Innovate

I’m not particularly good with change. I find comfort in routine, friendliness in the familiar, solace in knowing what’s about to happen next. It’s an unfortunate personality trait that I’m always intending to work on (although my fiancé might say it’s not as bad as my inability to unload cutlery from the dishwasher without making a clatter), as clinging to the knowable is not a quality that gets you very far in 2020. I am writing this four days before the UK is due to leave the EU – and it looks as though it might actually happen this time – another example of shifting circumstances, a future shrouded in uncertainty.

And so, I’ve decided to get on board with it all. Not all change is bad (if I say this enough, I might start believing it); for instance, after years of a stagnant housing market, it seems like buoyancy is back. Anecdotally, in conversations with our friends at interiors brands, there’s a sense that business is picking up, people are decorating, renovating, moving up and moving on – embracing change of their own. It’s in this spirit that we’ve devoted this issue to looking ahead at the advances being made in design. I found our report about the architects creating the homes of the future (page 34) particularly fascinating. It’s a glimpse into how changing briefs are informing what our next homes could be like. I love the idea of how a thoughtful positioning of a front door can affect how plugged in we feel to our community, which in turn has a positive influence on our lives.

Elsewhere in the issue you’ll find an aesthete’s guide to folding tech into your home in our Design Dossier Lookbook (page 140), advice on how to use the sustainable wall finishes that are becoming more widely available (page 124) and a look at some exciting new designers who are changing the way we think about materials (page 128).

Of course, one of the biggest challenges facing all of us, not just designers, is how our choices continue to impact on the environment. I was pleased to see that some of my colleagues here at TI Media have created a new magazine called Green Living Made Easy, which is full of great ideas for smarter living and inspiring information about how to take care of our future. It’s available from newsagents now (and, yes, it’s printed on paper with EU Ecolabel certification – a level of environmental excellence). Here’s to looking ahead with excitement.