Design Trends in 2021 Expected to Reflect Ongoing COVID Concerns

Look for the construction and installation of more automatic washbasins, bathroom infrared sensors, and even voice-activated appliances in home design projects next year.
Data collected by the online design resource site Houzz.com reveals a decided demand for more adaptable spaces, as well as designs connecting the indoors with the outdoors.
Notes Better Homes & Gardens: “Everything from the materials we choose to the design of our living spaces is expected to change as we continue to navigate our way through the pandemic.”
The trend is expected to see a greater emphasis on adaptable layouts, with flexible walls built in that can be moved around in order to create larger room spaces as needed.
At same time, notes the magazine Livingetc, the design industry is expected to see a greater emphasis on study hubs offering “the privacy and focus needed for work/schooling with breakout areas that provide much needed separation and relaxation.”
A recent survey conducted by the American Institute of Architects shows the lay of the land: out of a total of 425 member responses, 68% said they were receiving more orders for home office designs.
Those design requests also included the building of sun rooms, yoga and exercise rooms, and enhanced lighting.
Covid design responses are additionally expected to see reengineered ventilation systems as well as wider staircases, and intimate lounge areas.
For some designers, the covid-influenced design trends are essentially hastening a trend that may have been underway some time before the onset of the pandemic.
Speaking with the Wall Street Journal, Wendy Labrum, owner of the Chicago-based Wendy Labrum Interiors, observed: “We’ve thankfully seen a trend away from the cookie-cutter open-concept plan in recent years, and I would suspect the pandemic will only put the nail in that proverbial coffin.”

​By Garry Boulard

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