Rethinking spaces
An interior designer shares her ideas on how homes are being redefined for the new normal.
With many people staying home despite lifted community restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are rethinking their use of space. The house used to be pegged as a sanctuary at the end of a long workday, but now it has to be more versatile to suit the homeowners’ needs, with an office area that comes with good lighting for Zoom meetings, a garden for fresh greens, a kitchen for home prepared meals and even a little bakery as a sideline, and perhaps a study area for kids that will be homeschooled in the coming months.
Interior designer and contractor Joy Ejercito says that because of COVID-19 home spaces will have not only the ‘new normal’ but also elements that will transcend into the ‘next normal.’ “COVID-19 has a huge impact on the future of interior design. Our homes, commercial and public spaces will encompass the new awareness of the personal safety concerns of the people.”
Better connections
One of the areas that will be of utmost importance in the home is connectivity, she says. “For the online virtual communication aspect of work, people will consider having adequate lighting with good audio and virtual connection.”
Colors will now be in happier shades too, to make them more appealing for people who are confined to the four walls of their rooms. Ejercito shares, “There will be the use of bold and bright colors in the interiors to help support wellness and well-being. It is expected that yellows will emerge to brighten up a space, blue to relax and shades of green to re-energize and rejuvenate.” She adds that since people will be staying indoors and away from nature, greeneries will be incorporated into the design. “There will be more vertical gardens. For homes, there will be indoor gardening with artificial light to make vegetables grow.”
The connection will also be grounded to more metaphysical pursuits of happiness. “Material things now have lesser relevance. Now, people can live less, will have a stronger sense of community, and will have a greater sensitivity towards the environment.” There is a rising interest in local designs and craftsmanship as Filipinos support smaller entrepreneurs through the pandemic, along with the trend of assigning more value to a product if there is a story behind it, rather than something disposable and mass produced.
Cleaning up
Aside from giving a room a warm, classy tone, Ejercito predicts that copper will make more appearances on finishes because of its antibacterial properties. Copper has been found to kill the coronavirus within four hours as compared to up to 72 hours on plastic surfaces. Researchers at the Ben-Gurion University and the National Institute of Biotechnology in Israel are said to be currently developing long-lasting antiviral coatings for high-touch surfaces as doorknobs to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
One new space that will be coming into popularity is a clean-up vestibule where the homeowners and their guests can sanitize their hands and change footgear before entering the home (the Ishinomaki Laboratory Shoes Shelf from Lamana PH is perfect for this). With more attention given to sanitation, better — and bigger — storage for cleaning supplies are also in order.
Ejercito explains the need to rethink the way we live at home. “When you are locked-down or quarantined at home for a long time, it becomes clear why interior design is, all the more, important. This quarantine has inspired people to nest and re-decorate. In the age of pandemic, the home has become our world. Everyone wants to take care of the wellness and well-being at home to support the body, mind and spirit throughout this difficult and challenging times.”