As we move into 2026, you may be thinking about transforming your home by remodelling and extending, moving house and making it work for you, or finally being in that position to make the dream of a self-build happen.
Oswestry Life Magazine spoke to Shropshire’s award-winning architectural firm Ke-design, who have been established in the county for 15 years, for advice and trends for 2026 for your project.
Their first bit of advice is to plan early and choose the right architectural services. “2026 has already been a busy start to the year for Ke-design, with inquiries from potential clients not knowing where to start,” Craig Marston, founding director explains.
“Our response is that they’ve done it by contacting us, because with our experience we can talk them through the progress, what to expect and of course give advice. Engaging with the right architectural services is so undervalued.
“Our ethos is good design adds value and poor design adds cost. This is whether it’s a small extension or a new build, getting it right from the start can make all the difference. And it’s not just about the design and getting planning, a good set of building regulation drawings that building contractors can work from without costly mistakes is equally important.”
A notable example of Ke-design’s services is a unique three plot development in Porth Y Waen, Nr Oswestry. The well-designed houses had no issues at planning stage, and a comprehensive set of building regulation drawings meant there have been no issues on site. So, the building contractor could crack on, without having to call Ke-design for information or to rectify onsite issues.
Plot 1 was sold on completion and Plot 2 has been sold while under construction, a testament to the quality of the design and build.
Ke-design regularly work with building contractors that praise the level of detail and accuracy of our drawings, meaning the project runs smoothly with no costly errors or delays.
Ke-design will be exhibiting this excellence by returning to the National Homebuilding & Renovating Show at the NEC in March. The event is a platform for those considering projects to seek advice and inspiration and Ke-design invite those with projects and seasoned developers to come along.
“We pick up projects at the show where the client has received planning and for whatever reason they are looking for different architectural services to undertake building regulations.” This includes projects in Coventry, Nottingham, Tamworth, and more locally a self-build in St Martins.
Craig continues, “This is something we are happy to do, and a lot of the time the client isn’t 100% happy with the design, giving us the opportunity to improve the design, even if it’s from a build approach.
“We have been regular exhibitors for the last 10 years,” Craig explains. “We love meeting people who have travelled from all over the country to discuss their projects and are looking for advice. We find it quite humbling when people compliment us on our projects and want to appoint our services.”
“Some architectural firms are there just wanting that Grand Designs project. But we find that some of the visitors are scared off by this grandness and the designer’s ego. We like to chat to the visitors and in a lot of instances, while their projects may be small, we appreciate they haven’t done this before and have no experience, so they simply want their hand holding through the process. Good design is offering something the homeowner wants, or hasn’t been thought of, while keeping the build cost down and within the budget and meeting the clients brief.
So, what trends can we expect for 2026? Craig’s response was short: “Good Design is not a trend.”
Ke-design will be offering architectural services and advice at the National Homebuilding and Renovating Show in Birmingham (19-22 March). For complimentary tickets and information please email info@ke-design.co.uk
