10 Unexpected Design Trends following a Pandemic

2020 has made a significant impact on everyone’s lives and how we go about it. Instead of leaving the house every day to go to work or attending games and other events outside of the home, we have been confined to our own homes and forced to make it work for everyone living there. Without realizing it, the design and functions of our homes have drastically changed to work better for us all. So overall, how has the pandemic affected the future of interior design? 

How it’s Impacted Design 

Overall, the rooms in our homes do not just have one sole purpose anymore, every room now must have multiple uses and some rooms or spaces have even changed completely. Design has shifted towards focusing on what will function the best for our families and how do we realistically plan to use each space now. With that in mind, here are the ten trends we see sticking with us even after the pandemic is over. 

What are the Main Trends? 

Natural Neutrals  

This is one we have talked about before here on our blog with the Sherwin-Williams Color of the Year announcement. Natural tones and neutrals are going to be key. Color really impacts our mood and can set the tone for the task ahead. When you’re in a workspace, a bright pink wall can be very distracting and hard on the eyes, so those calmer naturals make sense when you consider the lifestyle we now have. These natural color palettes bring some warmth, safety, and calmness back into our lives after a hectic year and will help us remember the year we hope to have ahead. 

Kitchen Re-design 

Now more than ever, the kitchen is the heart of the home. Someone is in the kitchen at all times of the day, whether they are learning, working, crafting, cooking, or eating, the kitchen has been a pretty busy space this year.  

With that being said, here are some kitchen trends we are seeing 

⦁    Larger kitchen islands 

⦁    More seating (and more comfortable seating)  

⦁    Breakfast nooks 

⦁    Antibacterial and easy to clean surfaces 

⦁    More automation and less pulls when possible 

⦁    Automated appliances 

Families have also been finding new hobbies during the pandemic, and for the ones that involve the kitchen, homeowners are wanting designated spaces for their family members to do so. Whether that is creating a baking station for children or a juice, smoothie, or coffee bar for the adults. 

Kitchen Storage 

With everyone being home a lot more, parents are not just cooking the typical one to two meals (breakfast and dinner) a day anymore, now there is an additional meal (lunch) and however many snacks the family needs throughout the day. This means, more groceries are bought, and more canned/dry goods are being stored. Which leads to storage issues within the kitchen.  

Kitchen storage solutions have included: 

⦁    Utilizing floor to ceiling cabinets 

⦁    Deeper cabinets and drawers  

⦁    Appliance upgrades 

⦁    Walk-in pantries 

⦁    Under bench storage 

Home Offices 

Now that a lot of us have been working from home for much of the year, we can expect that even after this is all over, people will continue to work remotely. Because of that, more people will be looking for more permanent workspaces incorporated throughout the home. Whether that be designing spaces for a desk in a bedroom, living room, or laundry room, OR dedicating an entire room by creating a home office, offices will continue to be an important part of the home. In a lot of cases, more than one room might be a necessity to keep the peace throughout the home. 

At Home Gyms 

Home gyms are not something new, but throughout the pandemic, you noticed, exercise equipment was impossible to get a hold of. With most gyms being closed (or at a limited capacity), people saw the importance of investing in the equipment and figuring out a way to make it work. Like working from home, working out from home is a trend that will stick around. Some people like the routine of going to the gym and having access to all the equipment there, but a lot of people will be looking for a more permanent space to dedicate to their fitness and wellbeing. These spaces could be as simple as sectioning out a small space for a yoga mat and some dumbbells or upgrading an extra bedroom or finishing the basement to include full-sized equipment and padded flooring. 

Mudrooms & Entryways 

Throughout this year, everyone has become more aware of all the germs we run into daily and thought about what we are bringing into our homes. Entryways became the place to remove our masks and store anything we brought home to allow for the germs to die off before bringing them further into our homes or the place for delivery workers to drop off our take-out orders and grocery deliveries. With that entryway being used by others and/or full of outside germs, an additional private entrance only for the family is becoming more important than ever before. 

Rethinking Layout Trends 

Before the pandemic, many of us were loving the open floorplan and looking to downsize to live a more minimalistic lifestyle. However, after the pandemic, families have needed more space and more walls to separate themselves from each other while they work. 

People are spreading out and utilizing any room or nook that they can including: 

⦁    Attics 

⦁    Basements 

⦁    Closets 

⦁    Garages  

⦁    Outdoor Spaces 

For those that still love the open floor plan, pocket doors and glass dividers will be a great solution that does not always visually separate the home but allows for privacy and some noise cancellation. 

Better outdoor spaces/comfortable 

With having to spend so much time in their own space, it makes sense that families are spending more time in their yards or on their decks and patios. With, homeowners are wanting the outside to feel more like an extension of their home by adding more living room-like furniture to their outdoor spaces, upgrading the doors, windows, fences, and walls surrounding the area.  

Landscaping also became extremely popular, so we expect people to continue to care for the yards and gardens and upgrade their fireplaces and walking paths. 

More Light 

Before the pandemic, most people were in their homes at night when the work was done, and they needed to spend their time unwinding. Now that people are working from home and spending all their time there, homeowners are wanting more natural light and/or great substitutes for natural light in more areas of their home. 

More Thoughtful Purchasing 

With everything that has happened this year, people are being more conscious about what they are buying. A lot of homeowners are choosing to thrift or upcycle furniture and home décor or research the business from which they are purchasing from. Purchasing quality goods from smaller and/or local businesses has grown in importance. 

Final Thoughts  

In general, families and homeowners have become more conscious of what they put in their homes. They are not just creating a pretty space that looks like what they saw on TV or in a magazine, they are creating a functional space for themselves and their families. They think about the problems they run into daily and need a way to fix it.