It goes without saying that lockdown affected the design of our homes. It brought about a revolution in the way we think about home and many more of us now need permanent and flexible home-working areas in energy-efficient spaces.
Before the coronavirus lockdown, 70 per cent of Brits had never worked from home, according to the Office for National Statistics. Fast forward to today and the pandemic has resulted in an estimated 20 million people swapping crowded and long journeys for smooth 10-second commutes to makeshift workspaces on kitchen worktops or the dining table. Waking up at your ‘workplace’ has become a normal way of working for at least 1 day a week for many of us. We are now more aware than ever of the need for multifunctional spaces for living and working.
One of the biggest perks of working from home is the greater flexibility. With the ability to work from any room, those working from home can take advantage of this and create a flexible schedule to take care of work and personal responsibilities. But how do you get the balance right?
Well, we’ve found the key, flexible spaces are the future. How you might ask? Making spaces work for multiple occasions is critical to being able to fully use your home for its all its purposes. Creating multiple workspaces throughout the home means that two or more people can work from home at the same time without bothering each other, no matter how they’re designing their schedules. We love these top tips for creating multifunctional spaces by interior designer Samantha Watkins Mcrae;
- A children’s bedroom can be an area for play and learning with fun considered, multipurpose storage units and a bed that moves.
- A kitchen island can entertain guests yet still provide a working desk option
- Flexible desk space in a living room or dining room can be tidied away when not in use, even if it’s only a fold-up desk squeezed into an unused corner.
- Sliding doors and dividers can be installed (should a wall cavity allow) to hide an office or gym area.
It’s all about making your home fit its purposes and creating more space. Spaces to be apart and work in peace and spaces to come together and relax. Creative storage built into bespoke seating and maximising cupboard space in the kitchen from floor to ceiling is already becoming a key trend, as are other creative storage solutions like under bench storage and hallway storage.
Spending more time in our homes – and higher utility bills – means many of us are also prioritising energy efficiency and sustainability in the home. Including a fireplace in your home improvements could help you achieve this. Installing an electric fire in the rooms where you spend a long time sitting for extended periods is a great way to regulate the heat in the room as you need. Electric fires can be used with the heat on or off. This means if you start to get a little chilly and want some localised heat in the room, it’s a great way to warm up without turning the central heating on. Likewise, if you just enjoy the comforting ambience but it’s also the height of summer, simply select the stove to function without the heat and you’re left with a beautiful and calming flame display, a great background feature for all those zoom calls!
Living Fires 