One of the most significant changes prompted by COVID-19 and the country’s lockdown has been upon our homes. In a matter of weeks, homes became more than a comfortable living space. They took on the responsibility of accommodating our workplace, our gyms, and our recreational activities. Spare rooms have been transformed into offices and our hallways have become makeshift workout areas. The equipment required to emulate the experiences we would typically go outside for, such as for eating, drinking, and entertaining, has skyrocketed in demand. At the beginning of the lockdown, it was difficult to buy dumbbells or a bread-making banneton online due to their popularity.

As we slowly begin to leave lockdown, a few of our lockdown preferences are sticking. Workers who have found themselves more productive at home aren’t rushing to the office. Those who have been able to maintain their fitness regime under their roof aren’t as interested to pay gym fees. It looks like the pandemic is having a lasting effect on how we design our homes.

To make sense of exactly how coronavirus is changing interior design trends, we’ve looked at various sectors to understand the various new demands homeowners are making.

A Social Home

As the government eases its restrictions on the way in which people can socialise, the home is becoming a social space. Whether this is due to the pressured placed upon businesses to stay open, the compromised dining experience, or because our kitchens are an ideal place to show off our new bread-making skills, nights out are becoming nights in.

This means that open-plan homes, especially those with enough space for a group of friends to feel comfortable dining together, are being prioritised. Other assets, such as home bars and cinemas are appearing too, with more people recreating the cinema experience with an outdoor projector on the side of their home while serving drinks from a log cabin bar.

Nature Rules

The denial of outdoor spaces and restrictions on the time we could spend among nature is growing the already popular trend of bringing plants into the home. However, instead of simply planting a few spider plants scattered in old tins, more people are seeking to open up their homes to nature by letting in more light, painting with brighter, more natural colours, and building with natural materials, such as reclaimed woods.

Garden spaces are also being transformed into more considered areas, ones that allow for residents to grow their own food as well as hide away from the world in a personal and floral paradise.

Modular Design

After only a short amount of time working and living at home, it became clear to many that it requires balance. Flexibility and cleve uses of space are in. Being able to tidy away a workspace or discreetly store workout equipment is a necessary component for those with positive work-life balance.

Flexible home design also means being able to constantly keep a space feeling fresh, which, as we begin spending more time at home, is even more important.