Pooja Room Design Trends 2027: 7 Ideas for Indian Homes and Flats

Pooja room design for 2027 is moving away from the heavily carved mandir box towards a quieter unit that belongs to the rest of the home: an arched niche beside the dining table, a softly backlit panel, a screen you can see through, and honest materials such as stone, brass, wood and terracotta. Below are seven shifts, each traced to named design press, a design firm's published guide or MOA members' own 2025 and 2026 projects, with how to make each one work with diyas, incense, dust and monsoon damp in an Indian home.

If you are planning a unit from scratch, start with our guide to pooja room design for apartments for layouts and dimensions, then pooja room door designs with prices and what a pooja room costs in India. For the wider picture across the home, see interior design trends 2027.

1. The mandir moves into the open plan

In flats without a spare room, the mandir is becoming a designed zone in the living and dining space rather than a cupboard in a corner. Shilpkaar Interiors' 4BHK Flat in Surat (2026) is planned as an open flow that links the living room, the dining area and what the studio calls a "dedicated mandir zone", with an arched pooja niche beside the dining area, next to a fluted glass partition. Nand Ghar Interiors studio's Residential project (2025) shows, in a design render, a round mandir niche with a wooden shelf and downlights, set into the wall beside the dining table.

Design firms are saying the same. HomeLane's April 2026 guide by Usha Balasubramanyan says many homes now choose modern mandirs that sit well within their interiors over heavily ornate units. ELLE Decor India's roundup of home mandirs (27 Aug 2025) includes one by architect Akshay Selukar where an illustrated partition rolls up and down so the room can change use.

How to use it at home

• Smoke and food (our view): incense beside the dining table means smoke where you eat. Put the niche on the wall nearest a window, or give it a screen and burn incense only with the window open.
• Festivals and joint families (our view): leave clear floor in front for several people to gather for aarti.

2. Arches and backlit niches

The arch is the outline that keeps returning. For its Madhusudan Row House in Surat (2026), Shilpkaar Interiors describes a backlit scalloped arch with lotus artwork above a white stepped altar, and its 4BHK Flat has an arched niche with backlighting. Byoura Design Studio's Nestle 602 in Raipur (2025) shows, in a photograph, an arched niche framed in wood, with a printed backdrop and sheer curtains. In ELLE Decor India's roundup, AT Studio (Anam Taufik) uses a softly arched niche and Natasha Shah of Between Walls sets three inverted arches behind the idol. HomeLane's guide suggests textured stone or CNC-cut panels with warm backlighting as a calm focal point.

How to use it at home

• Glow, not dots (our view): run the LED strip behind a diffuser so you see an even glow, not a row of dots, on its own switch. Our lighting trends 2027 post explains colour temperature and CRI.
• Soot (our view): smoke darkens a light back panel. Choose one you can wipe or lift out, with the LED driver within reach.

3. Screens you can see through: fluted glass, brass jaali and bells

Instead of solid wooden doors, the 2027 mandir is often half-hidden. At Madhusudan Row House the pooja space beside the kitchen is enclosed by a custom brass fluted screen with temple bells, and the project image shows reeded glass panels in a brass frame with a cut-out bell pattern. ELLE Decor India features Twisha Thakker Design Studio's fluted glass walls fitted with brass bells that slide open, and Nestle 602 uses sheer curtains on its arch.

How to use it at home

• Dust (our view): fluted ridges and jaali holes collect dust and soot. A flat outer face of glass is easier to wipe.
• Smoke: leave a gap above or below the screen so smoke can escape, and never leave a diya burning behind a closed screen.
• Curtains (our view): sheer fabric near a flame is a fire risk: tie it well back, or choose glass or metal.

4. Honest materials: stone, brass, copper, terracotta and wood

ELLE Decor India's roundup reads like a materials list. Studio Basera sculpts walls from selenite with brushed brass and beige marble; Workshop Inc suspends copper discs around the idol on thin cables; Studio Lagom places a granite idol over a shallow pool against a terracotta brick wall; Spazio Interiors carves an alcove from milky white Indian marble; and KEBANI_The Design Studio uses bronze-coated metal with black and walnut veneer in place of marble. HomeLane's guide adds a white marble niche with soft lighting.

How to use it at home

• Stone (our view): marble is porous, so oil, ghee and kumkum can stain it. Seal it, wipe spills the same day, and keep the diya on a brass or stone plate. Our natural stone guide compares Makrana, Kota and granite.
• Wood in the monsoon (our view): plywood or MDF on an external or bathroom wall can swell in humid months, so seal every edge.
• Brass and copper (our view): both darken faster in humid coastal air; lacquered finishes need less polishing.

5. One crafted piece, everything else plain

Recent work puts the craft into one element. The mandir image in skyscraper studio's Vedaa in Vadodara (2025) shows a tall wooden panel carved with lotus motifs and an Om medallion, two hanging brass lamps on chains, and plain walls around it. In ELLE Decor India, Studio Osmosis reveals a carved stone idol behind folding wooden shutters, and Shraddha Pardhe draws a ceiling from temple shikharas in a grey palette.

How to use it at home

• Choose the hero (our view): a carved panel, a stone backdrop or a ceiling, not all three, with the rest kept plain.
• Cleaning (our view): deep carving holds dust; avoid fine carving right above the diya, where soot settles.

6. Calm colour, including the 2027 greens

The 2027 paint releases lean towards soft, calm greens. AkzoNobel named Soulful Sage its 2027 colour on 8 Sep 2026, calling it "an ethereal, soft and silvery green". Sherwin-Williams named Celery SW 6421 on 15 Sep 2026 (press release), a soft, muted green with subtle yellow undertones. Benjamin Moore named Webster Green HC-130 on 14 Oct 2026 (NJBIZ) and suggests it for built-ins, trim and front doors.

Not yet announced when we checked on 11 Nov 2026: Asian Paints' ColourNext page still shows Moonlit Silk (7809), its 2026 colour; Dulux India still features Free Groove for 2026; and Nerolac's trends page names no 2027 colour. Pantone announces in December: its 2026 colour, Cloud Dancer, was released on 4 Dec 2025. We compare every brand's pick in colour trends 2027.

How to use it at home

• Test under the lamp (our view): a diya and warm LEDs push colours towards yellow, so Celery's yellow undertone will show strongly while Soulful Sage stays greyer. Check a sample in the evening with the lamp lit.
• Keep deep greens to joinery (our view): Webster Green suits shutters or a door; inside a small niche it would swallow the light.

7. Built-in storage and a place to sit

Storage is moving into the unit itself. Nestle 602's photograph shows two drawers below the altar and an upholstered stool in front of the niche. In ELLE Decor India's roundup, AT Studio adds a drawer below the idol, and HomeLane recommends small drawers and vertical storage for compact corner temples.

How to use it at home

• Samagri: keep daily items in the top drawer and matches and camphor in a closed drawer away from the flame and out of children's reach. Our mandir design guide covers drawer and ledge heights.
• A seat for elders (our view): a low stool or a fold-down seat lets parents and grandparents who cannot sit on the floor pray comfortably.

The diagram below combines the seven ideas in one wall unit for a flat.

What will date fast: our view

• High-gloss acrylic in loud colours: it shows every fingerprint and soot mark.
• Colour-changing RGB strips: warm white light ages far better around a deity.
• Printed vinyl temple backdrops: they fade and peel in humid months.
• CNC jaali on every surface: one patterned panel reads as craft; four read as a catalogue.
• Mirror backs: they double the clutter and show soot quickly.

What lasts: a stone ledge, good wood or veneer, a little brass, one crafted piece and warm, even light.

FAQ

What are the pooja room design trends for 2027?

Mandir zones in the open living and dining area, arched and backlit niches, fluted glass or brass jaali screens, stone, brass, terracotta and walnut, one crafted centrepiece, calm colours including the 2027 greens, and built-in storage and seating.

Which colour is best for a pooja room in 2027?

There is no single right colour. Warm whites, soft greys and soft greens such as Soulful Sage or Celery SW 6421 give a calm background. Test any colour under your diya and lamp light, which pushes colours towards yellow.

Is it a good idea to put the mandir in the living or dining room?

It is common in flats and works well near a window, with a screen for privacy and floor space in front for gatherings. Our door designs guide compares sliding and bi-fold options.

Should I follow Vastu for my pooja room?

That is a personal and family choice; this post covers design trends only. If you want to follow it, our guide to Vastu for the pooja room explains what it says about placement and direction.

Planning a pooja unit or room? Find interior designers on MOA, or browse members' work on MOA projects.

Sources

• ELLE Decor India: Meet the mandirs of the 21st century, Chiransha Prasad, 27 Aug 2025, elledecor.in (accessed 11 Nov 2026)
• HomeLane: 10 Amazing Home Temple Design Ideas in 2026, Usha Balasubramanyan, 9 Apr 2026, homelane.com (accessed 11 Nov 2026)
• AkzoNobel: AkzoNobel's 2027 Color of the Year invites you to live lightly, 8 Sep 2026, akzonobel.com (accessed 11 Nov 2026)
• Dulux Ireland: Soulful Sage colour page, dulux.ie (accessed 11 Nov 2026)
• Sherwin-Williams: Color of the Year 2027, sherwin-williams.com, and SW 6421 Celery colour page, sherwin-williams.com (accessed 11 Nov 2026)
• PR Newswire: Sherwin-Williams and HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams unite to name Celery as their 2027 Color of the Year, 15 Sep 2026, prnewswire.com (accessed 11 Nov 2026)
• Benjamin Moore: Color of the Year 2027, benjaminmoore.com, and Webster Green HC-130 colour page, benjaminmoore.com (accessed 11 Nov 2026)
• NJBIZ: Benjamin Moore 2027 Color of the Year, njbiz.com (accessed 11 Nov 2026)
• Asian Paints: ColourNext, asianpaints.com (accessed 11 Nov 2026)
• Dulux India: home page, dulux.in (accessed 11 Nov 2026)
• Nerolac: Home paint trends, nerolac.com (accessed 11 Nov 2026)
• Pantone: Pantone announces Color of the Year 2026, Cloud Dancer, 4 Dec 2025, pantone.com (accessed 11 Nov 2026)
• MOA: 4BHK Flat and Madhusudan Row House by Shilpkaar Interiors, Vedaa by skyscraper studio, Nestle 602 by Byoura Design Studio, and Residential by Nand Ghar Interiors studio, project pages linked above (accessed 11 Nov 2026)