Home: What Does It Mean To Us Now?

Home: What does it mean to us now?

This year our homes changed from being a place where we sometimes were to THE place where we always were – a big change for many people. Our home is no longer the place where we eat, relax and sleep – it is also the place we exercise, work and educate our children – as well as the sanctuary we retreat to, to escape the sense of doom many of us feel now we are living through a pandemic. Not to mention all the talk of an economic crisis arising from the lockdown measures surrounding this outbreak. 

For those of us who have been lucky enough to be able to work from home for the past few months, we have had to wrap our heads around the fact that we need to optimise our space to ensure it can help us to do all of the things that we need to do. This means different things to different people, with some adding locks to the bathroom door, others adding inspirational quotes in customized photo frames online to their home office walls, and others finding space in the garden shed to be creative!

While lockdown restrictions are beginning to ease, in some parts of the country, the fact that we have all been forced to stay at home for so long will undoubtably have changed the way we all think about it. We’ve talked about how it will influence the interior design industry, but it will also have an impact on architecture and home goods design as well – in many different ways. But how? What will our children want their homes to look like now they are growing up in places that are becoming more than just a space where they keep their stuff? What will home mean in the future?

It doesn’t matter whether you are living in a five bedroomed detached house in the suburbs or a tiny studio flat in the heart of town – this year will have forced you to think about the space you inhabit in a very different way. It probably started back in March, when you suddenly realised that you would have to work from home for the next few weeks – which would mean shifting things around a little. Maybe you started working from the kitchen table – and going outside to take calls so your other half wasn’t disturbed, or moving the kid's homework off the table each morning so you can get to your laptop.

Your favourite place in your home may have changed to. Now that you are spending eight hours a day perched somewhere so you can complete your work, you will have made changes to the surrounding space to make it more comfortable for you. Some people have ordered new furniture, some have been looking at the best online custom framing so, they can finally complete that gallery wall, and some have been adding plants to bring a more natural feel. Whatever it is you’ve done; you will have developed a closer relationship with your home and your appreciation of it will have grown as well. 

Having a home office is now seen as the norm, with many companies realising the benefits of allowing employees to work from home – even after the lockdown restrictions are lifted. For productivity purposes it helps to be able to go into a room and close the door, and it is important to remember that home office furniture doesn’t have to be ugly. It can be chic and stylish and fit in with the rest of the vibe of your home – and still be functional as well. A beautiful chair and desk can be great additions to any room – even if you do end up going back into the office full time.

We realise that in smaller spaces or shared spaces, having a home office may seem like a pipe dream – and many people are struggling with juggling work, home and family life. Having your laptop and papers somewhere visible when you are trying to cook or watch a film, or even go to sleep – can add stress to your already stressful day – and so it is not ideal.

This is why interior design has developed and changed over the last few months, with a new focus on multi-function items and items that are flexible in design. Lighting plays a large part in allowing us to switch off – and can create different moods at different times of the day. Think about how your laptop or phone looks when you put “dark” mode on – you can recreate that in your own home. The furniture and fixtures stay the same, but the lighting changes and so does the mood. 

Storage options are also super important – more so than ever. Open shelving has been popular in the past but may not be so much so now, as people want to be able to properly shut things away out of sight at certain times of the day. Items like a roll-top desk that can be closed when you have finished your work for the day will become more popular.

It’s not just home offices that we need to consider though. Now that we have been in our homes 24/7, we will have realised that there is one area that we just don’t use, or ignore, as we don’t know what to do with it. Now that we all have more spare time than ever, and have to spend it at home, many of us are transforming these spaces into reading nooks, craft corners, bars and so on. The home gym is coming out of hiding as well – after all, if we are all posting selfies of ourselves in the gym on social media it stands to reason we want our gyms to look great too.

Another area that may have been neglected in the past is the bathroom. The younger generation have long realised the pleasure a bathroom can bring, if lit with candles and filled with Instagram worthy accessories and plants. But now we are all realising that they are the one space in our homes that we can truly be private in, and we are starting to make them look beautiful again. 

Probably the biggest change in how we feel about home, is that it has become so much more important to us – and we are noticing more the homes of those around us. Home interior social media accounts are growing in popularity rapidly - from those looking for design ideas for their spaces to those living in cramped apartments looking jealously at those with huge homes. 

Now is the time for us all to think about our personal style, what makes us happy and what works for us in our homes. It's about carving out a sanctuary for yourself. If that includes hanging up your favourite pieces of art, or wonderful family memories, then Frames.co.uk are here to help you with answers to all of your picture framing questions, including finding a custom frame size online. We are open with no delays.