12 techniques our homes are set to transform in 2021 and beyond

From do the job areas to pet-welcoming finishes, below are the property layout traits you can count on to see this calendar year

Operating from home

A single of the most substantial changes for numerous this 12 months was the transition from doing the job in an business office to working from home. For those with no the luxurious of a separate place for an office environment at residence, this was a problem. But it is unbelievable how so quite a few have tailored. So significantly so that doing the job from residence is a pattern that seems to be like it is listed here to continue to be.

Carving out selected areas to function easily and productively is one thing that will carry on into 2021. When it comes to the decor of our household operating spaces, extra thing to consider will be specified to lights and the decor of our walls – in particular our backdrop as, like it or not, video clip conferencing and digital meetings will carry on well into 2021.

Gardens/outdoor residing

Paying out time in our gardens and outdoor areas was a person of the couple of pleasures we could indulge above the spring and summer months months in 2020. This time invested outdoors sparked a rise in backyard garden transformation tasks.

Houzz, the on the net platform for household style and design and renovation claimed an maximize in world-wide-web lookups for “summer houses”, “firepits”, “hot tubs” and “outdoor kitchens” last 12 months. Meanwhile, outside home furnishings and garden suppliers all-around the nation documented substantial improves in product sales of out of doors heaters, proving that gardens are not just for the summertime months, even in Ireland. 

This development for enhancing the region about our properties will go on into 2021, with demand predicted for outdoor kitchens, and covered dining and leisure spaces.

Colour

Nature-inspired palettes will dominate 2021. Clear fresh and vibrant interiors will be preferred for household interiors. The trend of connecting additional with character will keep on and warm earth tones, this sort of as burnt umber, terracotta and sandy hues merged with delicate greens like sage, pine and turquoise will all establish to be notably well-known.

Pets

Adoptions and profits of cats and canines soared in 2020. Quite a few persons who ordinarily would have been out at perform for most of the working day uncovered themselves at property, and now ready to look right after a pet. Pets also provided considerably-necessary company for those people isolated by the constraints imposed by the pandemic. 

Pet-welcoming products for flooring and upholstery will be a thought for numerous in 2021. Boot rooms or mud rooms will also develop into extra well known as they deliver additional storage for the outside boots, shoes and coats applied by proprietors when going for walks their puppies, as very well as producing room to keep pet meals, beds and other pet-associated items.

Residence plants

Animals had been not the only addition to numerous households in 2020. There was also a huge enhance in the number of “plant parents” this 12 months. Property plants are an excellent way to bring a very little bit of mother nature into a home. Not only do they glance pretty, but they have a wealth of wellbeing positive aspects both equally mental and bodily, generating them the best antidote to the strain of remaining cooped up indoors, in particular for these without the need of outside spaces in their properties. Residence vegetation are simple to care for they are also pure air purifiers and are verified to minimize stress. 

Comfort and ease

Lockdown has led lots of to prioritise consolation in their households. Surely ease and comfort trumped aesthetics as the initially precedence when picking furnishings in 2020. Product sales of throws and other comforting add-ons greater very last calendar year and will continue to be popular in 2021. 

Creating our homes far more comfortable also usually means ensuring it is warm and absolutely free from draughts. Numerous homeowners are wanting to replace their home windows and update their insulation and heating systems to make their homes extra vitality productive and enjoyable to are living in.

Lavatory revamps

Prior to the coronavirus lockdown, renovations ordinarily focused on communal parts of the property, these types of as the kitchen and livingroom. Now, nonetheless, renovations centre extra on the unique. We noticed an boost in tiny initiatives this yr, involving en suite or lavatory refurbs, which supplied a massive boost to our clients’ pleasure of their homes. 

Loos, en suites and visitor bogs are also rooms exactly where we saw men and women finding a small bit braver with their layout decisions. They chose vibrant tiles, bold wallpapers and specific finishes for brassware like brass, bronze and black. The craze for tackling scaled-down assignments which produce considerable final results is possible to keep on. 

Performing out at residence

With the use of gyms and personalized trainers limited as aspect of the collection of lockdowns that began very last March, several people today took to performing exercises at household. Demand for backyard garden rooms for workout areas and residence workplaces surged and there is no sign of that demand abating judging by the amount of orders continue to on providers’ publications.

Requests for attic and garage conversions also rose in 2020 with consumers hunting to develop dual-goal rooms for functioning and exercising at dwelling. These kinds of initiatives will go on to develop in popularity, and we expect to see much more novel solutions for exercising products that suit seamlessly and elegantly into interiors. 

Diy

A lack of accessibility to tradespeople and much more time on our palms noticed a increase in Do-it-yourself assignments in 2020. Be it a painting project, developing a treehouse for the children, wallpapering a bedroom or a lot more formidable tasks these types of as laying a patio, men and women are much more organized now to deal with a property improvement challenge by themselves armed with minor much more than the fundamental resources and the assistance of a YouTube tutorial. 

Kitchens 

While the kitchen area has always been one particular of the busiest rooms in any dwelling, the pandemic has created it more critical than ever. With eating places, cafes and gastro pubs shut, we’ve been paying a lot much more time cooking and entertaining in our kitchens. It’s no surprise then that this was a person of the most popular property renovation initiatives in 2020.

With the demand for new kitchens established to continue this yr, the blend of performance and high quality appliances will dominate style and design alternatives. Cleanse traces and intelligent storage will be well-liked with larder and pantry cupboards getting to be a should-have characteristic. When it arrives to the preference of finishes, toughness and simplicity of upkeep are significant with owners getting significantly far more hygiene-conscious due to the pandemic. Copper finishes and fixtures will also also be popular owing to their antimicrobial qualities. 

Smart homes

Technologies far more frequently involved with industrial spaces these types of as infrared and sensor-controlled switches and faucets will grow to be a lot more popular in our homes in 2021. With the classes acquired from the virus, this contact-absolutely free technological innovation is established to exchange distant controls and other domestic appliances that are likely to act as germ hotspots. Voice recognition programs these kinds of as Google Home and Alexa that empower the procedure of appliances as a result of voice command will turn into at any time much more well-liked.

Sustainability 

Although the amplified refrain of birdsong and noticeably-cleaner air stood out as the much more rapid benefits of the global lockdown, they also served as stark reminders of the harmful effects of our way of daily life on the world. 

This awakened environmental consciousness has prompted a drive from lots of of us to make additional sustainable choices, in particular when it comes to our households and how we furnish them. There has been a growing fascination in high-conclude second-hand and antique furniture given that final March, and this looks most likely to continue on in 2021.

Denise O’Connor is an architect and layout specialist @optimisedesign