THE INSPIRATION PLACE PODCAST
Miriam Schulman: If you want to sell art in 2026, you need to understand where collectors are emotionally and esthetically, and decor trends are clues. They tell us what people crave and what they’re willing to invest in emotionally and financially. And I’m going to break down deeper cultural forces behind those trends.
Speaker 2: It’s The Inspiration Place podcast with artist Miriam Schulman. Welcome to The Inspiration Place podcast, an art world insider podcast for artists by an artist, where each week we go behind the scenes to uncover the perspiration and inspiration behind the art. And now your host, Miriam Schulman.
Miriam Schulman: Hey, it’s Miriam Schulman here and welcome back to the Inspiration Place podcast. Today we’re going to be talking about the future of our collecting. It’s kind of like through the frame of what 2026 home decor trends reveals. And I know I’ve kind of covered this ground in different ways a few times before, but it’s kind of like a diamond where you want to, like, turn that diamond and look at the diamond from different angles, and it’s such good information. I know people love these episodes because it really helps you think about your art differently. One of the things I shared inside of my Artist Incubator coaching session lately, I was talking to an artist who paints kind of small plein air paintings and her challenge about going bigger. And I said, listen, Sandy, don’t think about it as you’re painting bigger because it’ll sell better. Think about it as this is your next creative edge. And that’s how I want you to think about all of these trend videos. Don’t think of it as prescriptive. You have to do this and to bury your voice. But to think of it as as invitations on how to expand your art practice, how to grow yourself as an artist, how to create a new growth edge for yourself. The thing about home decor, it’s never about the interiors. It’s really a preview of collector psychology. The reason something becomes trending is because of there are massive shifts in how people think, how people discover, choose, and invest in their art.
Miriam Schulman: So in this episode, I’m not necessarily running through the trends again. What I’m going to do is I’m going to break down three deeper cultural forces behind those trends and how they’re reshaping the future of art collecting. Now, these are patterns I see working with hundreds of artists, watching what sells in real time. And honestly, even at the mahjong table with some of the top interior designers in New York City, and I have lunch with them regularly, and I’m always picking their brains about how they choose art for their clients and what’s working now. So let’s dive in. If you want to sell art in 2026, not just content art, you need to understand where collectors are emotionally and physically, and decor trends are clues. They tell us what people crave, how they want their homes to feel, and what they’re willing to invest in emotionally and financially. So I covered those. I forget if it was 7 or 8 trends in a different video. We’ll make sure we’ll link to that. But today what we’re doing is we’re going deeper. It’s the three macro shifts that explain why these trends exist. Macro trend. Force number one the return of sensory homes. Sensory rooms are moody rooms, mixed materials like velvet, linen, plaster, ceramics, textured botanicals, wabi sabi, dark wood frames, and atmospheric lighting. So what do I mean by that? The first big shift is the rise of sensory homes.
Miriam Schulman: These are environments designed to calm, grounded, and emotionally regulate our nervous systems. We’re living in a hyper stimulating, AI saturated world. Notifications, ding ding ding content information overload. And yeah, people are exhausted. So in 2026, homes need to be our emotional sanctuary. And that’s why we’re seeing moody palettes, tactility, visible handiwork, repair esthetics, natural materials, and dramatic lighting. And this isn’t just a design trend. It’s a nervous system trend. We’re also going to link to the episode with my friend Anna Holtzman. She talks a lot about nervous systems that I think you’re going to want to tune into. But here are the implications for the art world. Collectors want depth, texture, and atmosphere, and they want art that feels like a portal, not a poster. This is why Cyanotypes textiles mixed media, expressive landscapes and pieces with shadow and dimension are moving so well right now. Anything handmade, imperfect, tactile, especially for women, over 40 signals comfort, soul and restoration. So it’s the opposite of flat, sterile Instagram minimalism. That was a very difficult trend to to really achieve. Anyway, I’ve talked about this. It’s that Apple Store look that Kim Kardashian and Kanye did like all white sofa, all white apartment. Nobody can do that. Okay, so here are your action steps for you artists. If your art has texture, movement or mood. Photograph it up close so people can actually see it.
Miriam Schulman: Show the surface. Show the hand of the artist. Buyers want to feel the work through the screen. Artists. If you’re listening and thinking, how do I get that kind of clarity and direction in my own art business? And I’ve got the perfect next step for you. Join me for the live Artpreneur bootcamp. It’s a three day interactive training designed to help you sell more art without relying on social media. Instead, I’ll walk you through my proven passion and profit framework and show you exactly how to attract the right collectors, build a loyal audience, and grow your income with more ease. Day one is all about clarity. Day two is about focus, and day three is all about commitment. You’ll get hands on real time coaching from me and leave with a step by step plan to take your art business to the next level. Reserve your free spot now at SchulmanArt.com/Bootcamp. Macro force number two the rise of story rich spaces. The second shift is story rich spaces home designed around identity, memory and meaning. People are rejecting the catalog perfect home. They want spaces that feel lived in and personal. And that’s why heritage maximalism is taking off. Not clutter. Curation, not collecting everything. Collecting what matters. So here are the art implications. This is massive for the art market. Collectors are choosing art that reflects their identity, their heritage, their belonging, their spiritual beliefs, their subculture, and their values.
Miriam Schulman: That means if your art hits any of those hot buttons, make sure you talk about it. Talk about all those things. Meaning is much more important than the esthetics. Story is much more important than style, and origin is much more important than trending colors and artist. This is the opportunity for you. This is the perfect era for narrative driven artists. If your work has symbolism, emotional meaning, or roots in your own personal story, share it. And small works. They are thriving right now because they easily slot into that curated story wall. But here’s what I want to tell you. A lot of collectors are not able to implement this style well. You have to help them imagine it. So two tips in terms of create a gallery wall. If you have small works, create a gallery wall in your studio and photograph that to show artwork of different sizes, different shapes, mirrors, with your small works kind of integrated among that to show collectors how those small art can exist. And in addition, I would create an in situ of what your art might look like on a bookshelf. Also, you want to make sure you’re about page and your captions explain what your art means people by meaning, not medium. This is what makes your art collectible. It’s not how it’s made, it’s why it’s made and why it matters. The third shift, and my favorite is what I call the curator mindset.
Miriam Schulman: After years of maximalism and then back to minimalism and now back to maximalism, curators are actually done with extremes. So they want intentionality. They’re choosing fewer, bigger, more meaningful pieces. Not ten little things you forget about, but 1 to 3 focal points that define the room. And that’s why I’m very hesitant when I learned about the trend about doing gallery walls to really talk about it too much with artists. So even though it’s true that a small work can sell for that purpose, a lot of individual art collectors have trouble imagining it, and they much rather buy one big artwork to fill the wall than have to figure out, like a bunch of little things. It’s something they can’t really imagine too easily. It’s a lot of work. It’s very difficult to do. Let’s talk about the implications for the art world. This shift is why large scale work sells diptychs and triptychs, sell bold compositions, sell oversize botanicals, sell expressive abstract sells, and they’re selling at higher price points. 2026 collectors are thinking like curators. They don’t want decor. They want a focal point with soul. If you make large work, this is your moment. If you don’t create collections designed for scale. And like I told Sandy, it’s not about creating larger because it will sell. Think about creating something larger because that’s your next creative growth edge. That’s your next evolution as an artist.
Miriam Schulman: Think about Monet when, early in his career he was painting small canvases. By the end of his life, he was creating that huge water lilies at Giverny. That was an artistic evolution he wasn’t doing because he thought it would sell better. Okay, show your work installed in a room at scale so buyers can imagine living with it. Hey, artist friend, quick pause. If you’ve tried everything to sell your art and nothing seems to work, I want you to know not your fault. There’s so much noise online from people calling themselves coaches who lack experience and quite frankly, integrity. I’ve been selling my art for over 20 years and I’ve helped many artists get over the six figure mark, which is why I’ve created my three day free bootcamp so you can get a taste of my strategies. I’ll walk you through the exact steps to make money from your creativity. You’ll learn how to attract collectors, price your work with confidence, and build real momentum without selling your soul or spending hours on social media. Come join us and get the real deal a roadmap for how to run your business. Come join us at SchulmanArt.com/Bootcamp. All right, now we’re moving on to trend four how artists should adapt to these macro shifts. So these three forces sensory homes, storage spaces and the curator mindset are the real drivers of the 2026 art market. And this is why some artists will thrive next year, but some will struggle.
Miriam Schulman: You don’t need to follow trends, but you need to understand the emotional needs behind them. So I’m going to give you three quick action steps. Photograph your art with texture and atmosphere. Lead with your story and your symbolism. It’s what buyers want. And number three offer larger scale work or multi-panel pieces for collectors. Shifting into the curator mindset. If you want help positioning your art inside these cultural shifts with messaging, the right photography, pricing, and visibility that actually works. Applications for the Inner Circle go to SchulmanArt.com/Apply. You can always apply for now. Or if I don’t have room, you can apply for the next time I have an opening. I also have ways that you can work with me to get the messaging without being inside the inner circle, so that would be SchulmanArt.com/VAULT. You to really hone in on your messaging. If you’re early in your art business journey, the Artist Incubator is the perfect place to start. It can help you build the foundation that makes consistent sales possible. All the links are below in the show notes. All right, my friend, thanks you so much for joining me. Let me know in the comments, which is these three forces you’re already seeing in your own collectors, or which ones you want to lean into next. I’ll see you at the same time, same place next week, and until then, stay inspired. Bye for now.
Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to the Inspiration Place podcast. Connect with us on Facebook, at Facebook.com/SchulmanArt, on Instagram, at @SchulmanArt, and of course on SchulmanArt.com.
Subscribe & Review in iTunes
Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!
Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!