The ‘pack up and leave’ generation are the dominating force influencing our future interior design trends in 2017.
Millennials are the first digital native generation and are responsible for the ‘pack up and leave’ lifestyle movement. Fully embracing going paperless; their photos, bank statements and other important documents are filed away in the ‘cloud’; books and magazines are read on Kindles; TV, Films and amusing clips of cats are streamed on various devices and are consumed when and where they want. No longer is there such a thing as ‘a job for life’; to progress up the career ladder one must continuously look to move jobs and up-skill, which means being ready to take that exciting new role in New York, Singapore or even Manchester! The society change equates to more people living lite and easily able to pack up their life into just a few boxes.
The unprecedented mindset shift is also having a huge influence of the look and feel of our interior living spaces and will continue to do so in 2017 and beyond.
Flexible Functional Furniture
The change in society requirements means the TV is no longer the heart of our social spaces, instead a flexible multipurpose space is required for modern families to interact via various interfaces. In built charge points for our many devices and focused lighting are essential for the flexible functionality to seamlessly integrate into our lives.
‘Bikini Island’ sofa system by Werner Aisslinger for Moroso.
Werner Aisslinger designed the ‘Bikini Island’ sofa system so it that can be customized to integrate as many functions as needed and explains the reason behind the modular design, “Life in the living room has changed quite a lot recently”. Aisslinger adds “Families and their kids are chilling with different activities—reading, downloading files, writing emails, gaming, chatting with friends, watching movies on a pad, relaxing, talking, thinking or meditating. A mix of functions and meanings means that the idea of sofa as the piece of furniture used to watch TV or as simple resting place is revolutionized”
Sam Wrigley, a Falmouth University design graduate, used the move-on mentality as inspiration for his Crisscross furniture collection by creating modular flat pack furniture that is as easy to dismantle as it is to build. This is emphasised by the company slogan: ‘Made for rearrangers and city-changers”. Wrigley hopes to take a slice of Ikea market and appeal to the ethically minded Millennial generation. All the units are made from wood that comes from sustainable FSC-certified forests and are coated in natural, child-friendly wood wax in one of four finishes – red, grey, black or natural.
Upmarket upcycling & Hand-made quality
Upcycling continues to be something that we all love, and importantly it allows us to try out the latest styles and colour trends without breaking the bank. Daniel Hopwood, president of British Institute of Interior Design (BiiD), predicts: ‘The recent up-cycling craze, is about to become more sophisticated.’ The key is taking a simple shop bought product and customising it to add character and personality or finding the craftsmen or artist to create a truly bespoke item.
Consumers are always seeking out one-off bespoke products with an authentic brand story they can identify with or where they feel a connection with the product author. Why? People are drawn to connective parts of product stories as they help the owner incorporate a piece of their personal life story into their decor and fashion accessories. ‘Handmade products, furnishings and art have monopolised the this years interior showstopping pieces’ according to Hopwood, and this shows no sign of stopping as we continue into 2017.
Angie Parker , an award winning British textile designer, used traditional Scandinavian weaves for her handmade rugs above, but her colour palette comes from a year spent in India and “the dynamic graffiti in Bristol where I live and work” explains Parker. An impressive example of hand made quality with an authentic unique twist inspired by Parker’s different life experiences.
Retro designs reinvented for shrinking living spaces
Our living space continues to shrink and is a significant contributing factor to the recent craze for mid-century inspired compact furniture. According to a report by Royal Institute British Architects (RIBA), the average UK family home has shrunk from 98.8 square metres in 2003 to 96.8 square metres in 2013. With the average one-bedroom new-build home currently measuring 46 sq m, the size of a carriage on London Underground’s Jubilee Line!
Architect Helena Rivera lives in this Victorian house in south London with her husband and two young sons. Due to the limited interior space she selected the 50s Penguin armchairs in the picture below, by Dutch designer Theo Ruth for Artifor. ‘The chairs are designed as two interlocking pieces and the 50s sofa is Danish,’ says Rivera. ‘Our house is quite small, which forced me to look at more compact furniture – Danish 50s pieces are a natural fit.’
The simple, clean-line designed furniture offers the perfect solution for the 22 sq.m living quarters, and suits the urban dynamics of the occupants lifestyle.
by Imogen Quigley | October 2016
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