9 Trends that Reveal How We Might Live at Home in the Future
The pandemic has meant many of us now see our homes differently, so which shifts in lifestyle are likely to stick?
Antonia Solari
28 July 2021
Some clear and potentially lasting trends have emerged from the pandemic, following major shifts in the way we live at home. The biggest change concerns open-plan layouts: after years of a love for openness and fluidity between spaces, many people now want separate areas that ensure privacy and serve a distinct function.
Other trends include multi-generational living, a need for spacious storage solutions to free the home from work clutter, and a desire to reduce our dependence on technology.
With the help of researchers and designers from Vitra, POSThome and the Danish Architecture Centre, we explain how these trends translate into practice.
Other trends include multi-generational living, a need for spacious storage solutions to free the home from work clutter, and a desire to reduce our dependence on technology.
With the help of researchers and designers from Vitra, POSThome and the Danish Architecture Centre, we explain how these trends translate into practice.
Picture by POSThome.
The home as a shelter, a refuge and a mirror of personality
The way we value our homes has transformed significantly over the past year. “During the first phase of the pandemic, the house went back to its primitive function of shelter and refuge. Once forced into isolation, we understood that the spaces we used to think of as just accommodation are actually an extension of our personalities and passions,” says Claudia Campone, founder of ThirtyOne Design and creator of POSThome, an experimental apartment that applies the concepts of new ways of living.
“Then, if you think about how visible our lives are on social media, the house has become the background scene of our daily actions,” she continues. “We were simply forced to (and therefore managed to) recreate in our homes everything we used to delegate to other spaces: work, sport, leisure and, for many of us, eating well.”
The home as a shelter, a refuge and a mirror of personality
The way we value our homes has transformed significantly over the past year. “During the first phase of the pandemic, the house went back to its primitive function of shelter and refuge. Once forced into isolation, we understood that the spaces we used to think of as just accommodation are actually an extension of our personalities and passions,” says Claudia Campone, founder of ThirtyOne Design and creator of POSThome, an experimental apartment that applies the concepts of new ways of living.
“Then, if you think about how visible our lives are on social media, the house has become the background scene of our daily actions,” she continues. “We were simply forced to (and therefore managed to) recreate in our homes everything we used to delegate to other spaces: work, sport, leisure and, for many of us, eating well.”
Picture by POSThome.
Therefore, turning the house into a living space that’s used more frequently and intensely has led to a new awareness of needs that may have been less pressing before the pandemic.
Read on for nine trends that look likely to remain.
Therefore, turning the house into a living space that’s used more frequently and intensely has led to a new awareness of needs that may have been less pressing before the pandemic.
Read on for nine trends that look likely to remain.
Picture by Vitra.
No more open layouts
The first major change is the decline of open-plan living areas. “Our lifestyle now requires spatial organisation, separations and connections,” Campone says. “A more calculated layout is necessary and is being enhanced by two types of furniture: made-to-measure pieces that maximise the use of horizontal and vertical space, and, in contrast, other pieces that are mostly eye candy and carry emotional or iconic weight.”
No more open layouts
The first major change is the decline of open-plan living areas. “Our lifestyle now requires spatial organisation, separations and connections,” Campone says. “A more calculated layout is necessary and is being enhanced by two types of furniture: made-to-measure pieces that maximise the use of horizontal and vertical space, and, in contrast, other pieces that are mostly eye candy and carry emotional or iconic weight.”
In search of boundaries
After months of kitchens doubling as a place to work and do homework, and living rooms being continuously piled up with work files, books, toys and computer hardware – making it very difficult to relax and truly get away from work – we are now trying to divide spaces whenever possible. If the home office has its own room, closing its door at the end of the day can help us to unplug.
“Our kitchens have become offices, and we often don’t even bother to put away our laptops while eating, because we’ll be right back to work soon enough,” says Esther Perel, a psychotherapist who participated in Home Dynamics, an event organised by Vitra to investigate new ways of living. “We’ve experienced a total collapse of boundaries while adapting to a completely new lifestyle, and this has had a serious impact on our mental health,”
After months of kitchens doubling as a place to work and do homework, and living rooms being continuously piled up with work files, books, toys and computer hardware – making it very difficult to relax and truly get away from work – we are now trying to divide spaces whenever possible. If the home office has its own room, closing its door at the end of the day can help us to unplug.
“Our kitchens have become offices, and we often don’t even bother to put away our laptops while eating, because we’ll be right back to work soon enough,” says Esther Perel, a psychotherapist who participated in Home Dynamics, an event organised by Vitra to investigate new ways of living. “We’ve experienced a total collapse of boundaries while adapting to a completely new lifestyle, and this has had a serious impact on our mental health,”
The need for organisation
The stress caused by an open-plan layout crowded with desks and workspaces has also led to another trend: an increase in the need for storage spaces where we can quickly put away (or hide) the things that have been left lying around, so we can relax in a tidy space.
The stress caused by an open-plan layout crowded with desks and workspaces has also led to another trend: an increase in the need for storage spaces where we can quickly put away (or hide) the things that have been left lying around, so we can relax in a tidy space.
Picture by POSThome.
A buffer zone at the entrance
Designers are also increasingly being asked to make a buffer zone at the entrance with two main objectives: for the sake of hygiene, in order to have a space to leave outdoor, shoes, bags and coats; and to separate the living space from where deliveries are received.
Tempted to reconfigure your home? Find the right local team in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
A buffer zone at the entrance
Designers are also increasingly being asked to make a buffer zone at the entrance with two main objectives: for the sake of hygiene, in order to have a space to leave outdoor, shoes, bags and coats; and to separate the living space from where deliveries are received.
Tempted to reconfigure your home? Find the right local team in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
The home workshop
Particularly during the first months of lockdown, more and more online activities and workshops popped up. Many were aimed at engaging children with new forms of entertainment, but adults also enjoyed doing more cooking or craft.
“A very interesting trend is that of the house-‘workshop’: our homes are often missing spaces for ‘making’, such as work tables or rooms dedicated to musical, artistic and cultural creativity,” Campone says. “We have a need for reading spots, music corners and DIY tables. Thanks to the pandemic, we’ve understood how useful and stimulating a certain amount of ‘domestic self-sufficiency’ can be.”
Particularly during the first months of lockdown, more and more online activities and workshops popped up. Many were aimed at engaging children with new forms of entertainment, but adults also enjoyed doing more cooking or craft.
“A very interesting trend is that of the house-‘workshop’: our homes are often missing spaces for ‘making’, such as work tables or rooms dedicated to musical, artistic and cultural creativity,” Campone says. “We have a need for reading spots, music corners and DIY tables. Thanks to the pandemic, we’ve understood how useful and stimulating a certain amount of ‘domestic self-sufficiency’ can be.”
Picture by Vitra.
Multi-generational homes
Nora Fehlbaum, CEO of Vitra, highlights another trend linked to the new family structure and its effects on lifestyle. “With nursing homes becoming the epicentre of the health crisis and older people bearing increased risk for [Covid-19] and other diseases, families have brought their elders back into their homes,” she says. “Thus, former empty nests are turning into multi-generational habitats, and the families seem to enjoy it.
“Larger families require home adaptations: more dining chairs, larger sofas, and products that can generally sustain heavier use,” she continues. “And the investment seems to be worth it: 82% of multi-generational households in the US, for example, report that living together has enhanced their bond,” she says.
In addition, young people, who are moving back in with their parents at much higher rates than in the past few decades, now sometimes share spaces with their grandparents as well.
Multi-generational homes
Nora Fehlbaum, CEO of Vitra, highlights another trend linked to the new family structure and its effects on lifestyle. “With nursing homes becoming the epicentre of the health crisis and older people bearing increased risk for [Covid-19] and other diseases, families have brought their elders back into their homes,” she says. “Thus, former empty nests are turning into multi-generational habitats, and the families seem to enjoy it.
“Larger families require home adaptations: more dining chairs, larger sofas, and products that can generally sustain heavier use,” she continues. “And the investment seems to be worth it: 82% of multi-generational households in the US, for example, report that living together has enhanced their bond,” she says.
In addition, young people, who are moving back in with their parents at much higher rates than in the past few decades, now sometimes share spaces with their grandparents as well.
Multi-functionality
In furnishings, multi-functionality is becoming increasingly popular. For years, office furnishings mimicked home furniture in terms of style and colour.
Now, the reverse is happening: acoustic panels and sliding partitions previously used only to separate workspaces in offices are coming into homes. Desks at home are increasingly resembling those from the office, including set-ups that can be adapted from sitting to standing for better posture.
In furnishings, multi-functionality is becoming increasingly popular. For years, office furnishings mimicked home furniture in terms of style and colour.
Now, the reverse is happening: acoustic panels and sliding partitions previously used only to separate workspaces in offices are coming into homes. Desks at home are increasingly resembling those from the office, including set-ups that can be adapted from sitting to standing for better posture.
A check on technology
The new word ‘technoference’ is being used more and more. It refers to the annoying interference of technology in personal relationships. People have spent months online, so a new trend is to reduce the dependence on digital relationships whenever possible, especially at home.
“The pandemic accelerated, almost like a rocket, our use of digital communication for work, education, shopping and leisure,” says Kent Martinussen, CEO of the Danish Architecture Centre. “Suddenly, we were doing at home many of the things we would normally do elsewhere. Digitally and socially overwhelmed and isolated in a confined physical space, we quickly began to desire the experiences – and understand the value – of public spaces and contact with nature.”
The new word ‘technoference’ is being used more and more. It refers to the annoying interference of technology in personal relationships. People have spent months online, so a new trend is to reduce the dependence on digital relationships whenever possible, especially at home.
“The pandemic accelerated, almost like a rocket, our use of digital communication for work, education, shopping and leisure,” says Kent Martinussen, CEO of the Danish Architecture Centre. “Suddenly, we were doing at home many of the things we would normally do elsewhere. Digitally and socially overwhelmed and isolated in a confined physical space, we quickly began to desire the experiences – and understand the value – of public spaces and contact with nature.”
In touch with the outdoors
This is the trend that seems most evident to everyone: during lockdowns, the luckiest people are those who have access to an outdoor space, such as a garden or balcony, because it means having precious additional space and a chance to enjoy fresh air.
This is the trend that seems most evident to everyone: during lockdowns, the luckiest people are those who have access to an outdoor space, such as a garden or balcony, because it means having precious additional space and a chance to enjoy fresh air.
Martinussen continues, “I’ve recognised a strong general trend: a desire for nature. It’s arisen for many reasons, one of which is the overwhelming digital presence we all feel totally embedded (and sometimes trapped) in.
“The sustainability agenda plays a role in promoting attention to nature,” he says, “but, in reality, we’re defined and guided by a general human need and desire for balance between, on the one hand, the often fuzzy and immaterial world of our digital life and, on the other, being rooted in a world of things that are not artificial, such as wood, stones, plants, water and animals, which belong to a realm that we are part of and connected to – nature.”
Tell us…
Have you seen your home differently over the past year? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
“The sustainability agenda plays a role in promoting attention to nature,” he says, “but, in reality, we’re defined and guided by a general human need and desire for balance between, on the one hand, the often fuzzy and immaterial world of our digital life and, on the other, being rooted in a world of things that are not artificial, such as wood, stones, plants, water and animals, which belong to a realm that we are part of and connected to – nature.”
Tell us…
Have you seen your home differently over the past year? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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There's "open" and then there's "sorta open". I love the way my late 1970s house has easy flow between room but also allows for some separation. The kitchen and family room are one space visually. And the living and dining rooms are one space. I like the options offered by this sorta open plan. The kitchen and family room are both large enough to be subdivided into two areas each and we did so. Each has a small eating table and chairs. The whole house together makes for a party central... large family gatherings. No, it's not a huge house... just under 2000 ft SQ.
Nice.
I love all of the updates as to how we humans are adapting and reinventing more and more to our changing lifestyles. Open floor plan was just not good for my 1961 900 sq ft home and I am happy to cozy up in any of my separate rooms in the home.
Moving to Florida from Chicago changed how I spend my leisure time so outdoor space with a pool and tv and dining extended yet another place to step away from any indoor chaos or just for some quiet time. I even gave up my garage space to another guest room with a tv and private space for them to unwind from travel.