People are finding themselves going inward in 2022. Into their homes and into a peaceful state of mind. Mindful interior design is becoming a focus in everyday lifestyles as a natural support to help create well-being in everyday spaces. Healing can begin with our personal spaces.
Sunlight, fresh air, plants, along with other natural elements will be a greater focus in design. Our homes must be felt as a safe sanctuary to nurture and rejuvenate ourselves. This is where we have a tremendous impact on our overall well-being.
Our bedroom provides the perfect transition between rest and work. Voice controls and hands-free technology have become our companion to open and close window coverings and even no-touch is becoming a component of avoiding germs. Our friends Siri and Alexa have given us voice support as a way of life.
Bathrooms have become even more important as personal escapes. Toilets now play music and have special lighting effects. Showerheads recreate the experience of being caught in a rainstorm or waterfall.
The power of light as light therapy has become more understood as a positive impact on our mood, lowering our stress levels, increasing our energy level, or soothing and calming us after a challenging day.
Health-encouraging elements and floor plans will make a difference, including sound privacy, especially in home offices, air filtration systems, natural light, biophilic design, flexible rooms, moveable doors and walls.
The impact of COVID inspired moving away from ‘open everywhere’ floor plans to more separation. When several people use a space together, there is noise pollution, odors that move from one room to the next, loss of much needed privacy and a diminished sense of cleanliness. One way to improve these conditions is to design more spaces with privacy niches, so you still have the feeling of openness without it being one big open space.
The home will become the place in which to live a richer experience than what you were used to. This will include home fitness areas, reading rooms and media or home theater spaces. Music, lighting and shading will play a much more important role in these spaces to create different ambiances throughout the home.
Previously showing off your big screen or massive speakers was the craze, now ‘subtlety’ will be the in-thing. Speakers that deliver great sound but blend into the room; motorized shades and lighting that can be programmed to create a zen-like feeling. Screens or TVs will not be seen until commanded, reducing visual clutter.
There is an increase in functionality without fuss. Low-maintenance surfaces and ways to organize living areas that support health and well-being are strong 2022 trends. People are spending more time at home, whether adults working or kids learning remotely. Both cause homes to have more traffic and wear and tear, making it harder and critical to keep them clean.
We’re going to see an interest in mud rooms where people can decontaminate, removing dirty shoes or outerwear before coming into the main living areas.
Laundry areas have become more important. Some modified for the pet explosion trend, needing space for new furry friends.
Laundry appliances are more functional and wellness-focused with steam and mood-lifting colors. Laundry rooms are being designed to be brighter and more decorative as they serve more objectives.
Enhanced outdoor living areas are in demand to be comfortable and well-equipped as their interior equivalents.
With people seeking to avoid crowds, private outdoor spaces have gained more prominence amongst friends and family. Part of this trend has enhanced outdoor cooking and entertaining capacity with people preparing full holiday meals outdoors, experimenting with smokers, rotisseries, and flat-top grills. They’ve discovered that today’s outdoor appliances offer a huge degree of cooking flexibility, and they’ve discovered that eating outdoors feels good, the meals taste better, entertaining is less stressful and there’s a certain intimacy, gathering around a fire pit to tell stories, or watching a movie together on a big screen TV with a great sound system under a beautiful night sky. It’s expanded our vision of what entertaining can be.
Technology will also be a force in creating outdoor living environments with hidden speakers, path lighting for safety and ambiance, TVs that can withstand the elements and hide away when not in use. Motorized shades that quickly convert an open-air patio into a cozy, semi-enclosed space that helps control temps and keeps bugs out are highly desirable. Apps that control each of these make it more enjoyable and easy to use.
As we begin 2022 with these new trends, be assured that more trends will emerge, giving us that peace-of-mind lifestyle that we are all seeking to obtain.
Love your lifestyle now and live mindfully!
For more information visit: www.BarbaraKaplan.com
