Home is Where the Heart is…
There are Opportunities for Growth…
Over the last few months of being at home, we’ve learned a lot, so now let’s see how we can adapt to find new opportunities and silver linings.
Home is where the heart is. How we live and work in that space will shift and the design might include health, safety, and well-being components. Here are a few things to consider:
People are starting to reimagine how they will use their home and even where home should be. Guiding factors are more and more people will be able to work from home, whole families utilizing confined spaces, shifts from living in condensed cities back to the burbs. New realities will leave the home market with vast opportunities as these homeowners start to renovate and relocate. Be prepared.
Every room in a home will be rethought to provide flexibility and multi-functionality. Architects are already receiving requests for new kinds of spaces like aging parents’ suites as a result of the nursing home epidemic. And pool houses are being converted into year-round guest and quarantine spaces.
Designers will be transforming extra rooms like guest and grownup kids’ rooms into home offices or function as both. Exercise and workout spaces will be designed for homes like home gyms, yoga spaces, spas, and pools. Most importantly, mudrooms will be more of a necessity as they become decontamination rooms for groceries, packages, and clothing.
For homeowners, designers, and architects, this is the time to be creative. Probe clients. Can they redesign existing space or is expansion necessary? This will depend if you are in a home vs an apartment. Most will need multipurpose rooms, for an apartment, this will need more innovation in small space designs like adding pocket or swing doors, so rooms can be closed off. For houses, open kitchen might not be optimal for multifunctional use. Also, storage will be key for people as stocking up on provisions is now something new…freezers and additional pantries are being requested.
When it comes to materials think cleanliness is godliness. Still think about eco-friendly options but make sure they can be wiped and disinfected. Just a reminder, copper is anti-bacterial. We see a trend toward wipeable, washable surfaces including walls, lampshades, textiles (Crypton/Perennials) will be preferred. A new twist on the ’70s…tiled walls, leather couches, not sure that laminates will make a comeback, but we need to be transparent in how we can live in a healthy product home for us and our loved ones.
Homes need to be healthy, functional and calming to be where your heart is. Be ready for the new wave of homes.
Looking for Ideas to grow your business we’re happy to consult. Give us a ring.
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For more information, contact Beth@imagesanddetails.com or (203) 966 8203