The UK’s most beautiful homes for 2026 have been revealed

With autumn in full swing and a clock change on the horizon, you might be redirecting your attention to your home.

We’re talking full cosy season, with throws, candles, and perhaps a new colour scheme or two. It’s always good to have a project, right?

In case you need some inspo, the Ufurnish Home Awards have wrapped for 2026, and the winners have been revealed.

In partnership with Metro, the awards celebrate some of the most creative minds in interiors, spanning 19 categories and showcasing the extraordinary homes were ordinary people live.

This year, there were DIY projects aplenty, as well as bold colours, eye-catching prints, and timeless neutrals.

Best Bathroom – Nick Toteda

A bathroom doesn’t just need to be a functional space – for Nick Toteda, it’s so much more.

Nick wanted his bathroom to feel like a living room, and went as far as to install curtains and a vanity unit.

He also previously took part in Metro‘s longstanding What I Own series.

When they initially looked at their South West London four-bed in 2022, they were turned off by just how much work would need to be done.

After a lot of reflection — and a second viewing — they decided to take a chance on a property that would need some TLC.

Best Bedroom – Emily Murray

Emily describes her bedroom as an absolute ‘dream’ set-up, which was modelled on one of her favourite country houses in Somerset.

A huge lover of pink, she opted for a softer take on the colour, including subtle candy shades.

Best Before and After Transformation – Emily Barratt

Emily is no stranger to turning her home upside down.

Over the years, she’s tried quite a few transformations, but it was her bathroom which stuck out the most, previously a small, unused space at the top of the house.

There was paint peeling off the walls and bare, exposed floorboards with nothing covering them. Now, it’s a space the family uses every day.

Best DIY Creation – Ben Irurzun

A previous contestant on series five of Interior Design Masters, Ben is no stranger to DIY.

What won him the accolade for Best DIY Creation was an apothecary cabinet, which he constructed using 12 small drawer units from IKEA.

He stuck them all together, stained the wood to give it a different colour, and, finally, added handles and vintage-style apothecary labels.

Best Entertaining Space – Kerry Davison

Kerry describes her dining room as the ‘heart’ of their home, where ‘every social gathering starts.’

Think wood, greenery, and plenty of soft neutrals. She hasn’t skimped on the detail, either, as there’s a cinema room, a hot tub, and a dining area.

Best First Impressions – Suzy Broome

Suzy has nailed the kurb appeal of her home, with green, orange and yellow tiling leading up to a fun, bright orange door, all designed in keeping with her Victorian home. And she did all the DIY herself, too.

Best Garden – Donna (Little Stone Cottage On T’Hill)

Donna’s garden is a sea of fairy lights, sofas, and plush flower beds.

Every corner has something going on, proving that, with a particularly warm summer behind us, the garden is an extension of a home.

So, why not treat it like another room?

Best Hallway – Lara Bezzina

When Lara first opened her front door, she completely fell in love with her house. So, when she was designing her hallway, it only made sense to follow that feeling.

She wanted it to be bold, warm and welcoming, so she chose a marble, diamond-patterned floor, which she laid herself.

Best Home – Jade Fish

Jade has focused on bringing her personality into her home, incorporating muted, earthy colours.

Having lived in Somerset her whole life, references to nature are a huge element, with green garlands, wreaths, and a wall full of chopped wood.

Best Home Office – Tamzin McGillen

Tamzin’s home office doesn’t just follow one theme: the room is split in two, with one side decorated to her taste, and the other her partner’s.

As such, one side of the room is pink with flowered wallpaper, and the other a soft green.

Who said working from home needed to be boring?

Best Interior Content Creator – Maxine Austin

With 151,000 Instagram followers, Maxine’s aim is to help others build colourful, characterful homes.

She has a passion for DIY and has given a new lease of life to second-hand pieces, as well as trying out new techniques with built-in furniture and panelling.

Plus, with four children, she’s all about creating a family-oriented environment – and often gets her little ones involved in the journey.

Best Kitchen – Peter Irvine

With a rustic look, Peter’s kitchen is a vision of wooden cupboards, white-washed walls, and a stone sink.

Cooking isn’t the only thing that happens here, either: he’s placed a spotlight on communal eating, with a long, wooden table, and plenty of space to host.

Best Living Room – Natasha Landers

A quarter of a century after moving into her Walthamstow home, Natasha has brought her personality into the space and started renting out her home as a filming location to various production companies.

When she took part in What I Own, she told Metro: ‘In the living room, I wanted to experiment with colour blocking. I’m rebellious, so I didn’t want to just do a chimney breast in one colour.

‘Art is important to my space, but if it wasn’t, I wanted it to look like there was art on the walls.’

Best Nursery or Children’s Room – Lisa Weaver

After Lisa’s son was diagnosed with a rare genetic syndrome, she knew she wanted to create a loving space for him that accommodated his needs without feeling like a hospital room.

The prospect of installing ceiling tracks and hoists felt nothing but clinical, so she was determined for it to feel ‘joyful, imaginative, and truly his.’

There’s a toy octopus in the corner, a fish mural on the wall, and even a lamp decorated to look like a jellyfish.

Best on a Budget – Orima Kamalu

When Orima and her husband first moved into their Bristol four-bed, they started on a high.

The pair managed to secure their property for £629,000 – which was £36,000 less than the asking price.

Orima was also keen to channel her creativity into her new house, with bold colour choices and chic furnishings. And, knowing she had a job ahead of her to transform the look of her kitchen, she spent around £590 doing it up.

Best Seasonal Styling – Pandora Maxton

Every year, Pandora looks forward to Christmas, so she can style her tree with countless colourful bows, twinkly lights, and baubles.

The Yuletide isn’t the only excuse Pandora uses to decorate her home.

The table is decorated with tiny pumpkins and spooky-looking candles for Halloween, while last Easter, she made a wreath featuring tiny, hand-painted eggs.

Best Use of Colour – Laura Hall

Laura has always channelled her creativity into the spaces around her.

Even as a child, she’d rearrange the furniture in her bedroom and insist on fanciful colour schemes.

Inside her home, there are bright pillows everywhere, bold patterns on the walls — and there’s no such thing as too much colour.

Overall Public Vote Winner – Astrid Dolan

After she lost her husband when their second daughter was a baby, Astrid decided to channel her energy into her interiors.

She took the transformation of her daughter’s room slow, but found it helped her during an ‘immensely hard time of grief.’

‘I am so proud of it,’ she wrote on Instagram. ‘It represents a little part in my healing journey.’

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk

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