October 10, 2023
It’s safe to say that the Covid pandemic has consumed our lives throughout 2020 and 2021.
The way in which we use our home has taken a complete flip.
We have gone from working outside our home 50 hours a week, using our kitchen briefly each day and busy social calendars on weekends, to being in our homes the majority of the week and the time we do leave is to explore nature and take in the fresh air.
What does this mean for design? Well, a lot.
When you previously asked clients what they wanted to achieve in their home prior to the pandemic, the most common response would be around entertaining, a design with a difference and on trend inspiration.
When you ask clients throughout the pandemic what they want to achieve in home design, we hear words such as “comfort”, “practicality”, “a sense that it’s home” and “we want to create a relaxing, home environment with a purpose”. The largest thing we’ve noticed as designers, is people want to create a separation between work and home – feels difficult to achieve when 90% of our community work from home doesn’t it?
So, what does this look like and how do we achieve it? Well, the approach we’ve taken is to create a unique, inspiring work environment for our clients along with a relaxing recreational living room. Getting to know our clients is the MOST important part of a design phase. Personalities tell you a lot about colour schemes, texture elements and overall themes that we could potentially execute in the design.
So, home offices become more than an old desk pushed up against the wall – they become an inspiring space using colours we know our clients will feel most motivated by. Not only that but they combine multiple purposes within the one room, whether that be a sitting corner along with a desk space to give people variety and option to move around. Most importantly. they become a room that feels separated from their recreational and relaxing zone.
In design, it’s a flow on affect, what you do in one room affects the other right? So, if we’ve gone for bold and inspirational in the office, we want to hone in on the opposite within living areas, we want to create zen, comfort, relaxation and a sense of home. This will in return, aid in the ability to switch off after work hours and encourage people to enjoy their living spaces.
As designers, we love adjusting to life and how its constantly changing. We aim to provide our clients with designs that meet their current need and will stand the test of time. The pandemic has changed the world, changed design, and allowed us to think through a different approach to ‘home’.
