While it looked like the appeal of the open floorplan was starting to fade at the beginning of 2020, during the pandemic many people learned the hard way that perhaps your kitchen, home office, great room, playroom, and living room shouldn’t all be the same space. Lack of privacy ultimately becomes lack of function.
“Now that we have had a taste of what it is like to work from home, while a partner is doing the same, or a child is attending school via zoom at the same time, open floor plans aren’t as attractive as they used to be. The need for rooms with doors, windows, and some privacy will make a reappearance,” says Justina Blakeney, founder of Jungalow.
But according to Danielle Blundell, Home Director of Apartment Therapy, if your home is currently an open concept, you shouldn’t let that be a cause for concern. “I don’t think this is going to be an overnight change, but I think that the open plan concept is going away little by little. It started already and I think it’s going to conclude starting with people adding room dividers, or bringing in a door or figuring out some sort of a solution to add privacy.”
Eventually, more flexible and closed layouts will become the standard. “It’s just because people want that privacy, they want that little bit of separation. And sometimes it’s good to have a door that you can close. Whether it’s for containing a mess or just giving yourself that physical and audio separation from other things that are going on in your home.”
Along the same lines, single purpose spaces and furnishings are also falling out of favor. “Say goodbye to the temporary work-from-the-couch way of life,” states Roxy Te Owens, founder and creative director of Society Social. “When your home doubles as so many spaces, it’s important to try and keep some level of separation for sanity! As many of us have adjusted to the new work from home reality, we’ve realized the importance of keeping a dedicated and organized work from home setup.”
If you don’t have a spare room to use, Owens suggests trying your best to get creative. “Set up a desk vignette in the corner of your bedroom or transform a section of your dining table into a home office by adding a table lamp, your computer monitor, fresh flowers, and of course your favorite things. A pretty and dedicated space means more productivity, in our opinion.”
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