#ChezPeachy #ChicagoPeachy @TIH_Show New At-Home Entertaining Survey shows home and housewares at heart of consumers’ plans in 2026 Continued growth in at-home entertaining just one of trends to be showcased at The Inspired Home Show® – March 10-12 in Chicago
Home and housewares products will play an increasingly important role in consumers’ lives in 2026, according to the 2026 International Housewares Association (IHA) At-Home Entertaining Survey.
The results, posted on the IHA’s independent news and information platform, HomePageNews.com, demonstrate how hosting at-home gatherings – whether to celebrate life moments or for no reason at all – continues to gain momentum, especially among younger generations.
The continued uptick in at-home entertaining will be on full display at The Inspired Home Show,® March 10-12 at Chicago’s McCormick Place. From small appliances to cookware, kitchen tools to serveware, products designed for entertaining at home will be just one of the categories attracting attention at the largest global home and housewares marketplace in the Western Hemisphere.
IHA’s survey shows that bringing people together in familiar spaces continues to grow in appeal, even after recent year-over-year increases. Twenty-eight percent of respondents anticipate hosting more at-home gatherings in 2026, a four point jump compared to 24% last year. Fifty percent said they plan to host the same amount, while 19% thought it would be less.
Younger consumers are leading the momentum: Gen Z tips the scales with 47% planning to host more at-home gatherings; Millennials are next at 39%. Gen X’s at-home entertaining intent declined by four points, while Boomers’ remained relatively stable.
What’s fueling the increase? The desire to spend more time with friends and family tops the list of motivations (51%). Having a specific event to celebrate is also a factor (37%). Saving money came in third, as entertaining at home tends to be less expensive than holding an event at a restaurant or other public venue (31%).
Other findings include:
* Clean-up is the biggest challenge for at-home hosts (31%), followed by preparing everything at the same time (22%), cooking (15%), planning (9%) and keeping food warm (7%).
* Half of consumers say they occasionally purchase products to create a certain aesthetic (23% said usually, 15% said always, and only 10% said never.)
* When asked what would inspire them to host more at-home gatherings, budget-friendly party ideas topped the list (46%). Recipes were almost as popular (45%), with party-specific theme ideas (32%) and general entertaining tips (30%) coming in next.
The Inspired Home Show, held annually in Chicago, offers media and the industry a first look at the products, innovations, trends and stories that will shape store shelves, e-commerce and everyday life. While not open to the public, #TIHS26 will bring together over 1,000 exhibitors and more than 2,000 brands with top retailers to reveal what’s next for the home.
Journalists are encouraged to register for The Inspired Home Show to cover the rise of at-home entertaining, more emerging trends, and the latest in new products for every room in the house.
A sample of key exhibitors including Brabantia, CUCKOO, Gibson Homewares (Calphalon/ Martha Stewart/Sur la Table), Gleener, Heston Culinary, IMUSA, Jura, Kitchen Supply, Kuhn Rikon, Lifetime Brands, Lodge Cast Iron, Made In Cookware, Nordic Ware, Peugeot, Picnic Time, Riedel Crystal, Salton, tag, Trinity International Industries, Storebound (Dash), Umbra and Westinghouse.
Major retailers shopping for the latest trends and the “next big thing” in housewares include Aldi, Amazon, Best Buy, Big Lots, Costco, Burlington Coat Factory, Crate & Barrel, Hobby Lobby, Home Goods, Kohls, Macy’s, Meijer, Nordstrom, QVC, Sur la Table, Walgreens, Walmart, Wayfair, Williams Sonoma, plus mid-size and independent specialty retailers from around the world.
Methodology
The 2026 IHA At-Home Entertaining Survey was conducted by Morning Consult between October 31 and November 2, 2025, among a sample of 2,226 adults. The interviews were conducted online, and the data was weighted to approximate a target sample of adults based on age, gender, race, educational attainment, region, gender by age and race by educational attainment. Results from the subset have a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points, depending on the audience.
The International Housewares Association (IHA) is the 87-year-old voice of the home and housewares industry, dedicated to bringing buyers and sellers together. IHA hosts its premier global exposition of products for the home, The Inspired Home Show, in Chicago every March. Each year, the Show brings together more than 2,000 unique brands and 300,000 products with both global and domestic buyers; U.S.-based attendees alone represent hundreds of thousands of retail locations and over $64B in buying power. The not-for-profit, full-service Association also offers member companies a wide range of services including industry and government advocacy; export assistance; trend reports; executive management peer groups; group buying discounts; and an independent news and information platform, HomePageNews.com.
