dining room/library from apartment therapy
The blog apartment therapy recently reviewed IFDA’s (International Furnishings and Design Association) Vision for the Future survey.
2000 members of the IFDA took part in a once-a-decade survey about how home life in America will change between now and 2020.
Small is Cool: 76% of the members foresee Americans living in smaller spaces with fewer rooms. When asked the same question at the turn of the Millennium, the percentage who predicted a shift to smaller spaces was only 49%.
Goodbye Dining Room: 71% of the members predict the disappearance of the formal dining room in most homes as the space gets used for other things, such as working from home.
in fact…
Separate Rooms Are Disappearing: A huge number of respondents, 91.5 %, said that they see single-use rooms morphing into spaces that serve many different functions.
which leads us to the idea that…
Furniture Will Become Increasingly Multipurpose: 65.7% say movable, modular, small scale pieces are going to overtake things that are built-in and/or big. They also predict that interest in ergonomics will increase and interest in “designed to be disposable” furniture will decrease.
Eat in Kitchens Come Back in Style: As dining rooms disappear, a place to enjoy meals in the space where they are prepared will be the trend, which means bigger kitchens say 65% of members.
…as…
Masters Get Busier: As homes sizes shrink and the number of rooms lessens, media and exercise equipment migrate to the bedroom, according to 52.2% of the respondents.
and…
guest room/office from apartment therapy
Everyone Has a Home Office: More than 75% say that a home office is a given, with 37.3% kicking it up another notch by suggesting that multiple home offices under one roof will be the norm.
Finally…
Here Comes High Tech: The most resounding near-universal prediction is that voice and sensor controls will take over from touch as home equipment and furnishings activation go high tech. 97% of the designers, retailers and other professionals say this is the wave of the (not so distant!) future.
Most of this sounds pretty right-on to me—no huge surprises. How about you? Does your vision of 2020 line up with what the furnishing and design industry’s crystal ball shows?
Thanks IFDA for the info from 20/20: IFDAs Vision for the Future survey!
