Extraordinary events always move the lines in terms of interior architecture and decoration as our interiors reflect our needs and our lifestyle choices. After September 11, 2001, we wanted our interiors to become refuges, cocoons that protect us from a violent world.
So what will be our perception of our interiors at the end of the current pandemic?
Presently we are in the midst of a mutation, both forced - due to confinement - and unfinished - because the modalities of our future life are still too uncertain -. However, this pandemic has already affected our behavior within our interiors.
The major trends that have emerged ...
Teleworking obviously forced us to find a space to work in each of our homes. Redesigning was an urgent constraint. We did it with the means at hand - a piece of counter in the kitchen, a corner of our bedroom - but we are now seeing requests for permanent spaces, more comfortable, better defined, and above all, which are more discreet outside of the working hours. An office area is never superfluous, especially if you have growing children who will also need space to study. It seems logical that this demand for workspaces or studies becomes a constant.
These days the French and Italian media are announcing a shortage of paint in stores! Little wonder, we had some free time and realised that our interiors were neglected. Your home should make you want to stay there, display what you enjoy looking at, display your most beautiful collectibles, and make your interior more like you. The confinement acted here as a reminder: an interior must be functional and above all beautiful in the eyes of those who live there.
For months now, many of us have wanted a bigger kitchen to cook the organic products that we have grown accustomed to buying locally. The demand for bread making machines and yogurts is exploding but once we get back to a more ordinary situation will we continue to make our bread and yogurt? Will we not want to sit down in a pastry shop or a restaurant? So, is it worth buying appliances that will collect dust on countertops or that we may forget in the back of a cupboard?
The demand for real estate has evolved and gardens, terraces and other balconies are highly popular. It is the need for outdoor space rather than a sudden urge to get into gardening that motivates us right now so let’s be careful what we ask for and let the maintenance of an outdoor space not make us future slaves.
How do we imagine the interiors of the future?
How many of you did not only tidy up but also declutter during confinement? With change also comes the time to take stock. Do we still need what we longed for a few years ago? Nowadays, do we all still dream of having several table sets? A day room for every day and a reception room for the big days? What big days? Is it still so useful? We are in the process of revising our priorities.
For a long time, many of my clients saw the proximity of their residence to their place of work as a primary and non-negotiable criterion? Finally, with teleworking, is it still essential? A bit of a distance, but a quieter place, a beautiful view and a change of scenery, isn't that more attractive? The distance from city centers is often accompanied by more reasonable prices and therefore allows spending to be redirected to other areas. Have you thought about an indoor swimming pool? A gym? A games room for billiards or electronic games?
It’s probably time to indulge yourself… Aren't the square meters of an unused dining room more useful for a leisure space?
The big question that remains is, without a doubt, a social one. How are we going to meet each other again? Are we going to meet at home or outside? Are we going to reinvest all the public places we have been deprived of or will we remain hermits anxious to protect ourselves? What about these redecorated interiors and these gardens full of plantations? Are we going to want to enjoy it as much tomorrow as we do today?
Comments