After lockdown, changes in our lifestyles and how we use our homes will home buying and design trends change at all? There are a few interesting articles around and YoungHouseLove also talked about it recently on their podcast.
A lot of these are USA based, but lots applies in the UK too. Some of the interesting points I thought were about open plan living becoming less popular and people now wanting more defined spaces. I have never seen the appeal of open plan and would much rather have the space divided into more traditional rooms so this is something that I totally agree with. When we bought our house and knocked down some walls my dad commented that he would have actually taken down the wall between the kitchen and living room and made an L shape open plan kitchen/dining/living room. I just always would prefer to have the living area separate from the kitchen, I like to have the ability to close the door on the kitchen and chill in a cosy living room in the evening rather than having it all open. During lockdown and working from home it has been great that Tom can be in the kitchen cooking and I can be working in the living room. This might be something more and more people also start to prefer, so we may see more people opting for a home with more rooms versus a large open space.
With working from home on the rise we may also see more demand for either spaces that can be used as an office or more flexible living areas such as larger living rooms or master bedrooms which could fit a desk. This may also change workplace designs, with less people opting for a permanent desk in the office and more people working from home and only coming in to the office for meetings. We may see more flexible working spaces, hot desking and less office space needed overall. This would be an interesting development for businesses, as obviously less space means less cost, but it would need a real change of mentality, working practices, corporate structure and management for some.
The demand may increase for porches or defined entryways, as people are valuing being able to leave shoes, coats and bags in a porch before coming into the main living area. Our porch is a really good size and lots of people comment on it when visiting that they wish they had something like it, so I can definitely see this becoming more of a priority for people when designing choosing a home. From an organisational and aesthetic point of view I also love our porch, we can leave all our coats, shoes, bags, bike helmets, running stuff and gym bags etc etc out there and they are not cluttering up the living areas. People with kids also comment to me that a good size porch is a godsend for storing prams, school bags etc too.
People may also prioritise outdoor space when building, buying or renting a home. Until now lots of homes might be designed with little or no outdoor space on the assumption you can go to your local park or drive out to the countryside for some outdoor time. Now that we know that there may well be times that is not possible more people may value a garden much more. We certainly have been very very very grateful for ours! We were talking the other day about how much more difficult lockdown would have been if we had still been living in our rented flat with a tiny courtyard garden and no house projects to keep us busy.
Kitchens may also become more of a priority as people cannot go out to eat and are discovering the joy of cooking at home. The surge in baking bread has shown that during time at home people are getting really into making their own food, so we may see people wanting larger, better laid out and better equipped kitchens. We may also see an increase in touchless or smart kitchens and accessories. Things like automatic touchless taps, soap dispensers and bins may become more popular as people are thinking more about cleanliness and just how much you have to touch handles, taps, door knobs etc.
More flexible rooms rather than guest rooms or formal dining rooms may also make a comeback. If people have a spare bedroom or reception room they may choose rather than to fill it with a bed or a dining table which is rarely used to use the space more flexibly. For example we may opt instead to have a desk for home working, but also leave space to do yoga or home workouts, or to have somewhere for the kids to play, draw and do homework after school but also for an adult to work in during the day. Smart and flexible storage and home furniture may well become more valued and we might see some changes in what furniture designs are offering.
Decor wise we may also see an increase in demand for easy to clean surfaces. Things like wooden or tiled flooring over carpets, less of the rustic wooden accessories and counter tops and more metal and tiled. We may also see an increase in people wanting to brighten up their living spaces as people are conscious of making their homes more enjoyable to be in. There have already been long queues outside IKEA and DIY stores, as people have more time at home to spend working on it!
What design trends do you think will change? Do you wish you had anything different about your home post lockdown?
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