Pandemic-inspired Re-design in Living Space
Everyone had to cope in some measure with the hardships of being shut in their homes during the pandemic. People who were fortunate enough to live in large homes passed the seemingly endless days of lockdown in relative comfort, even with a large family in the house.
But the small house and apartment dwellers had to get creative to keep from going crazy in a home with more family members than rooms. Children would bicker, adults would look for a quiet corner of the home, and everyone suffered. But as the days of lockdowns turned into months, people started to adapt their surroundings to their situation, and clever design solutions were admired and often duplicated.
A Place for Everything
Parents realized the value of finding a separate place to conduct different activities to quiet bickering children. They also discovered that having mobile shelves, surfaces, screens, and even beds solved many of the problems of frustrated children having to do without their own personal space.
People also got creative about storage. When a household found that equipment and items were taking up desperately needed space, they came up with innovative and stylish ways to store these items. Flexibility became the buzzword of this new standard in interior design. Nesting side tables, queen-sized Murphy beds, TV armoires and swivelling accent chairs all became must-have design features that made living in close quarters with family members more bearable.
Many people started paying more attention to their walls because they had to look at them constantly. Rooms began to show more color and artwork. Living plants were introduced indoors to make up for the lack of outdoor space in apartments.
The pandemic created design innovations that will be with us for years to come, making life easier for people living in homes with small floor plans. People learned how to make the most of an uncomfortable situation, and it has paid off for them.