What We Need From Our Homes in the Age of COVID-19

Our needs are tied to our emotions, which are themselves influenced by our surroundings. The pandemic we're living through has intensified certain emotions and shaken up our priorities. Jaye Anna Mize, vice president of home interiors, and Carrera Kurnik, culture editor and consumer insight strategist at Fashion Snoops, along with Charlotte Delobelle, who heads up the trend agency's Paris office, have identified pairs of emotions that have defined our responses to the crisis and driven our new needs: anxiety and gratitude, isolation and inspiration, fear and empathy, confusion and clarity.

They presented their analysis in a seminar titled Information & Intuition: Anticipating the New Needs of Consumers After COVID-19 at the Maison & Objet Digital Fair, which replaced the physical event this September. Relying on extensive data on everything from news articles to keywords, hashtags, searches and product sales, the speakers identified how these emotional needs are translating into new demands on our interiors and how good design can help address the new challenges.

1. Multipurpose Rooms

Home isn't just home anymore. With the pandemic and lockdown, it has become an office, a school, a gym, a play area, a restaurant, a dormitory and a place to retreat and relax. We therefore need more flexibility in our interiors today, with modular and adaptable elements. "This pandemic has really caused consumers to look deep at their needs ... and with that we've really prioritized items that are more adaptable for all situations," Mize says.

We're starting to look for furniture and accessories that allow us to work and play in the same space. Hybrid designs, detachable units and convertible pieces are the keys to creating a home suited to the "new normal."

2. Clean Indoor Air and Water

Before COVID-19 there was already a growing awareness of the importance of healthy air, but today it has really become a priority as we spend more and more time at home. Homeowners are looking for all possible means to improve indoor air quality: furniture that doesn't emit VOCs or other pollutants, sensors that monitor air quality and air-purifying treatments. "We're really seeing a lot of filtration systems built like ecosystems, bringing the outdoors indoors," Mize says. This also applies to the filtration of the water we drink or bathe with.

3. Disinfecting Products and Materials

Hygiene in interiors is another big topic. "At home, how many of us have really reevaluated our normal routines to be more sanitary overall.... Disinfection is in high demand, so this is one of the biggest areas we're seeing innovation in," Mize says.

This includes solutions for disinfecting clothing, such as with disinfecting wardrobes; antimicrobial products and fabrics for children and bedding; soaps that change color when you've washed your hands long enough; and self-disinfecting features such as door handles.

There's also a new emphasis on contactless ways of stopping germs from multiplying on certain surfaces or limiting their proliferation in the home.

4. Restful Environments

Our homes have also become our refuges, a place to rest and recharge our batteries. "We are without a doubt in a comfort movement," Mize says.

She underscores the priority given to sleep and therefore to bedroom decor. Responding to this need are products that ensure high-quality sleep, helping us process our daily emotions and protecting our immune systems, such as sleep and breathing monitors and sound insulation. "People are looking for more features within their everyday sleeping situations," Mize says.

5. Areas for Wellness Activities

Wellness in general has become a priority in this time of anxiety. The experts observed that we're focusing on ourselves more now, whether mentally, physically or emotionally. "Overall culture is shifting to really value healing and well-being over ... excessive displays of wealth," Kurnik says.

The growing interest in meditation apps is one of the manifestations of the phenomenon. Kurnik notes the negative impact on social media influencers: "People were no longer interested in looking at nice vacation photos or expensive meals ... people were turning instead to spiritual healing leaders, doctors, nurses, meditation leaders."

This search for well-being also includes physical activity at home, with a focus on equipment and furniture resilient enough to withstand daily use, including stain-resistant, waterproof, warming and anti-odor products that can be used for exercise.

6. Mood-Boosting Interiors

The months of lockdown, during which we had little social interaction and canceled long-awaited events, have affected our morale. Working from home has likewise created stress, blurring boundaries between work and private life, sometimes pushing us to work much longer hours. This has created a need for little mood boosters in our homes that help us escape the new daily reality.

"Consumers will be tightening their belts on spending, but they will find ... value in these little colorful pieces of joy that they can bring home with them," Kurnik says. Expect to see stimulating purchases that provide instant gratification - joyful, colorful products that elevate the mood. For example, the experts noted an increase in searches for watercolor paints and ukuleles.

7. Resilient Products

Finally, the current climate of anxiety has reinforced our need for security and resilience. "People are at home all the time and use their products constantly. Confidence in these products is therefore key," Mize says. We want reliable objects that are fire-resistant or even able to survive catastrophes, as well as items that are generally resistant to wear and tear - in contrast with recent decades, when products weren't necessarily made to last.

article courtesy HOUZZ.com