Working the new normal

How our new normal is changing Interior Design

Although we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, the new reality of working has had a huge impact on both families and business and may well have changed the way we live our lives forever.

Over the past year, the needs of new clients have changed dramatically. Interior design is essentially around the functionality within the space not only in residential design but in commercial projects too - let’s take a look at what this means for people at home and their businesses.

The impact on our homes

Many of us are now working from home and yes the end is in sight, but ‘the crisis has given British workers a taste of the work-from-home lifestyle’ according to the new YouGov survey and may be reluctant to give it up once the pandemic is over. Prior to the outbreak, only 32% of people in the UK worked from home. However 81% of those that had never worked from home, now want to continue once the crisis is over - that’s a huge amount! People with families are undoubtedly looking forward to the plans in place for the reintroduction of schools slowly opening back up and will be able to focus on their work responsibilities in an environment where they want to be. Home.

This could mean relocating for many and not being bound to the high rent and cost of living in the larger cities. Whether you’re staying put or planning a house move, renovation or building a new home, the focus for home workers will be to create a beautiful environment for their workspace and this is where affordable interior e-design is hugely helpful! The space will essentially be planned around functionality, but creating a space that is beautifully satisfying and encourages motivation to work!

It’s not just the office. With people spending so much time at home there is a shift on people’s focus and I have seen many posts and images on social media of great projects from ‘at-home’ bars, makeshift gyms, yoga spaces, updated kitchen/classrooms and movie-rooms all created to suit the needs of all the people who live there. The desire to have a space that is ‘not’ the office has come with the collective realisation that distinct zones need to be created and I believe this is having a huge impact how we design our spaces in the future.

With Spring on the way, the garden will be an extension of your home and you can create a homely space by using rugs, cushions, cosy throws, plenty of candles, fairy lights and for the ultimate experience why not set up a garden cinema? If you’re looking for ideas or inspiration then e-design is great way to get the results you want to achieve in a functional, cohesive and affordable way.

Small Commercial Businesses

Where do I start? It’s been a debilitating year for many businesses and the concerns of staying in business is so upsetting and unsettling for everyone, not least the owners. I only hope the hospitality industry can be supported as we don’t want to see our local businesses owners going through hardship.

It does however look very promising initially for small businesses such as B&B’s, holiday lets and hotels. People are desperate for a change of scenery and feel safer staying in the UK. It may be a while before the majority of people are content with going abroad or having to spend an additional 2 weeks in a lockdown hotel costing an extra £1,750 on top of their holiday! Results show that bookings for holiday homes between July 1 and August 31 are already up 156% on last year according to Holidu, a holiday let search engine.

With the rise of inbound tourism, estate agents in rural hotspots are reporting a trebling in enquiries, curbs on foreign travel means British holiday rentals could surge and stamp duty holiday means buyers could save up to £15k before end of March 2021. This all adds up to Brits rushing to cash in on the staycation boom and tax breaks despite the forecasts that house prices will fall in 2021. Properties are being snapped up to convert to B&B’s or holiday lets as it appears this industry is set to boom and hopefully followed quickly by cafe’s, restaurants and bars.

The pandemic will bring many changes that will stay in future. I recently designed a cafe/restaurant and provided designs for both ‘during’ and ‘post’ covid, with and without sneeze guards so the owners could see the maximum number of covers during both periods and the best options for furniture placement. We might not need sneeze guards in the future but owners will be considering items such as germ-resistant materials, easy to clean surfaces, sensor activated soap dispensers and smart technology.

Before the hospitality industry is open, now is a great time to consider redecorating those spaces that look a little tired and refreshing the rooms with a lick of fresh paint, some new soft furnishings, plants and all those things that will make your guests feel welcome, including necessities such as stylish bins and luxurious hand sanitiser in containers that feel integrated and not too clinical or out of place. It’s also a great time to up-cycle an old piece of furniture to give it new life and add a nice mirror or shelving above, or consider storage solutions such as some lovely large rattan baskets to hide anything unsightly.

Finally, let’s not forget the weather is getting warmer and venues with private outdoor seating will provide a safe place for family and friends to meet and enjoy company in a socially distant way. If you want any hints or tips I offer a FREE discovery call to talk about your goals and pain points so hopefully you can start with a plan whether it’s a small refresh or perhaps you have just bought a property to rent out as a holiday let and doing a renovation, I can help turn your plans into 3D reality so you can get those bookings in quick!

Property Developers

There has been a huge shift in the way properties are selling, yes they’re selling very well especially under the circumstances and online viewings and the stamp-duty holiday have played a huge part in that.

I believe online viewings will now become an ‘expectation’ for homebuyers of the future and that it’s something that will stay. However a lot of property developers only have 2D floorplans and drawings of the elevations from the architects, which makes an ‘off plan’ sale very difficult. I have written a post previously on Virtual home staging and want to highlight that a huge 85% of potential home buyers say the images are the most important factor when viewing a home online but only 10% of viewers can visualise the space from floorplans.

If you are a developer and want to make the most of your investment, get your property noticed, get more viewings, get a quicker sale and save on costs then e-design is the solution. With realistic 3D imagery, panoramas and virtual tours of the space you can provide the homebuyer with a far better experience and also include the media in your marketing materials simply with the caveat that the images are ‘representations’. This will mean that you can start advertising the properties’ virtually staged interiors before the foundations have even been laid and at a fraction of the cost of your build! It’s a no-brainer.

Despite the huge advances with the vaccine roll-out and covid cases coming down, undoubtedly it will be a long time before we ever get back to ‘normal’, if ever. This pandemic will have a huge impact on how we all live, work and do business in the future, so let’s start thinking around the new normal and how we can all improve the way we live and the way we do business, for the better.

Are you ready for a change?

Whether you are considering updating your workspace or commercial premises and would like visualise the options, then please get in touch on my contact page or email me at labodeinteriors@gmail.com to arrange a quick chat about your project.