The features, technologies, and design strategies redefining how homes support health, comfort, and well-being in 2026.
Residential wellness design means different things to different people. If you go back to the birth of the American environmental movement in the 1970s, it meant putting non-polluting products in our homes.
It still does, but it’s about so much more today.
Wellness design is also about making our homes resilient against natural disasters. It’s about keeping people independent at home if their mobility or health levels change. It’s about accommodating multiple generations under one roof. And it’s about home spaces that support our physical and mental wellbeing by being quieter, lower maintenance, more functional, comfortable, more open to nature and, yes, positively joyful.
One of the trends those of us who study this area are seeing is the stress that housing scarcity is creating for millions of our fellow Americans. Why is it wellness designrelated, you ask? There aren’t enough accessible homes for older adults to live independently. There isn’t enough workforce housing for the people who support our communities. And there aren’t enough starter homes for young couples to nurture new family life. The stress of that scarcity creates a wellness deficit. That’s a serious ongoing trend we’re tracking.
Here are five wellness trends that experts across the industry identify, along with some related products.
Affordability Challenge
This dual shower offers a rich experience with recycled water savings. Credit: Kohler
The average first time homebuyer today, according to the National Association of Realtors, is 40. That lack of affordability means that many young families are shut out of the many financial, educational and health benefits of owning their own homes. It’s not just home prices that are creating this fiscal wellness deficit, especially for homes with wellness features. It’s also the rising costs and availability challenges of homeowner insurance, along with the increasing costs of powering, maintaining and repairing a home.
“Perhaps an even more important wellness trend is ensuring that healthy homes are homes buyers can actually afford,” confirms Megan Cordes, sustainability and building science director with Beazer Homes. “At Beazer, we know affordability is top of mind for many homebuyers, and energy efficiency is a critical part of that equation.”
Buying fixtures that conserve water and lighting and appliances that reduce energy consumption can lower utility bills, but one of the best ways to enhance affordability is to buy durable, low maintenance products — whether new or used — that will serve your household well for years.
Whole House Focus
Whole house HVAC system creates more comfort on every level. Credit:Panasonic
“The most significant wellness design trend I see in 2026 is a shift away from simply adding wellness features into a traditional home and toward holistically designing the entire home for wellness from the ground up,” shares custom builder Brandon Bryant with Alair Homes in Asheville, North Carolina. “When wellness is embedded in the architecture itself rather than treated as an accessory — it amplifies every opportunity for healthier living,” he adds.
For someone building a new home or major addition, this approach works well.
Panasonic debuted a new whole house air quality management system called Oasys that is designed for HVAC, energy efficiency and indoor air quality management. Other systems designed for making homes smarter, as well as healthier and more efficient, show up below. It’s a bit more challenging, though not impossible, to retrofit an existing home.
Smart Home Technology Capabilities
Performance management system is a ‘check engine light’ for your house Credit: RIoT Technology
Plan shopping trips and meals with new AI-enhanced smart fridge. Credit: Samsung US
New bathroom device sends health alerts to your phone. Credit: Kohler Health
These have moved from nice to have features for gadget guys to expected wellness amenities for many homebuyers and owners. Smart tech encompasses security, shading, lighting, climate, leak detection, air and water quality monitoring, entertainment and energy management. “I'm a big fan of the whole-home IAQ monitoring systems that can proactively turn on ERVs, vent fans, and range hoods when they sense toxins, VOCs and other particulates in the air,” declares Green Builder Media CEO Sara Gutterman.
Smart home technology also empowers the family cook when shopping or preparing meals with connected appliances that propose recipes based on ingredients in the refrigerator and optimum cooking time for fresh foods. Some, like Samsung’s latest in its Family Hub refrigerator series, have added artificial intelligence to help with grocery lists and meal planning.
Other tech can automate your window coverings to provide shade at the hottest hours and privacy when you need it. And it can alert you to possible health issues with a Dekoda toilet accessory from Kohler Health, a new division of the global plumbing manufacturer. There are so many new products and capabilities, and manufacturers are continually upgrading them, often with over the air updates, similar to your phone or laptop.
“I often say that ‘you can't change what you don't measure’ and that applies to wellness,” Cordes comments. “I've seen a lot of improvement recently in the ability to measure wellness outcomes in homes. A specific example that I've seen is RIoT Technology, which is a home management system that monitors multiple aspects of home performance, including indoor air quality, humidity, energy, and more. Tools like this help close the gap between design intent and realworld performance.”
Resilience Imperative
Leak detection systems with shut-off feature add resilience to your home. Credit: Moen
New fire suppression system uses 90% less water to protect interiors. Credit: Plumis
“Resilience against natural disasters is clearly the most important residential wellness design trend for 2026,” declares Rob Howard, president of Howard Building Science. “In Western North Carolina, we are still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Personally, I have committed to building all of my homes to the FORTIFIED standards moving forward,” he adds, referring to a program developed by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety to create homes built or improved to provide resilience against severe weather.
There’s an IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home program for homes impacted by that risk, as well as wildfire certification for entire communities. There are also products to manage fire within the home. One new to the US offering is Plumis’ Automist system that reduces damage to cabinetry by eliminating the gushing flows of traditional sprinklers that can do as much damage as flame and smoke.
“The most underappreciated wellness story for single family homes is moisture management,” Howard adds. “Most buyers assume that a home built to code will manage moisture effectively, but that is often not the case. Builders have a responsibility to manage bulk moisture and moisture vapor to ensure durability and healthy indoor air quality.”
One of the challenges for homeowners is not knowing there’s a moisture risk until it becomes visible with dripping ceilings, spongy walls or telltale mold. For some issues, leak detectors can help avoid a problem. For others, such as roof penetration, it can be more difficult. By the time a homeowner sees it, the damage can be significant. At the very least, every home should have leak detection technology, whether a whole house system with shutoff or point of use units at appliances and fixtures. Some insurance companies will provide discounts for it.
Comfort Focus
Front porch seating invites neighborly socializing. Credit: Alair Homes / Ryan Theede (Theede Photography)
Recent results from Green Builder Media’s COGNITION study reveal that 63% of surveyed respondents prioritize good natural daylight, and 32% prioritize views of nature and indoor-outdoor living spaces in their homes. “The takeaway,” Gutterman concludes, “is that the most desired wellness features are simple environmental conditions that are aligned with basic human needs.”
Sleep is another of those human needs. Bryant cites thoughtfully placed fixtures, circadian lighting, automated shading and climate controls, indoor air quality and acoustical planning to support it. “Designing a home to protect sleep is one of the highest-impact, least-discussed components of wellness — and it’s long overdue for more attention,” the builder states.
Another need is social connection. Bryant points to front porch community connection as a solution: “We’re rediscovering the front porch as a social wellness tool—an invitation to greet neighbors, slow down, and feel part of something larger than your property line.”
A home that’s well-built, comfortable to live in, healthier, energy efficient, low maintenance, resilient and affordable reduces the stresses that come with modern life.
Jamie Gold, CKD, CAPS, MCCWC is a San Diego-based wellness design consultant and award-winning writer on home design and related topics. She is a senior contributor to Forbes.com and the author of three books. The most recent, Wellness by Design (Simon & Schuster), proved especially helpful in making homes healthier, more functional and safer during and after the pandemic.
Top 5 Residential Wellness Design Trends for 2026
The features, technologies, and design strategies redefining how homes support health, comfort, and well-being in 2026.
Residential wellness design means different things to different people. If you go back to the birth of the American environmental movement in the 1970s, it meant putting non-polluting products in our homes.
It still does, but it’s about so much more today.
Wellness design is also about making our homes resilient against natural disasters. It’s about keeping people independent at home if their mobility or health levels change. It’s about accommodating multiple generations under one roof. And it’s about home spaces that support our physical and mental wellbeing by being quieter, lower maintenance, more functional, comfortable, more open to nature and, yes, positively joyful.
One of the trends those of us who study this area are seeing is the stress that housing scarcity is creating for millions of our fellow Americans. Why is it wellness designrelated, you ask? There aren’t enough accessible homes for older adults to live independently. There isn’t enough workforce housing for the people who support our communities. And there aren’t enough starter homes for young couples to nurture new family life. The stress of that scarcity creates a wellness deficit. That’s a serious ongoing trend we’re tracking.
Here are five wellness trends that experts across the industry identify, along with some related products.
Affordability Challenge
This dual shower offers a rich experience with recycled water savings. Credit: Kohler
The average first time homebuyer today, according to the National Association of Realtors, is 40. That lack of affordability means that many young families are shut out of the many financial, educational and health benefits of owning their own homes. It’s not just home prices that are creating this fiscal wellness deficit, especially for homes with wellness features. It’s also the rising costs and availability challenges of homeowner insurance, along with the increasing costs of powering, maintaining and repairing a home.
“Perhaps an even more important wellness trend is ensuring that healthy homes are homes buyers can actually afford,” confirms Megan Cordes, sustainability and building science director with Beazer Homes. “At Beazer, we know affordability is top of mind for many homebuyers, and energy efficiency is a critical part of that equation.”
Buying fixtures that conserve water and lighting and appliances that reduce energy consumption can lower utility bills, but one of the best ways to enhance affordability is to buy durable, low maintenance products — whether new or used — that will serve your household well for years.
Whole House Focus
Whole house HVAC system creates more comfort on every level.
Credit: Panasonic
“The most significant wellness design trend I see in 2026 is a shift away from simply adding wellness features into a traditional home and toward holistically designing the entire home for wellness from the ground up,” shares custom builder Brandon Bryant with Alair Homes in Asheville, North Carolina. “When wellness is embedded in the architecture itself rather than treated as an accessory — it amplifies every opportunity for healthier living,” he adds.
For someone building a new home or major addition, this approach works well.
Panasonic debuted a new whole house air quality management system called Oasys that is designed for HVAC, energy efficiency and indoor air quality management. Other systems designed for making homes smarter, as well as healthier and more efficient, show up below. It’s a bit more challenging, though not impossible, to retrofit an existing home.
Smart Home Technology Capabilities
Performance management system is a ‘check engine light’ for your house Credit: RIoT Technology
Plan shopping trips and meals with new AI-enhanced smart fridge. Credit: Samsung US
New bathroom device sends health alerts to your phone. Credit: Kohler Health
These have moved from nice to have features for gadget guys to expected wellness amenities for many homebuyers and owners. Smart tech encompasses security, shading, lighting, climate, leak detection, air and water quality monitoring, entertainment and energy management. “I'm a big fan of the whole-home IAQ monitoring systems that can proactively turn on ERVs, vent fans, and range hoods when they sense toxins, VOCs and other particulates in the air,” declares Green Builder Media CEO Sara Gutterman.
Smart home technology also empowers the family cook when shopping or preparing meals with connected appliances that propose recipes based on ingredients in the refrigerator and optimum cooking time for fresh foods. Some, like Samsung’s latest in its Family Hub refrigerator series, have added artificial intelligence to help with grocery lists and meal planning.
Other tech can automate your window coverings to provide shade at the hottest hours and privacy when you need it. And it can alert you to possible health issues with a Dekoda toilet accessory from Kohler Health, a new division of the global plumbing manufacturer. There are so many new products and capabilities, and manufacturers are continually upgrading them, often with over the air updates, similar to your phone or laptop.
“I often say that ‘you can't change what you don't measure’ and that applies to wellness,” Cordes comments. “I've seen a lot of improvement recently in the ability to measure wellness outcomes in homes. A specific example that I've seen is RIoT Technology, which is a home management system that monitors multiple aspects of home performance, including indoor air quality, humidity, energy, and more. Tools like this help close the gap between design intent and realworld performance.”
Resilience Imperative
Leak detection systems with shut-off feature add resilience to your home. Credit: Moen
New fire suppression system uses 90% less water to protect interiors. Credit: Plumis
“Resilience against natural disasters is clearly the most important residential wellness design trend for 2026,” declares Rob Howard, president of Howard Building Science. “In Western North Carolina, we are still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Personally, I have committed to building all of my homes to the FORTIFIED standards moving forward,” he adds, referring to a program developed by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety to create homes built or improved to provide resilience against severe weather.
There’s an IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home program for homes impacted by that risk, as well as wildfire certification for entire communities. There are also products to manage fire within the home. One new to the US offering is Plumis’ Automist system that reduces damage to cabinetry by eliminating the gushing flows of traditional sprinklers that can do as much damage as flame and smoke.
“The most underappreciated wellness story for single family homes is moisture management,” Howard adds. “Most buyers assume that a home built to code will manage moisture effectively, but that is often not the case. Builders have a responsibility to manage bulk moisture and moisture vapor to ensure durability and healthy indoor air quality.”
One of the challenges for homeowners is not knowing there’s a moisture risk until it becomes visible with dripping ceilings, spongy walls or telltale mold. For some issues, leak detectors can help avoid a problem. For others, such as roof penetration, it can be more difficult. By the time a homeowner sees it, the damage can be significant. At the very least, every home should have leak detection technology, whether a whole house system with shutoff or point of use units at appliances and fixtures. Some insurance companies will provide discounts for it.
Comfort Focus
Front porch seating invites neighborly socializing. Credit: Alair Homes / Ryan Theede (Theede Photography)
Recent results from Green Builder Media’s COGNITION study reveal that 63% of surveyed respondents prioritize good natural daylight, and 32% prioritize views of nature and indoor-outdoor living spaces in their homes. “The takeaway,” Gutterman concludes, “is that the most desired wellness features are simple environmental conditions that are aligned with basic human needs.”
Sleep is another of those human needs. Bryant cites thoughtfully placed fixtures, circadian lighting, automated shading and climate controls, indoor air quality and acoustical planning to support it. “Designing a home to protect sleep is one of the highest-impact, least-discussed components of wellness — and it’s long overdue for more attention,” the builder states.
Another need is social connection. Bryant points to front porch community connection as a solution: “We’re rediscovering the front porch as a social wellness tool—an invitation to greet neighbors, slow down, and feel part of something larger than your property line.”
A home that’s well-built, comfortable to live in, healthier, energy efficient, low maintenance, resilient and affordable reduces the stresses that come with modern life.
By Jamie Gold, Guest Columnist
Jamie Gold, CKD, CAPS, MCCWC is a San Diego-based wellness design consultant and award-winning writer on home design and related topics. She is a senior contributor to Forbes.com and the author of three books. The most recent, Wellness by Design (Simon & Schuster), proved especially helpful in making homes healthier, more functional and safer during and after the pandemic.Also Read