Multi-functional Interior Design for the Hybridized Home

The demand for urban housing is set to increase whilst floor space isn’t. 

Multi-functional interior design and products have seen a boom in popularity as householders look to maximise the use of shrinking living spaces and incorporate better solutions for work, rest and play.

Homes are changing as rooms adapt from traditional use to maximise space, and accommodate working-from-home setups and multiple occupancy arrangements. With space sharing and boundaries shifting, multifunctional products can offer more to maintain healthy and happy environments. More and more adults are opting to live with housemates and would-be ‘empty nesters’ are sharing their homes with adult children for longer. Homes need to accommodate varying requirements and support boundaries more than ever.

Available on our trend subscription platform My TrendBible Premium, ‘The Hybridized Home’ report series explores multi-functional furniture and dual-use products through work, rest and play. Here we share a few extracts from some of the reports available in this series.

The home workstation

Whilst more people than ever are working from home, many people have also returned to offices either permanently or via a hybrid arrangement. Hybrid office spaces have had to re-address how they are best used to accommodate this new model. Spaces need to be flexible and future-proofed to maintain productivity, promote collaboration on and offline and preserve wellbeing in the event of future pandemics or seasonal viruses.

Domestic soundscaping

Domestic soundscapes can be a challenge for the modern home as ambience becomes increasingly important. We are more attuned to surrounding sounds including undesirable background noises like traffic, neighbours and electrical appliances. The rise in popularity of open-plan living, hard flooring, finishes and minimal window treatments has also left homemakers desiring serene, acoustic comfort.

The multi-functional lounge

The concept of a static living room has evolved for the majority of consumers and become the pivotal space for life at home. No longer a defined lounge room, future living areas are multi-functional and multi-purpose, often with kitchen, living, working and dining all in one space. The sounds associated with this busy part of the home can blur into each other in this open space, highlighting the need for soundproofing, dampening, zoning and more privacy and flexibility.  As the living space continues to mould and adapt to family life, an increasing number of productivity and comfort-boosting sonic solutions are emerging.

Unpack and explore the evolution of the modern home and what this means for the future householder and interior design in our  Hybridized Home report series available when you subscribe to our Premium membership at Your TrendBible. Your TrendBible is our trend subscription service designed to inspire and spark ideas, give your teams confidence in actioning trends and provide validation from across the globe.