How COVID-19 has changed the Interior Designing industry?

WallsToHome Interiors
5 min readApr 25, 2021

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There is no doubt that the coronavirus pandemic has had a deep impact on just about every industry there is. The Interior Design industry has been no stranger to this as well. Due to the onslaught of the pandemic crisis followed by the lockdowns at various levels, work from home has become an inevitable solution.

The pandemic and its resultant lockdown have sent ripples across all segments of life, businesses, and industries. The lockdown has left a looming shadow on the designers as various projects of theirs have either been halted, delayed or completely steamrolled at various levels.

COVID-19 : Customer’s perspective

Being confined indoors during lockdown has gradually increased people’s connection to their living spaces. This has led to more and more people shifting their focus towards nesting. They have been forced to rethink their interiors to suit new growing needs.

The urge for nesting could be observed in our surroundings especially social media channels where hosts of images featuring designing projects could be seen splashed all over.

For example, refreshed home space, renovated home offices, organizing moments, various unique craft ideas, as well as many other creative projects. You can see people relying on these projects to experience a brief moment of joy amidst this challenging time.

This will certainly impact the future of interior designing post-COVID-19 when life will go back to normal.

Impact On Interior Design Industry

The impact on interior designing has been both good as well as bad. With advanced technology available to us in this age, any collaborative and creative work can be accomplished while sitting at various locations. Let’s have a look at The Good and The Bad brought on by the ongoing crisis.

The Good:

  • Embracing Digital World: Designers are migrating towards virtual means of communication to keep their clients up to date with any new changes as well as setting up online meetings with prospective clients.
  • Inspired To Innovate: The sudden changes in the socio-economic status quo have inspired designers to think of innovative ideas and create designs for a world that may never be quite the same post-COVID 19.
  • Reduced Manual Work: The new change also includes the ability to design and create amazing spaces despite the unavailability of on ground workforce because the show must go on! Designers are exploring and evaluating alternative options to ensure that the quality of service is not impacted.

Despite being blessed with incredible technology at the tips of our hands, it is not enough for the designer. An interior designer needs to physically inspect the sites under construction and perform an on-ground interaction with an architect and the builder. It is not possible considering stringent health measures and protocols to be followed during the pandemic.

The Bad:

  • Shelved Projects: The projects that are in the design stage are being hit worse as several clients are opting to shelve the projects due to financial constraints and market predictions of crashing.
  • Non-affordable: The design projects are being considered as luxury spending which no one can afford during this challenging time.
  • No Production: Designers are facing the challenge of lack of production which ultimately leads to delay in projects.

Either delayed or halted, the loss of work is immensely harsh. This leaves absolutely no scope for new interior designing projects. However, this is not the end but the beginning of a new phase. The designers are meant to innovate and adapt according to the needs of the times.

Let us now have a look at some of the changes brought to the home spaces post-COVID 19:

How to design your new home

The Living Room

All of a sudden, the living room has become the center of attention. Now there has been a need of renovating the living rooms by adding more space to give Victorian parlors a run for their money.

To summarize the current trends, just having a coffee table would not be enough. There needs to be a drink table, a game table, and even a separate snack table. The sofa must have tons of soft and fluffy pillows to add extra comfort while watching a movie in the middle of the day.

The living room has become a space where multiple individuals of a family can have enough space to do their things and still be in the same room without disturbing each other. You can imagine Studio living in one space.

Pocket Doors

The open house layouts are in now. However, Pocket doors are increasingly becoming popular to go along with the open layouts. It gives people the illusion of privacy when they need it.

Seating Arrangements In Master Bedroom

Due to this new culture of Work From Home, the urge for in-house work space is inevitable at one point. Your bedroom then becomes your refuge. Having an appropriate and comfortable seating arrangement in your bedroom thus comes in handy. If the bedroom is spacious enough, it’s prudent to have your workspace in there and be comfortable while working.

Opting For Warmer Hues

Lockdown has afforded us the luxury to connect with our living spaces on another level. Naturally, some changes are warranted to deepen the connection. Having a warm feeling space is the need of the hour now. Warmer colors with pinkish undertones act like a warm hug which is needed especially, now more than ever.

Reuse and Reinvent

Recycling is a win-win as it supports the environmental cause. It also gives immediate gratification to the homeowner of having the furnishings of their choice at affordable rates.

Comfortable Outdoor Spaces

The outdoor space is another arena that is receiving more attention post-COVID 19. The inability to go out during the lockdown period has urged people to appreciate the outdoors and nature more than ever possible. Now, people are trying to build up living areas in outdoor spaces and hold onto them.

Conclusion

COVID 19 has been deeply impactful for better and for worse. The economy has been hit badly, impacting all industries. It has resulted in a lack of confidence in the project promoters. It has taught us that collaborative and creative work can also be done while sitting at various locations. The will needs to be there. And it is now time to explore what we can expect from the world of interior design when the coronavirus has waned completely.

If you have any more questions regarding the entire process, you can write to us at hello@wallstohomeinteriors.com or visit us at WallsToHome Interiors
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WallsToHome Interiors
WallsToHome Interiors

Written by WallsToHome Interiors

Bangalore based Interior designing firm with design experience of 100+ projects.