The Post Pandemic Abode

In just a few months, a lot has changed, and that includes the idea of what a ‘dream home’ looks like. Before the pandemic, home buyers were preferring smaller homes and open concept spaces conducive to entertaining. After spending the last few months cooped up inside, those features cease to be appealing.

Developers have taken note and are re-evaluating the existing in-unit looks and amenities.

Trends in home design may shift in the coming years

Size of the home. Homes were trending smaller and that may be over. With so many of us spending way more time around the house lately, there is more need for personal space. This means we should expect homes to grow in size accordingly.

Home office is now a priority. The home office will become a near-essential for many home buyers as more and more businesses relax their ‘work-from-home’ policies. For many companies there is also a shift to ‘full-time remote’ work entirely. This has forced many of us to create makeshift desks in the cramped spaces of our homes.

How interesting that a space that was once an after-thought will now need to offer privacy, good lighting and be pre-wired for telecommuting!

Return of the closed floor plan? The open-floor plan was already starting to trend down in the last year or two. The last few months have only made the reasons why more obvious. Spending more time and space at home requires more privacy for school work, hobbies and entertainment. An open-concept kitchen becomes the rowdy epicenter with more meals being cooked at home all day long.

Residential home builders are expecting a rise in the demand for closed floor plans with rooms partitioned for purpose.

Smart technology is a fast-growing trend. When it comes to home design, smart home technology will soon move from a ‘plus’ to a ‘must’. Controlling temperature and lighting can now be voice or motion-activated. Touchless faucets were once thought of as extravagant but are now a health conscious upgrade. Air filtering and monitoring systems will become more common and affordable.

While the history-defining coronavirus still rages on, it’s hard to predict what post-pandemic abodes might look like. Now that impromptu dashes to the store, drinks at the bar, celebrating birthdays with friends, holidays, gym classes, family visits, hugs and handshakes have been rescinded from our lives, we are forced to take ‘baby steps’ toward normality. In the meantime, developers continue to anticipate residents’ needs and preferences that Covid-19 will spur.