COVID19: change of future design

27 May 2021

How will COVID-19 change the future of interior design?

How will COVID-19 change the future of interior design? The last year has been a strain on the world. Never have we spent so much time in our own homes. Due to the time we have spent indoors, more of us are becoming increasing aware of our indoor environments and how our interior spaces affect our mood and ability to work and live in the same environment.

There is no doubt that covid will influence interior design for years to come. Here we explore some of the changes covid-19 will have on the interior design industry.

Offices at home

The pandemic has seen most office workers working from home, which has required them to make do with working in any spare space. For most, this has included the dining table, breakfast bar or their laps, however with more workplaces introducing remote working as a permanent solution, more people are incorporating permanent home offices into their existing home or are making a home office a requirement for future property purchases. By having a dedicated workspace at home, people can separate their home and working environments easier, helping to avoid burnout. Interior designers will need to have a focus on creating functional, beautiful workspaces within residential environments. These spaces need to seamlessly blend into the home, while offering separation.

Offices at home Pic. Credit: Authenticity B. Designs

Emphasis on mental health

The emphasis on mental health during the pandemic has been at the forefront of everyone’s minds. The social and environmental limitations of the pandemic have affected so many, which is why mental health is likely to play a role in many industries going forward, including interior design.

Interior designers will need to consider mental health in all aspects of their designs in the future, whether in residential or commercial environments. Lighting, materials and acoustics all influence how a room makes someone feel, which will need to be at the forefront of every interior designer’s mind even more so than before.

Emphasis on mental health Pic. Credit: New York Edition Hotel

Distanced social environments

In recent years workplaces have adopted open workspaces where people can interact and be collaborative. Restaurants have also adopted open eating spaces to create a social and interactive environment however, with the influence of the pandemic this is likely to change.

Interior designers will need to take social distancing, physical separation and proximity into consideration when designing any space.

Distanced social environments Pic. Credit: Pinterest

Virtual influence on our physical environments

Video conferencing is making people more aware of how they are perceived. This not only includes their personal appearance and but their background appearance too. Interior design is now being shared in the workplace with colleagues and clients. With that in mind, people are focusing more attention on lighting, sound and color options to make their virtual world more visually professional.

Virtual influence on our physical environments Pic. Credit: Rosen Kelly Conway Architecture & Design

Bringing the outside in

The limitation of outside interaction has seen a need for nature indoors. There are a wide variety of benefits the outdoors provides including reducing stress, elevating mood and relaxing people, however with restrictions not allowing people to connect with nature as much as they should, these features are being moved indoors. The future of interior design includes live plants, earth tones and natural materials to try and connect with nature as much as possible in your own home.

Bringing the outside in Pic. Credit: Pinterest

Exercise indoors

Similarly to work offices being in the home, more people will be requesting or incorporating at home gyms. Whether this is a small room or complete internal gym, exercise contributes to mental health and more people will be focusing on bringing the benefits into their homes due to gyms being a crowded space or being closed. An at home gym was previously thought of as an unnecessary luxury however more people will be looking to incorporate one in the future.

Exercise indoors Pic. Credit: Park & Oak Interior Design