DESIGN FOCUS: OUTDOOR FURNITURE

DESIGN FOCUS: OUTDOOR FURNITURE

- ESRA LEMMENS

2020 has proved to be an exciting year for the interior design industry. We are ramping up the functionality of our living environments and creating a shift in our thinking. We are also taking time to reconsider how we can take advantage of our glorious outside spaces and create fresh air living rooms. Working from home and schooling children from the kitchen table has forced many to feel they need to change up existing living rooms and create additional, useable exterior spaces.

The closure of beaches and parks, restrictive physical distancing regulations and the replacement of glorious summer events with virtual reality performances have forced residential outdoor spaces to play an increasingly important role in leisure activities, while helping maintain a sense of wellbeing and normalcy. Having just 30 minutes of natural daylight exposure helps regulate the body's circadian rhythm, which contributes to a more regular sleep pattern.

Now is the best time to consider extending outdoor spaces to create additional living rooms; set up a healthy garden-kitchen; build an outdoor pavilion or simply put up a hammock; and luxuriate in knowing that you have a quiet space to read in.

Hybrid furniture

COVID-19 has added pressure points to our once peaceful homes. Many are now seeking ingenious alternatives that can spatially redistribute spaces to accommodate learning, working, living and playing. The hybrid prefix has allowed us to explore multifunctionality in our living spaces. Online furniture sales have risen dramatically, with expected revenues in both the US and EU furniture markets to grow annually by 4.3 per cent from 2020 to 2023.