A closer look at the trends and products supporting better indoor living

What does the future of a healthier home look like?

That was the question at the heart of KBIS and IBS 2026, two of the largest home design and construction events in North America. Over two busy days, our team from the Asthma & Allergy Friendly® Certification Program joined builders, designers, manufacturers, and innovators who are shaping the next generation of homes. What we discovered was that one message came through clearly: that health is no longer an afterthought in home design, it’s becoming an expectation.

Health and Resilience Go Hand in Hand

A highlight of the week was the panel discussion Healthy, Resilient Development Opportunities, featuring Jillian Pritchard Cooke, John Barrows, and our own Leah McInerney, Customer Success Manager. The conversation explored how building healthier and more resilient communities contributes directly to overall well-being. For homeowners and families, this means that the materials used in your home matter, indoor air quality matters and verified product performance matters.

As more people spend time researching what goes into their homes (from paint and insulation to appliances and filtration) there is growing demand for products that have been independently tested and validated.

That’s where third-party certification plays an important role: it helps translate technical performance standards into information consumers can trust.

Leah McInerney speaking on the Healthy, Resilient Development panel at KBIS 2026 alongside industry leaders discussing healthier home design.

Leah McInerney joins industry leaders to discuss healthy and resilient home development at KBIS 2026.

Innovation You Can See and Feel

The team also toured The New American Home® 2026, a showcase property demonstrating how advanced building techniques and carefully selected products come together in a real-world setting. What stood out was the integration of performance-driven materials, thoughtful ventilation strategies and products designed with indoor environmental quality in mind.

For homeowners, this reinforces an encouraging trend: healthier homes are not limited to niche or specialty builds but are becoming part of mainstream residential design. In fact, a recent statistic shared at the show revealed that 83% of homeowners and builders are actively looking for health-focused certifications that contribute to the indoor environment.

Connecting with Trusted Brands

KBIS and IBS are also an opportunity to reconnect with brands that are investing in product performance and innovation.

We were pleased to spend time with long-standing Certified partners, including:

Seeing global manufacturers continue to prioritise independently tested performance, particularly in categories that impact indoor environments, reflects a broader industry shift toward transparency and validation.

What This Means for You

If you’re researching products for your home, whether renovating, building, or simply upgrading, here’s what KBIS / IBS 2026 tells us:

  • Health-focused design is growing.

  • Manufacturers are responding to consumer demand for transparency.

  • Independent testing and certification are becoming more important in product selection.

  • Performance claims are increasingly expected to be backed by data.

Choosing products that are Certified Asthma & Allergy Friendly® means selecting items that have undergone rigorous testing to meet clearly defined performance criteria related to allergen reduction and impact on indoor air quality.

As conversations around indoor air quality, resilience, and well-being continue to grow, we’re encouraged by such momentum across the industry. It is refreshing and reassuring that healthier homes are not a trend but a part of the future of residential design. And we are very proud to support the science behind it.