There are many home improvements we can make in this day and age; from needing more desk space to creating room for extended family, COVID has transformed the way we think about our home design. We have all spent more time at home over the past year than we ever have before, and it has not been without its challenges.
Virtual schooling, working from home, extended family moving in, and trying to bring entertainment to you--all of these things have given us a chance to step back from our home lives and reassess what our needs are moving forward. Elle Decor asked some architects and designers to make some predictions on the future of post-pandemic design. Here are some of the trends they foresee:
Home gyms. With people hesitant to rejoin their local fitness facilities, creating a home gym with extra space in the basement or a spare room is ideal for staying fit, healthy, and safe.
In-law suites. With more and more families needing to join spaces due to lack of work, colleges moving online, or other effects from Covid, creating more, but separate, living space can help solve problems.
Home offices. This is the big one. With so much of America's workforce jumping on the working-from-home-train, this seems like a no-brainer. Many of us have probably already shuffled furniture around and allocated space for this purpose, but creating a well-designed space solely dedicated to WFH can make all the difference.
Virtual classrooms.As with working from home, many families with school-aged children are now needing special spaces for the kids to learn virtually. Creating a separate space for a "classroom" can help kids focus and get the best out of their virtual education.
Exterior upgrades for better outdoor living. While we stay home, we want to utilize our space the best we can, and take advantage of the great space we have. This means turning our outdoors into a private, relaxing retreat. Whether it's installing outdoor heaters and heated floors to extend your outdoor season or perhaps adding that pool you've always wanted (we already saw a surge in pool additions in 2020), investing in your home's outdoor space can only benefit you, now and in the future.
Moving towards eco-friendly options. Since we are staying home a majority of the time, that means the energy bills are up. Experts predict that homeowners will be investing in eco-friendly home improvements this year to help with the bills as well as the environment.
Virtual schooling, working from home, extended family moving in, and trying to bring entertainment to you--all of these things have given us a chance to step back from our home lives and reassess what our needs are moving forward. Elle Decor asked some architects and designers to make some predictions on the future of post-pandemic design. Here are some of the trends they foresee:
Home gyms. With people hesitant to rejoin their local fitness facilities, creating a home gym with extra space in the basement or a spare room is ideal for staying fit, healthy, and safe.
In-law suites. With more and more families needing to join spaces due to lack of work, colleges moving online, or other effects from Covid, creating more, but separate, living space can help solve problems.
Home offices. This is the big one. With so much of America's workforce jumping on the working-from-home-train, this seems like a no-brainer. Many of us have probably already shuffled furniture around and allocated space for this purpose, but creating a well-designed space solely dedicated to WFH can make all the difference.
Virtual classrooms.As with working from home, many families with school-aged children are now needing special spaces for the kids to learn virtually. Creating a separate space for a "classroom" can help kids focus and get the best out of their virtual education.
Exterior upgrades for better outdoor living. While we stay home, we want to utilize our space the best we can, and take advantage of the great space we have. This means turning our outdoors into a private, relaxing retreat. Whether it's installing outdoor heaters and heated floors to extend your outdoor season or perhaps adding that pool you've always wanted (we already saw a surge in pool additions in 2020), investing in your home's outdoor space can only benefit you, now and in the future.
Moving towards eco-friendly options. Since we are staying home a majority of the time, that means the energy bills are up. Experts predict that homeowners will be investing in eco-friendly home improvements this year to help with the bills as well as the environment.
