Wren Kitchens’ Store Development and Design Director, Darren Watts, gives his household trends for 2021
A focus on multifunctional workspaces
Despite a very definite leaning towards dedicated home office environments in 2021, some households have greater demand to cater to than others. Many are likely to have a couple of home workers as well as home schoolers to accommodate, a complication compounded by traditional kitchen, living, and even dining areas struggling to adapt to long-term change. As habits continue to evolve, contemporary design will need to allow for families who frequently share workspaces. This is particularly evidenced in recent search data that highlights an extreme need for flexible spacing: ‘folding desks’ demonstrated a 400% uplift in Google searches at the close of 2020, compared to 2019, while ‘room dividers’ saw interest rise by 50% in the same period.
Opening doors to the natural world
One trend certain to gain traction this year is the idea of styling the home according to organic principles, and a growing desire to reconnect with more natural elements. In the literal sense, interest in plant life has grown at an incredible pace in recent months, with Google searches for ‘house plants’ and ‘indoor plants’ increasing by over 80% in December 2020 on the year before. More subtly, there’s a developing focus on home and kitchen features that prioritise light and grace, which can often come from vibrancy and colourful appliances, broad and expansive windowing, and open space; crisp, white styling makes the perfect canvas for an expressive palette, while natural light encourages feelings of wellbeing.
A growing appreciation for the home we live in. We’ve all spent more time in our homes recently than, likely, any other period of our lives. With this, there’s now a greater priority placed on the state of our surroundings, both personally and professionally. Put short, the home is no longer simply a place for evening sanctuary and weekend relaxation.
For many, this means investing more in enhancing the at-home experience. A trend worth following is the increased desire to style an improved array of smart appliances in the home, with ‘smart kitchens’ gathering particular momentum with almost 50% more Google searches at the end of 2020 compared to 2019.
Read the full story here
- The trends for this year focus heavily on multifunctional spaces
- Plants take centre stage as consumers have growing desire to connect to natural elements
A focus on multifunctional workspaces
Despite a very definite leaning towards dedicated home office environments in 2021, some households have greater demand to cater to than others. Many are likely to have a couple of home workers as well as home schoolers to accommodate, a complication compounded by traditional kitchen, living, and even dining areas struggling to adapt to long-term change. As habits continue to evolve, contemporary design will need to allow for families who frequently share workspaces. This is particularly evidenced in recent search data that highlights an extreme need for flexible spacing: ‘folding desks’ demonstrated a 400% uplift in Google searches at the close of 2020, compared to 2019, while ‘room dividers’ saw interest rise by 50% in the same period.
Opening doors to the natural world
One trend certain to gain traction this year is the idea of styling the home according to organic principles, and a growing desire to reconnect with more natural elements. In the literal sense, interest in plant life has grown at an incredible pace in recent months, with Google searches for ‘house plants’ and ‘indoor plants’ increasing by over 80% in December 2020 on the year before. More subtly, there’s a developing focus on home and kitchen features that prioritise light and grace, which can often come from vibrancy and colourful appliances, broad and expansive windowing, and open space; crisp, white styling makes the perfect canvas for an expressive palette, while natural light encourages feelings of wellbeing.
A growing appreciation for the home we live in. We’ve all spent more time in our homes recently than, likely, any other period of our lives. With this, there’s now a greater priority placed on the state of our surroundings, both personally and professionally. Put short, the home is no longer simply a place for evening sanctuary and weekend relaxation.
For many, this means investing more in enhancing the at-home experience. A trend worth following is the increased desire to style an improved array of smart appliances in the home, with ‘smart kitchens’ gathering particular momentum with almost 50% more Google searches at the end of 2020 compared to 2019.
Read the full story here
