilings and a proudly New York architectural envelope, these spaces are being transformed from their gritty connotations of yore with creative floor plans, high-end finishes and incredible millwork programs.
Watering Holes
New Yorkers don’t exactly wear wellness like a badge of honor—we have a cocktail-centric culture. Delightfully, home design is responding with chic spaces built for imbibing. Sacrificing closets in favor of hidden wet bars continues to trend for city apartments and, more recently, salon-inspired living spaces are on the rise.
Escape Culture
Weekend getaways are the ultimate amenity for affluent New Yorkers. While coastal enclaves (the Hamptons, the Jersey shore) hold strong as thriving design markets, Connecticut’s Litchfield County and New York’s Hudson Valley are seeing an influx of wealth and interest. With ample land and privacy on offer, these country settings are luring buyers with antique farmhouses ripe for the renovating and high-end communities like Silo Ridge. As weekend homes are often where New Yorkers entertain and spend their holidays, these properties are receiving the same level of investment and fully-considered design as primary residences—and we’re publishing lots of them.
Lacquered in Farrow & Ball’s Bancha, this Manhattan apartment's hidden bar becomes a glamorous jewel box.
Color Trends Across The Region
Home Tour Highlight
Unusual colors are the order of the day when it comes to palette; colors that are a bit surprising, hard to place, and often, with dusty undertones. I’m seeing blush, russet, celadon, marigold, merlot and chartreuse—and many interesting shades of purple, which has been a fairly off-duty hue for some time.
Last summer we published a Hamptons home designed to feel like a luxurious camp. Every detail in the project is outstanding, but the dining room is wrapped in 360-degree, floor-to-ceiling windows that frame a large koi pond. When dining at sunset, light reflects off the water and onto the ceiling like a video of ripples.
In this Uptown duplex dreamed up by Platt Dana Architects and Hamilton Gray Studio, peaches define the primary bedroom, from the Bauwerk Colour plaster walls and ceiling to the Dedar-fabric Roman shades.
A Yabu Pushelberg for Collection Particulière table from The Future Perfect and Rudi Merz for Nikari chairs from Suite NY furnish the dining room of this Sag Harbor Bay, New York retreat with interiors by Poonam Khanna of Unionworks. (Styling by Tessa Watson.)
Read More Design In Focus Regional Roundups
Crafting Customized Spaces
Designers are thinking beyond paint and paper when it comes to walls and millwork, and we’re seeing a resounding emphasis on unique material applications as well as custom finishes. Think: Plastering, lacquering, eglomisé and back-painted glass techniques, metallization and hand-painted murals and stencils.
From sprawling Hamptons estates to bite-sized Manhattan pied-à-terres, homeowners are also investing in beautiful, furniture-grade storage and cabinetry solutions. Our March/April 2026 issue will spotlight an Upper West Side condo that conceals all manner of wonders behind elegant paneling. The hallway walls are in fact pocket doors encompassing a wet bar on one side and home office on the other. The primary bedroom features a built-in vanity flanked by jewelry box drawers that recess into the wall. Even the powder room conceals a secret shower stall behind a beveled panel. All this in a classic 6! Stay tuned.
Multiple paint colors, including a base coat of Farrow & Ball’s Green Blue, enhance the ornate moldings in this vibrant New Jersey getaway by designer Lucy O'Brien of Tartan & Toile.
Local Designers In The Spotlight
Spaces that are warm yet restrained, offering comfort as well as sex appeal, speak to the current mood of design in New York. Studio Valle de Valle, Studio Mellone and Augusta Hoffman Studio all come to mind as firms who strike these delicate balances.
Read exclusive interviews with top designers in our LinkedIn newsletter.
Design Destinations Worth A Visit
“Livable,” immersive showroom formats are making waves in New York. Soane Britain’s chic faux pied-à-terre on the Upper East Side is such an inviting retail environment. And Quarters’ concept store in Tribeca is pretty jaw-dropping in its scale and design execution. (Bonus points for the on-site wine bar!)
While not so new to the scene, Nine Orchard Hotel remains a favorite design destination. It’s a fabulous example of adaptive reuse, showing the magic that can be made out of architectural gems unsuitable to contemporary lifestyles—in this case, a grand old bank.
The 8,000-square-foot Quarters showroom includes a decorated bedroom, kitchen and dining room, as well as a welcoming bar and lounge.
About The Author
Grace Beuley Hunt is the Home & Design Editor at LUXE Interiors + Design, where she covers the best in high-end residential interior design and architecture. Her role encompasses producing the brand’s Greater New York, Connecticut and Hamptons issue, as well as national interest stories that feature across LUXE’s portfolio of regional magazines and digital media. Grace was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and resides there currently with her husband.
