The Living Edition
21 Jan 2020
It's no secret that the way we live, work and play has changed significantly over the years. While the fundamentals of making a living space in the home have remained the same since the beginning of time,conventional floorplans and ways of using the home have shifted as the family unit has evolved.
Meanwhile, the way we work is also changing, with recent reports suggesting that by 2020, 1.55 billion workers will be working in roles that do not confine them to a desk - and already up to 80% of employees work at least one day a week out of the office. Hotels are required to be suitable for business conferences, yet also attractive for rest and relaxation. Generally, people are demanding more flexibility than ever before when it comes to interior spaces, with the lines often blurred between home, work and play.
No longer purely just functional, the convention of people using separate rooms for different activities is becoming less relevant and a flexible approach to the way in which we interact with our space is becoming more important. Technology plays a major role in this shift, as people require increasingly complex working and living spaces to adapt at the same pace as the digital world. Our stunning Cavendish House penthouse project in London demonstrates how modern comfort has combined with technology to create a lavish scheme that maximizes accessibility between rooms, suitable for a variety of functions, laid out in an open-plan design.
Indeed, open-plan design has become a huge trend over decades, in all aspects of life – from the home, to the office, to hotel lounges and receptions. At home, open-plan living means that people can live, cook and eat all within one space, while in the workplace, open-plan encourages an environment of collaboration and engagement.
In keeping with this mindset, the trend for greenery and biophilia in interior design has brought the outside in, and vice versa. ‘Fertile’ interiors are proven to have a positive effect on health and well-being, matching the trend for clean living over recent years. Our spectacular Crosbie Project in Sydney features fully-grown trees inside the three-storey atrium, along with a collection of live reptiles!
These changes to the way we work, live and play are evolving to meet the demands of today’s modern person for flexible, autonomous and creative environments. We look forward to seeing how these spaces progress, while continuing to provide the perfect finishing touch with our extensive portfolio and first class service.
To find out more, discover our new products and see a host of new case studies, download a digital version of our Wood Book below.