As we reach the end of the first month of 2021, the pandemic continues to rage and no one speaks the dreaded phrase ‘new normal’ anymore. It’s been almost a year since we have adjusted the way we live - some ways for the better. It has taught us to value each other, our future and our role in our community - both local and global. Community spirit has flourished and in turn so has the shop local movement. We are more conscious of where we’re buying from and what products are made of. As people have slowed down, no longer spending hours commuting and rushing around, we have pondered our individual contribution to the environment around us and how we can make a more positive impact.

Rather than focusing on specific interiors trends, I’ve thought more about the holistic movements we are seeing in the design world. As we emerge into a post-pandemic world, how we continue to progress with sustainable living remains to be seen but I’m hopeful we will strive for better ways to be more environmentally-friendly, more socially responsible and consume consciously. 

Creating your own interiors narrative

2020 has seen us spend more time in our homes than ever before. As we use our homes for working, socialising, exercising we need spaces that reflect our needs and tastes. This means creating spaces we feel truly comfortable in, that bring us joy, that provide flexibility. That comfort can come in different forms; minimalist or maximalist, tidy or messy, simple colour schemes or mis-matching colours. Being surrounded by the things you love, ones that represent memories and uplift you is more important than blindly following trends. 

As Michelle Ogundehin puts it so eloquently: ‘Discomfort begets the new comfort. This is the year for the interiors equivalent of speaking your own truth. To be braver, bolder and create your own interiors narrative’. As I was told by someone recently ‘I haven’t regretted going bold but I have regretted going safe’.

Healing and comforting interiors

In the future we will spend on average 90 per cent of our time indoors. Studies have shown indoor air quality can be 2-5 times worse than outdoors. Increasingly, we expect and need our interiors to look after our health. Our homes can affect all aspects of our health through noise, air, water, germs and temperature. 

The big names recognise the importance of healthy interiors. Paint brands are pushing their low-VOC credentials and Ikea have recently released protective, purifying curtains that act almost as a filtration system. New innovative solutions are in the works - the Briiv air filter will be the world’s most sustainable air filter when it launches later this year. 

We know now that COVID-19 will always be with us in some way but managed through worldwide vaccinations. People are more conscious about maintaining hygiene routines. UV-C disinfection units can be easily installed to clean phones, keys, headphones as you enter your home or hotel room. Easily accessible, zero contact hand washing facilities should become the norm. 

Interiors need to be our refuge from the harsher elements of the outdoors. Better sound insulation and heat retention will improve our sleep, our energy levels and sanity. The Government’s Green Homes Grant shouldn’t be overlooked as an important tool to improving the health of your home. 

Conscious consumerism 

Conscious consumerism is when buying practices are driven by a commitment to making purchasing decisions that have positive social, economic, and environmental impact. For me, it also means buying because of need rather than being taken in by glossy marketing or that subconscious pressure you feel when you everyone is talking about a new trend that you feel you’re missing out on. Don’t get me wrong, I have often made an impulse purchase but we are becoming more aware of where we’re buying from and what products, components and materials we buy. 

Shopping local, supporting small businesses is growing as a movement but lockdown has forced many to turn to the old home comforts of the big online retailers like Amazon. A changing awareness that every time we shop we are supporting that provider to stay in business should see local community growth and more interest in artisans and makers. 

Flexible workspaces 

The office still has a place in the post-pandemic world. People are innately sociable so working in offices will continue but how we use the space will change. We’ll see a move to collaborative and connective spaces that spark productivity and creativity. 

Physical workspaces have their benefits; they can help prevent loneliness, spark creativity through collaborative human interaction and provide the right environment to aid productivity, if designed correctly. They also offer a sanctuary from the distractions most people face at home. 

Companies will look to downsize their space; one workstation per person isn’t needed - for the most part and flexible, hygienic solutions will be favoured. Woods Bagot have created four workplace designs that encourage creativity and collaboration that bridge the gap between our home working situation and the office. 

Design brands and companies will make circularity part of their overall strategy

Whether it’s shifting to renewable energy in their supply chain, using responsibly sourced materials or creating recycle and reuse programs, bigger brands will look to strengthen their environmental strategy. Transparency is still a problem but consumers are more savvy - they’ll be asking questions and businesses will need to be ready to respond. 

Keeping products, components and materials at their highest utility and value at all times

Recycling, though better than the linear model of create, buy, dispose, still requires a significant amount of energy so companies must develop better circular systems to reuse products and materials already in use.

Taking back a used product and preparing it for resale, for example, can avoid nearly all of the climate impact of making the same product from scratch. John Lewis and Ikea are two big names who have recently announced ‘buy-back’ schemes. This is a positive step but it is only scratching the surface. A holistic review by retailers and designers is important to shift towards a circular economy. 

Consumers will hold companies to account more on their circularity and social responsibility

Brands are being held to account by consumers and designers who are taking more of an interest in their overall impact. Progress on their sustainability agenda and how they respond to social issues will become more important in how people vote with their wallet. More brands and companies will look to gain certification from BCorp which demonstrates the highest standards of social and environmental performance. Consumers will look out for independent verification on a company’s practices. 

Dodds and Shute, a design and procurement agency, undertook an audit of their entire supply chain in 2018. Their platform celebrates responsible products with an easy to understand symbol system to show the sustainability status of products.  This huge undertaking is important to move the industry towards better practices. 

In the fashion industry, the annual Fashion Transparency Index is now in its sixth year. It reviews 250 of the world’s largest fashion brands and retailers on their environmental and social policies, practices and impacts. Tools like this are important in the push for transparency and are gaining traction in the interiors world. 

More designers will recognise the role they play in developing a brighter design future. Designers have the creativity and skills to positively address global challenges and hopefully the past year has spurred us in the right direction. Community, collaboration, creativity and contribution will help us shift to a more sustainable mindset and ways of living. 

Let me know if you agree or disagree with my optimistic outlook! 

If you’d like to have a chat about sustainable design or how I help to design your dream space, please get in touch via the contact page or DM @felicitywhiteinteriors. We currently have 30% off our e-design and on-site services until the end of Lockdown 3.0!