The past six months have had us discussing everything from the best sour dough bread starter in lockdown, to whether or not to wear a mask in the spring, to now, whether or not to send our kids back to school or keep them there!
One thing we can all agree on, is that after spending so much time at home over the past several months, the place where we live has never felt more important. People are making big lifestyle decisions and we are seeing new patterns with clients with regards to their home searching criteria. I personally have spent too many hours scrolling ‘the gram’ looking at desert homes, beach homes, country homes…in almost every country in the world!
Many of our lives have changed in ways that a year ago, we could not have imagined. Every pandemic in history has brought about changes to how we use our homes and what design trends will be moving forward. We have noticed that during private showings over the past few months, clients are prioritizing home office set ups and outdoor living spaces and not worrying about a great kitchen for entertaining.
Apartment Therapy released an article about how Coronavirus will change the way homes are built and designed moving forward. Some key points and predictions from the article are:
the end of open concept
More defined spaces and privacy for family members will become increasingly popular over the open concept, one-room-for-all of the past. Big YES to this.
antimicrobial surfaces
Using materials like copper and krion to build, making homes naturally antimicrobial from the start. As we start to renovate our own home, it will be interesting to see what decisions become directed from a ‘clean’ point of view.
outdoor living space for the win
YES! Even though we have a shorter outdoor season in Ontario, I’m 100% here for this. I would love to expand our porch into a 3 season room, or even cover it for rainy evening meals outdoors. Can you find me a patio heater please!!! Carving out space for a small patio or balcony in urban settings will become a priority for architects.
larger master bedrooms
Huh? This one I don’t get. The rationale is that if you had to self-isolate, a larger sanctuary would be beneficial. Personally, I’m not going to give up valuable square footage in my house for this one.
Low rise living
Ok, I see both sides of this, but in a city like Toronto it’s not really an option with affordable housing already being in crisis mode. Architects will have to get creative on how to make elevators “cleaner” and providing green space to residents, but in densely populated cities this one will pose a challenge.
back to basics kitchens
With at home dining being the norm, people are going to improve their cooking spaces for quality cooking (high end appliances etc), not for showy entertaining. Makes sense to me but I don’t love cooking so I’ll stick to pretty.
healthy homes
Smart technology, with the ability to monitor air, water and light quality, will be used in new construction and with the ability to adjust filtration based on reading. One company, HED south, is already doing this and more will follow. Love the idea, but think I’ll hate the price tag.
touch-less technology will become the norm
Motion sensors were once a luxury but will become the norm as builders lean towards touchless light switches, faucets and everything else. Like it!
the front vestibule or mudroom
Having a designated spot as a transition space from the “outside world” to your inside space, both psychologically and physically. Love it, just wish it could work in my 100+ year old home.
Historically many design trends and building finishes have been directly influenced by plagues and viruses. Have a look!
Our takeaway from all of this is that after spending so much time at home over the past six months we are really thinking about how we use our home and how we can improve it to work best for us. Not all from a “virus” point of view, but how it can be more comfortable, more efficient and more organized moving forward.
