Industry experts predict the coronavirus pandemic will have a lasting impact on future real estate and design trends. Bigger kitchens with ample food storage space, dedicated Zoom rooms for video conferences, home gyms or nooks for a Peloton bike and more touchless in-home technology to curb exposure to germs on surfaces are just some of the ways homes will be reconstructed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, industry insiders suggest.
With kids studying remotely from home, and the transition for professionals to work from home, we are naturally evolving with the need to adjust our home life to accommodate this new lifestyle. People are getting comfortable with this new lifestyle and some will want to continue this way, working from home, and home schooling their children.
Indeed, people are spending more time at home than ever even as cities ease stay-at-home orders as businesses and offices start reopening. Purchases for home improvement items increased 71 percent since last month, according to data from market research firm Rakuten Intelligence, proof that Americans are investing in their work-from-home spaces to create a separation from work and their personal lives.
Here are interior design trends that are here to stay post-COVID-19.
Touchless tech
Homeowners are already starting to invest in gadgets that minimize contact with surfaces that tend to harbor germs, like automatic toilet flushers and motion-sensor garbage cans. Hands-free fixtures like keyless entry-based systems with voice and image recognition will likely also be installed in more homes.
Zoom rooms and quiet spaces
As more people continue working from home despite office reopenings, prospective homebuyers expect rooms or areas of homes to be outfitted for Zoom chats and video calls. Dedicated work areas for each adult and dedicated study space for each child with powerful Wi-Fi may become common. And if a separate room isn’t available to dedicate to workspaces like a home office, expect to see more built-in bookshelves that can serve a double purpose for storage and a sleek backdrop for conference calls.
The open-concept floor plan trend could become extinct with the need to have separate space to block out sounds from the TV in the living room or cooking in the kitchen while taking work calls.
Ample storage space
Storage space has become a priority with more people cooking from home and stock piling neccessities. Whether it’s turning closet space into a pantry or building out an island in kitchens for extra counter space, homeowners need more room to store kitchen cookware, canned goods and ingredients consumers have stocked up on during the pandemic.
Outdoor gardens
The number of people who have started to grow their own food has skyrocketed since mid-March causing a seed shortage for some of the country’s biggest producers. And with that, gardening and outdoor greenery will continue to sprout up in backyards.
Exercise Rooms/Areas
With home gyms closed people began working out from home more. Home gym areas in homes a predicted to become more of a priority as well. If an entire room is not available little nooks can be created to fit the ever-popular home gym equipment such as Peloton bikes.