What’s next? How our homes will change in the 2020s
The roaring ’20s are here once again.
From the 1920s to the 2020s a lot has changed in the Australian home. Trends suggest that while style and design is as important as ever, Australians are also designing homes that respond to their needs.
Director and principal stylist at Vault Interiors Justine Wilson says many changes will revolve around technology and practicality.
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“We now have Siri and Google taking over the home, as well as an increasing love for entertaining and open plan home design,” she says. “It makes you wonder, what could possibly be coming next?”
Here are Wilson’s predictions for what will be saturating interior styling and design in the 2020s.
Free earth materials
Building with free earth materials is already becoming popular, but Wilson believes it will only get more common as the decade rolls on. Complementing the natural look will be the ever-popular indoor and outdoor greenery.
“People will be making houses out of mud bricks and recycled glass bottles and totally eco-friendly housing using old methods like straw roofs and dirt floors,” she says. “The recent bushfire crisis across Australia has created a new panic and now there is a movement of people wanting to care for the environment and battle climate change.”
The tiny house movement and co-living
While this will come as no surprise, the tiny house movement is being chosen over traditional housing by more and more Australians. For reasons such as financials, sustainability and lifestyle flexibility, the ’20s will see a further rise in tiny houses as well as tiny house communities.
“We’ll see developments using container houses, and tiny movable houses in small stand-alone communities where they’ll share communal gardens, bathrooms and cooking facilities with a co-op style structure,” says Wilson. “This trend nods back to tribal living systems with mixed generations or likeminded people having their own little land to govern.”
Renewed apartment living
The “Australian dream” of a white picket fence and a big backyard is shifting, and with that comes a rise in apartment living. During the ’20s people will gravitate more toward apartment living and there will be big changes in design and offerings.
“We already see unit complexes having their own doctors, grocery stores, gyms and pools, but we will start to see more activities like yoga classes, art classes, meditations rooms, music areas and day spas,” says Wilson. “People will become more community minded and seek interesting experiences. It will be less about living in the unit and more about the lifestyle it can offer.”
Earthy tones and decor
Wilson believes It’s highly likely that there will be a shift towards earthy and warm colours being dominant in our homes.
“People will desire more texture, and salvaged items over minimalism. Accessories are very earthy – clay or pottery based – and dried florals are big,” she says. “Soft accents in earth colours like terracotta, peach and beige will be on-trend. Terrazzo is the go-to material along with handmade tiles, concrete and stucco.”
Sustainable styling
As sustainability takes centre stage in all aspects of our lives, it’s only fitting that reducing our carbon footprint in the home will become increasingly important too.
“In the 2020s, this trend will skyrocket with many more homes swapping to solar power and most interior items will be re-purposed or reused – calling all vintage pieces,” says Wilson. “Green homes are the happiest homes.”
