You don’t have to be religious to adopt the principles behind one of 2026’s most notable interior design trends: a turn towards the monastic. From candle sconces and limewashed walls to stained glass and rustic wood, peaceful yet characterful spaces are top of the wish list for the year ahead.
Howard Byrom, founder of Society Antiques—who himself owns a former Methodist chapel—sums the aesthetic up nicely. “Simplicity is key, along with natural, unfussy materials. It’s utilitarian rather than performative. Native and close at hand rather than exotic, with soft furnishings kept to a minimum.”
The trend is perhaps best exemplified by destinations such as Hôtel du Couvent, a restored 17th-century convent in Nice. With simple wooden beds dressed in creamy linens, stone archways, and plaster reliefs hung above beds, it offers a modern interpretation of traditional monastic life—pared-back and luxurious, rather than cold and echoing. Byrom also mentions the Edwin Lutyens-designed Castle Drogo kitchen in Devon, UK, as a great example.
The sculptor Emily Young lives in a former monastery in southern Tuscany, which she bought from a family friend after years of careful restoration. “The early 1600s architecture was strong and graceful, and the acoustics glorious,” she says.
While the space is filled with books, paintings, a piano, and an array of plants, restraint is central. “The simple approach always works best here,” she says, noting that for all of its austerity, it is as calm and tranquil a space as they come.
Elsewhere, make-up artist Isamaya Ffrench takes a darker, more gothic approach. Her home features a large soot-blackened stone fireplace, religious iconography, and vaulted, beamed ceilings. Sparse and deliberately “cold,” in her own words, it proves that the monastic look is versatile.
6 tips for building a monastic space at home
If you live in a cavernous house with a generous fireplace, you’re already halfway there. But even without monastic bones, there are ways to emulate the aesthetic:
Try bare floorboards or stone floors
Stone floors, long favoured in monastic buildings for their durability and use of local materials, remain a timeless choice underfoot. In Young’s home, original brick and stone flooring runs throughout. “Failing stone floors, bare floorboards will do,” says Byrom—a look that’s often more accessible. Opt for reclaimed oak or pine: woods that have lived a life and bear the marks and imperfections of age.