JHDD Interior Report — 2026.09.13

Anam Design Studio’s red travertine kitchen in an East Sussex home signals a deliberate move towards robust, almost primal interior expressions.

These recent projects demonstrate a shared pursuit of spatial integrity through challenging conventional programmatic boundaries. Designers are not merely adapting existing forms but actively interrogating how material presence and human interaction redefine space. This shift emphasizes the inherent tension between a building’s given structure and its newly asserted purpose, demanding a responsive tactile quality that grounds transient or unexpected uses.

Consider Badweather’s Soak, an off-grid bathhouse housed within a 17-metre canal boat. The project’s genius lies not merely in its clever engineering, which allows it to operate without mains connections, but in its unapologetic transient nature. Conventional wisdom often equates luxury with permanence and exclusive access to fixed amenities, often within heavily themed and static environments. Soak directly contradicts this by offering a high-quality, deeply sensory experience that is inherently nomadic and accessible by its very movement. The wood-fired sauna and cold plunge pools are immediate, visceral engagements with basic elements, creating a direct, almost primal human flow that bypasses the overly curated spectacle of many stationary wellness spaces. The spatial tension inherent in a compact, moving vessel providing such profound, expansive physical and mental release challenges the notion that spatial richness requires vast footprints or immovable foundations. Its tactile experience, from the warmth of the wood to the shock of the cold water, is unmediated.

This approach to spatial quality will intensify as clients seek more authentic engagements with their environment. The idea that a structure must remain static to possess inherent value will diminish in influence within the luxury sector. Instead, highly adaptable and reconfigurable typologies will gain traction in high-end residential and hospitality design. Expect to see, by late 2027, luxury projects incorporating modular or mobile elements that allow entire spaces to shift their configuration or even their physical location within a larger site, responding to seasonal rhythms, privacy needs, or occupant whims rather than being dictated by fixed urban grids. This evolution will prioritize the experience of space and its capacity for dynamic change over its immutable form, driven by a growing client desire for personal agency and bespoke responsiveness over their immediate environment. Material choices will increasingly favor resilience and ease of relocation.

The primary opposing force remains the entrenched construction logistics and property development models. These systems inherently favor permanence, fixed infrastructure, and standardized material applications for ease of permitting, financing, and long-term valuation. They actively resist the financial and regulatory complexities introduced by highly adaptive, modular, or transient structures. The emphasis on conventional property valuation through immobility and predictable use cases clashes fundamentally with a dynamic spatial philosophy, such as that embodied by Badweather’s moving bathhouse, which prioritizes experience over fixed asset appreciation.

Interior professionals should begin specifying materials and joinery systems that facilitate dismantling and reassembly, rather than solely permanent installation. This involves actively exploring modular panel systems for walls and ceilings, demountable partitions, and furniture designed not just for transport but for frequent reconfiguration. Such choices extend the practical lifespan and adaptability of designed spaces beyond their initial program, offering clients future flexibility and reducing waste. Tactile quality in these components will be paramount, ensuring that adaptability does not compromise sensory richness.

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Curated References