New year resolutions typically fall into two categories: the small but impactful daily tweaks like swapping that 3pm coffee for green tea, and the grand life milestones like getting the keys to your first home.
But for those who live and breathe design, this annual reset isn’t always about tangible goals: it’s a matter of recalibrating the eye. When your career is built on transforming spaces for others, what does a fresh start look like?
We spoke with two leading designers to find out the resolutions they’re making for their own creative lives in 2026.
For interior decorator Alessandra Smith, 2026 will be about tailoring interiors to individuals rather than caving to the pressure of following trends.
“I’m moving away from interiors designed to please everyone,” she says. “Playing it safe with neutral palettes, or making decisions through the lens of future resale, often results in homes that feel anonymous.”
Alex Hopkins, founder and director of Studio Tate, says her team will move away from design decisions driven by pace or familiarity.
“It’s easy for established approaches to reappear, even when a solution once served a purpose but no longer has enough precision to the context or brief,” she says.
“Value-led design has always underpinned Studio Tate’s work, but we are applying that ethos with greater discipline.”
For Smith, inspiration in 2026 will be found away from the screen.
She plans to carve out dedicated days outside the studio, for fresh inspiration: this means seeing exhibitions and exploring architecture, engaging with makers and walking through neighbourhoods.
“I want to reconnect with textures, materials, colour and form in the real world,” she says.
“When you begin a new project, the instinct is to open Pinterest or Instagram but the endless scrolling can dilute ideas rather than sharpening them.”
In her experience, “constant visual consumption” has led her away from original thinking, instead “pushing you towards what already exists”.
She also hopes to lean further into collaboration with Melbourne’s custom furniture makers, as well as embracing projects where clients are open to creative exploration.
“When there’s trust, curiosity and shared intention, the work becomes naturally richer and the space feels like a natural extension of their owners.”
Hopkins says the studio will be placing greater emphasis on reflection: “By revisiting completed projects and understanding how they’re lived in, it continues to inform how we design and lead.
“Designing with longevity and flexibility in mind, it allows our work to remain relevant, useful and enduring across changing needs and uses.”
Many of us wish for more free time between our commitments, but this is more than a “nice to have” for Smith.
“A full calendar may look productive, but it often compresses the creative process,” Smith explains.
“I want the time to interrogate ideas, refine details and let a concept unfold without urgency.”
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