AESTHETICS & DESIGN
DESIGNING FOR
REALITY, NOT PERFECTION
POLISHED IS OUT. REAL IS IN. RESTAURANT INTERIORS FOR 2026 ARE WARMER, ROUGHER, AND MORE HUMAN – TRADING GENERIC GLOSS FOR CRAFT, TEXTURE AND SPACES DESIGNED TO LAST.
As restaurants continue to redefine their value beyond the plate, interior design is becoming one of the most powerful tools for connection, differentiation and longevity. For 2026, the message from leading designers is clear: the era of polished sameness is giving way to something far more grounded, tactile and human.
Real materials, real hands, real places
Materiality is at the heart of restaurant design in 2026, but with a renewed focus on authenticity over novelty.
Aidan Hart, Creative Director at Inhouse, says this year we’ re shifting away from overly refined surfaces.“ We’ re moving away from the overly polished and embracing the authentic. Material choices are becoming more tactile and natural, with an emphasis on longevity. Think handmade tiles, unlacquered metals that age gracefully, and warm woods.”
Andrew Makin, Architect and cofounder of System Architecture, echoes this sentiment.“ For 2026 and every other year, it’ s about real things, for real reasons, in real materials, made by real people, in real places, with real dignity, care and attention, for real people who want real life.”
Bespoke furniture and custom millwork are also on the rise, replacing off-the-shelf solutions with pieces designed specifically for each space. In a South African context, this often means working with local stone and indigenous woods, allowing natural imperfections to become part of the narrative, rather than something to hide.
86 TRADE & TASTE / 2026