Trend 8: Make It Work

If we did anything this year, we found a way to make it work. At home, at work, “in school,” with our friends and families. In fact, we can’t think of anything more synonymous with 2020. Finding ways to redesign the home to fit the new normal will sure to be a lasting trend that has potential to impact home design for the next decade. Read on to learn why our WNWN Ambassadors predict multi-functional and flexible interiors will remain among the top trends this year (and beyond).

“As the world shifts and settles into this new reality, I think we’ll see an emergence of more livable design with an emphasis on authenticity, multi-functionality and smart technology integration to accommodate the new norms of spending more time at home. Unique furnishings, meaningful and sculptural accents, statement making textile that tell a story and provide a comforting aesthetic will be in demand. People will gravitate to buying and investing in what they love and what resonates with their personal style over what’s  trending.”
–Saudah Saleem of Saudah Saleem Interiors

“Shifting and reshaping the meaning of home has been the motto of the past year. The home is now so much more than a place to decompress and rest at the end of a hectic day. It now has to have the duality of a calm sanctuary and be a spot full of energy so that for both work and play, home is the place to be.”
–Alberto Villalobos of A. Villalobos Design

“People are spending more time in their homes than ever before. As a result, both the comfort and function of interiors are much more important to homeowners these days. Not only does a home need to be a sanctuary, but the new normal also means designing multipurpose spaces. With so many working from home, it’s not surprising that we have been asked by current and new clients to create variable workspaces for the ideal home office that highlight functionality while making comfort paramount.”
–Jennifer Cohler Mason of J Cohler Mason Design

“As we look to the future, I believe the design industry will focus heavily on multi-purposed furniture. With families home now more than ever (in light of the pandemic), we suddenly need more space, and multi-purpose rooms and subsequently multi-purpose furniture, is the solution. Dining tables that collapse into desks, sofas with hidden storage and more. The future of design involves flexible furniture that adapts to our new normal.”
–Rasheeda Gray of Gray Space Interiors

“We are getting requests each and every day for re-designs and new projects to help our client base of young families better integrate the ’new normal” into their interiors. As a wife and mother of two young school age children and a fur baby, form meets function has taken on new meaning. The re-design of my own family’s home began pre-Covid and our plans and design solutions have shifted as we learn how to integrate home-schooling, fitness regimes and two work-from-home adults into our interiors. Our playroom is now a mini schoolroom and our prized home gym was turned into two separate home offices. I think all designers will need to pivot in their approach to combine form and function in a beautiful manner.”
–Caroline Rafferty of Caroline Rafferty Interiors