Spending so much time at home during lockdown encouraged many people to rethink what ‘home’ means to them. There was a boom of sales in DIY stores as people spent unexpectedly free time doing home improvements. There has also been a significant increase in the number of office workers who are expecting to spend more time working remotely in the future, which will undoubtedly affect future interior design trends.
Incorporating work life into the home will be easier for those with a spare room that can be converted into an office space. But for those with a full house, open-plan living, or simply less space to play with, interior design will be more important than ever in order to create a space that’s suitable for working as well as living.
Making the most of spaces
If there is no choice but to work in the space you and your family use for living, your interior design will need to include storage to enable you to ‘put work away’ at the end of the day. The advent of online video meetings has made many people think more carefully about their interior space, and many are using items like screens or large plants in order to keep their home private (or just to hide the mess!).
Alternatively, rather than hide your home from colleagues and clients, why not celebrate it instead? Make sure you sit in front of a centrepiece that will provide a talking point in your virtual meetings, such as a designer art radiator – which will also keep you warm as you work.
Calming colours
Colours that are calming will help you relax whether you’re WFH or just home. And having a nature-inspired colour like Tranquil Dawn, the 2020 Dulux Colour of the Year, will not only be a calming influence, it will also fit in beautifully with the current Japandi trend – a cross between Japanese and Scandinavian interior design.
For colours inspired by dusk rather than dawn, 2020’s Pantone Colour of the Year is Classic Blue. This is also a tranquil colour, but as it’s reminiscent of an early evening sky, it’s probably better suited to spaces that you want to reserve purely for home life.
Whatever colour you choose for your interior design, you will be able to find a designer radiator to complement it. Whether you are interested in a sleek, modern radiator or a traditional cast iron one, you can choose from a range of colours and finishes to create the perfect room.
Garden offices
Constructing an office at the bottom of the garden is also an option if you have a suitable property. There is a huge variety of sheds, log cabins and pods that can be constructed fairly quickly and will be cheaper than building a brick extension. Connecting your garden office to the electricity supply is obviously a necessity, but when it comes to heat, extending your central heating system will be expensive and impractical.
In this case, a designer electric radiator is the perfect solution. Programme the timer to ensure your workspace is as warm as you need it to be from the beginning of the day. Many designs come with an app to enable you to control the radiator remotely and help save money. And some designs like the Cortina or Hot Spring will still allow you to sit in front of a talking point during virtual meetings!
