There has been a tremendous shift in the interior design business over the past couple of years. A response to the compounding stresses brought on by the pandemic, we have seen an incredible shift in consumer focus, as well as a variety of economic and societal changes that have completely upended the landscape across multiple building environments. While pandemic restrictions are lifting little by little, it is unlikely these factors will dissipate with it.
So, what then can we expect for 2022 and beyond? The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) outlines their thoughts on the current market in a recent 2022 Trends Report (formerly the Outlook and State of Interior Design Report). Below are some of the major indicators and factors that they see influencing design trends into 2022 and beyond.
Health, Wellness and Sustainability Dominate Residential Spaces
About 60 million Americans experienced some form of mental illness in 2020. Due to this, homeowners are looking for designs, products and environments that will combat that. Simple, clean and easy-to-maintain designs have become more important, while access to outdoor spaces and nature have developed into must-have commodities.
Additionally, more than 50% of consumers say that they’re willing to change purchasing behavior if it means reducing negative climate impact.
Workplace Wellness Becomes a Differentiator for Offices
A third of full-time employees state that they never head into the workplace. In order to stay competitive, the report states that businesses will need to rethink their office environments, creating spaces that are clean, safe and less stressful. More freedom, more flexibility and more privacy are the name of the game when it comes to creating experience-based environments versus task-based.
U.S. Population Growth Stalls as Staffs Struggle
Between 2010 and 2020, population growth increased by only 7.4%. The dip is part of a longer-term trend tied to aging populations, decreased fertility rates and lagging immigration. The obvious, long-term effects will be in the ongoing staffing issues many A&D firms are facing today.
One in five practices report that finding candidates continues to be the single biggest issue when it comes to staffing as employees continue to demand higher salaries and greater benefits to match inflationary and workload pressures.
Smart Home Technology Hits the Mainstream
Lighting systems, air quality monitors and digital thermostats have grown incredibly popular as smart home technology has become simpler and easier to use. Most homes nowadays have been found to have at least one or two smart devices in them, and that number is expected to double by 2023.
Hotels and Resorts Look to Refresh Interiors in Anticipation of Returning Guests
The hospitality sector was perhaps one of the hardest hit industries during the pandemic, and with guests expected to be returning en masse this year, those in the business are busy refreshing properties to improve comfort and safety while updating aesthetics.
Wellness Real Estate Outpaces Traditional Construction
Environments designed to protect occupant health and wellbeing have come to comprise a sizeable portion of construction projects. The wellness real-estate market was perhaps the only market to see continued growth during the pandemic, leading to the market doubling its value over the course of the past three years. At this point, healthy design and wellness has become nigh inseparable from one another.
Meanwhile, in the commercial sector, the number of wellness-certifications among buildings has exploded. Between the WELL Building and the Fitwel Certifications, the number of wellness-certified properties has grown ninefold in the past three years. The number, 200 in 2018, sat
