Marie Claire – Interior Design: When Well-Being Becomes the New Definition of Luxury

In the July 2026 edition of Marie Claire Switzerland, Renata Koglin, interior architect and founder of RK Interiors, reflects on the room that has most quietly changed status in recent years: the bathroom. Through the lens of neuro-architecture and biophilic design, she shows how well-being, rather than accumulation, is redefining what luxury means in 2026, turning a once purely functional space into something intimate, sensorial and deeply personal.

Milan Sets the Tone

At the Salone del Mobile and during Milan Design Week, one idea stood out: we are no longer looking only for beautiful spaces, but for spaces that make us feel good. The bathroom follows this movement naturally. Curved forms, natural materials, soft light and less rigid lines create more enveloping environments, where sensation takes precedence over perfection. It is a discreet shift in appearance, but a profound one in the way we inhabit the space.

A Bathroom Designed for the Senses

Contemporary luxury lies less in accumulation than in experience. Textures become more tactile, lighting more adjustable, and every detail is chosen for the sensation it evokes rather than the function it serves alone. Instead of putting things on display, the space invites us to feel. This logic applies as much to the residential bathroom as to commercial environments seeking to welcome people with greater care.

The Olfactory Signature

Among the senses, one gains unprecedented prominence: smell. Scents hold a particular connection with emotional memory, and a few notes of eucalyptus, citrus or wood are sometimes enough to immediately shift our perception of a space. It is no coincidence that brands such as Aesop and Diptyque have turned everyday gestures into genuine sensory experiences. Fragrance is no longer a detail; it becomes part of the emotional architecture of the space.

Comfort That Becomes Discreet

Comfort, too, grows quieter. Technical elements that were once hidden now take part in the overall atmosphere, integrating function and aesthetics without visual noise. Brands such as Tubes Radiatori or Vola show how heating, water and finishes can be conceived as part of the experience rather than obstacles to it. The result is a space where nothing is superfluous and everything has intention.

Well-Being as the New Luxury

Perhaps the question is not only how we want to inhabit our spaces, but how we want to feel each day. The trends of 2026 — organic forms, natural materials, olfactory signatures, soft and adjustable light, integrated and discreet comfort — all point in the same direction: caring for ourselves. More than decorating a room, it is about creating a place of reconnection, where well-being is not an accessory but the very purpose of the space.

With this publication in Marie Claire, Renata once again affirms her distinctive approach to interior design: one where emotion, well-being and conscious living are at the core of how we inhabit our spaces.