What is the Future of Home Design?
Home design is always evolving, with more fabulous ideas appearing year-on-year. Right now, it’s all about houseplants, Scandi neutrals and bold maximalist rooms. But what could be ahead? We asked some our favourite home style experts to look into their crystal (or would it be metallic?) balls and share a little wisdom. A running theme? Comfort and wellbeing; homes that are more about us.
TOPOLOGY
“Where do we see the future of home design? We see the centre of attention being shifted to creating homes that are centred around improving your health and wellness. It’s been scientifically proven that colours, shapes and materials can have a a huge impact on our energy levels, mood, health and general wellbeing, so we believe people will start to acknowledge this and design spaces around improving themselves. For example, colours like blue can relax and lower blood pressure and is therefore great for a bedroom where you want to unwind and sleep.”
– Amy & Athina, Interior Designers at Topology Interiors
WE LOVE HOME
“I feel the move towards homes is all about how they make us feel. We want our homes to be a place to come home to which feels calm, reflects our sense of self – from our travels to our family to our happy times. That is why the slow living movement and Hyggee have really struck a cord with us in the UK – as we love our homes so much, and adore making them feel light and bright in summer and warm and cosy in winter.
With the uncertainty that the future brings, and people accepting that nothing is forever anymore, we are now expecting our homes to change and evolve as we do in ourselves. Home design is no longer a static thing. Our love of crafting is growing stronger every day where we make things for our home – but then so is our appreciation of artists and artisans – where we are willing to spend money on accessories and art with a home grown feel.”
-Maxine, Interior Stylist and author of We Love Home
DESIGN SODA
“At the moment I think we’re seeing the emergence of comfort at the heart of interiors. Whereas bold colours and patterns dominated people’s decorating choices over the last few years, I think greige and natural textures will start to dominate during the insecure economic times ahead. Further forward I’m seeing a fair amount of art deco design coming through and I think it may be due a fresh moment in the years ahead. In the very far ahead future I think we will buy a lot less (starting to happen already) and people will be directed to well made good design that has longevity and is ethically sourced.”
-Ruth, author of interiors blog Design Soda
PEA STYLE
“I think there is a move in interiors towards making the home a real sanctuary from the busy lives that we lead, a shift towards green and kinder living and to personal wellness. I think we are craving being surrounded by natural materials which are calming and promote a slower pace when we relax at home in our personal retreat. So I’m seeing more rustic wood, natural linen and matte ceramics and natural grass basket-ware as the latest trend in interiors. I for one am embracing this, it’s my favourite style!”
-Anwen, Interior Stylist & owner of home shop Pea Style
CATE ST HILL
“I see thin, powder coated metal designs, minimal, modular shelving systems and slender black legs on furniture making an appearance. Reissued design classics from the archive. Richly veined marble tops to tables, particularly in green. Nostalgia for seventies influences – brown tones, curved furniture, retro shapes, sinuous shaped sofas.
I’m a bit biased but I think Scandinavian-inspired design is here to stay because it’s effortlessly elegant and timeless. I think we’ll probably see richer colours in Scandi-style homes – dark forest greens, warmer hues of beige, mustard tones, even bright pops of ultramarine blue. Scandinavian interiors don’t have to be all pale and white.
I think we will continue to have a variety of differently styled homes, with each one being totally unique to the person living there, with dark and dramatic interiors and pale and pared back interiors too. I think inspiration from nature and a respect for craftsmanship will play a big part, as our cities get busier and our lives more manic, the home will become a sanctuary where we can connect back to the simpler things.”
-Cate, Interiors Writer, Stylist and author of Cate St Hill
DESIGN HUNTER
“Smart home technology is something I’ve had a growing interest in over the past few years. I think we will see it increasingly designed into our homes in the future – from smart heating thermostats that enable you to remotely control the temperature of your home through to intelligent lighting systems that allow you to adjust brightness or colour.
Many of us now have smart TVs within our living rooms but some of the more interesting new smart home entertainment products focus on creating mood and ambience or displaying images as art well as streaming content.”
– Helen, Interiors Writer, Stylist and author of Design Hunter