How Will The Coronavirus Pandemic Affect Our Homes?

How will the Coronavirus pandemic affect our homes?

People the world over are spending more time in their homes at the moment, due to the Coronavirus pandemic. This has forced many of us to do the jobs around the house that perhaps we haven’t had time to do before – such as ordering made picture frames to sort our collection of photos out (we have seen an increase in orders). 

As much as we all can’t wait for this pandemic to be over, there is still a little uncertainty as to what life will look life at the end of it all. Things will be different, I think we would all agree on that, our lives and our habits have changed over the past six weeks - and our homes are also beginning to change as well.  Some of the changes we may see going continuing going forward include:

Home as the new office

One thing this quarantine has done is to force the majority of us (who can) to work from home. Now, there will be some who will race back to the office, breathing a sigh of relief when this is over, but there are many others who would actually prefer to carry on working from home.

This means that more attention will be paid to having a comfortable office space in the home, rather than working at the kitchen table or at a desk and chair slotted under the stairs. People will look to have a separate dedicated space, with large windows, comfortable furniture and their favourite piece of art hung in the best online picture frames uk.  Home offices will become much better technically equipped and may even be sound-proofed! 

The flip side of this, is that office spaces will now have to work really hard to entice people back to work – and the exclusive amenities that the top spaces enjoy currently will become much more common place.

A move away from flats back to houses

There are lots of high-rise buildings all over the UK, as they are a great way to organise a large amount of people in one place. However, when they were built, health and hygiene were not a concern. In these days of Coronavirus, people living in high-rise flats are struggling with not touching lift buttons, door handles, or common surfaces – and are finding it hard to steer clear of their neighbours as well. 

This forced isolation has meant that some people leaving in apartments are now yearning for houses instead – a place with a garden they could escape to – especially if they don’t have a balcony. People will have their forced isolation in mind when they go looking for their next place to live, and so there will be a move away from flats and back towards houses. 

Open plan living becoming less popular

Open plan living has been the big trend in home design in recent years, with people knocking down walls between their kitchen, dining space and even living rooms to create one big space to live in. However, the Coronavirus pandemic has meant this is not ideal as there is nowhere separate for people to leave their clothing, belongings and shoes when they return home – and so they risk contaminating their home with the virus unknowingly. People may look to add on a utility room or separate area for their coats and so on, to ensure their home stays hygienic.

We also expect to see a rise in the popularity of pantry’s – somewhere people can store tinned goods and water in case we face some other man-made crisis again in the future. 

A move towards self-sufficiency

Water supply and heating become top priority in times of crisis, and many home builders are already looking at ways to make the homes they build in the future more self-sufficient in terms of heat and water. Geothermal wells are one solution that is being considered at the moment, as they can not only provide homes with water but heating as well. People may also look to add their own solutions to their homes as well, such items as fireplaces, solar panels or fuel generators. 

A dependence on the internet has also meant that solutions are being sought to make this easier and faster for everyone. One option is satellite internet, which is currently only used by military organisations and maritime companies. Firms such as SpaceX and OneWeb are already looking deploying satellites into orbit which will help to cover the entire planet with technology.

Air and water filtration will become the norm

Before the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, air and water filtration was seen as a little unnecessary – but we think this will start to change. People are already worrying about what may happen if a virus gets into the water system, and so water filtration systems will grow in popularity. 

Many homes already have free-standing air-filtration fans in them, and so smart home builders are looking at ways to build things like this into the structure of homes – so that people can not only control the temperature of every room but also the quality of the air as well. 

For those families living with medical conditions, they may even go as far as installing antiseptic dispensers around their home as well, especially near entrances where delivery drivers or guests may enter. Ultraviolet lights may be another option as well, as these can kill some harmful bacteria, organisms and viruses safely. 

Our gardens will become our vegetable plots

Gardening has grown in popularity over the past few years, but growing our own vegetables will become even more popular once this crisis is over. Gardening has not only proven to be calming, but it can have a positive effect on our mental health as well – and it can give you some pleasant relief from the day-to-day mundane routine.

Quarantine is a great time to learn more about gardening, especially indoor gardening, growing plants from seed and creating your own food – especially if you live in a small space or a block of flats. As well as producing food for you, indoor gardens are also a great way to provide you with oxygen – especially things such as phytowalls which can be a real feature in your home. 

Whatever happens in the future, and however our homes look, one thing is for sure. The team at Frames.co.uk will be here to provide you with frames made to order for all your needs. 

Stay safe.