In a world that increasingly demands more from us, for many people the bath goes beyond a moment of hygiene. It can give you a few minutes to relax after a long day at work and recharge your batteries. Therefore, more and more people are looking for spaces that escape the usual when it comes to bathroom design. Showering can become a pleasurable experience that allows a momentary escape from everyday tasks, as the projects selected below can demonstrate.
Home spaces filled with clutter and mess can be mentally exhausting, making it impossible to relax with the weight of life visually bearing down on an interior. ‘Tidy space, tidy mind’ as the idiom instructs, and home environments that focus on clean lines – either with a minimalist lifestyle, decluttering, or expansive and well-organized storage systems – cultivate a more meditative mindset. Perhaps, however, the demonization of clutter and these are, characterless spaces it creates, can get a little, well, boring.
So-called ‘clutter’ can still spark joy when given an opportunity, however. So whether they hold treasured memories in photo frames, bookcases of stories not just in print, proud achievements, inspiring equipment, or functional items kept close to hand, open storage elements like shelving, doorless cabinetry, or hanging hooks and pegs can create decorative, textured and, most importantly, personalized surfaces.
As we take stock and analyze the year 2022 from the most visited articles in our Materials section, it is clear that issues related to interiors have strongly resonated with our readers. While humanity spends more time indoors, both in physical and now even virtual realms like the metaverse, the forms and functions that define these interior spaces have acquired greater importance and value. Experimenting with fluid, flexible and versatile spaces is a trend that we have been witnessing for some years now, driven mainly by the impacts of the countless lockdowns still present in our memory. The chaos and uncertainty we experienced made us understand the importance of buildings with spatial awareness and sensitivity –those able to anticipate and take responsibility for the effects they have on their inhabitants. Factors such as orientation, the size and distribution of rooms, the use of natural light and ventilation, and the overall aesthetics of the space are essential. Technological advances have taken center stage and disrupted traditional interior design, giving rise to new and innovative approaches to domestic efficiency and circularity.
Through three different approaches –operations, aesthetics and energy–, below we provide a forecast of how we think interior spaces will evolve from 2023 onwards.
Usually, a window is an exterior opening that provides lighting and ventilation to the interior of a building. This connection with the context, added to appropriate lighting, makes it fundamental in the house. It is possible to improve your design so that it has different uses. Therefore, we have compiled some tips on how to take advantage of the sill to assign new functions to a room.
Interior design has progressively become a subject of interest among architects and designers. Having spent more time indoors recently, practitioners have been experimenting with their spaces and exploring different approaches to scale, comfort, and aesthetics. Much like everything else, design is highly influenced by external factors; any change to people's lifestyle influences how they respond to it, whether consciously or subconsciously. And while this dynamic is often seen in fashion or graphic design, it has been noticeable in interior design as well. Following years of linear, clean-cut, and refined spaces, curved silhouettes were revived, becoming one of the dominating interior design trends across the world.
Photo by Rihards Sergis, via Unsplash. Editing: ArchDaily
TikTok is a social network for sharing short videos that offers extensive features to edit them. It is possible to include filters, subtitles, soundtrack, gifs, make cuts and use creativity at will. As with Instagram and Twitter, you can follow other people's profiles and interact, liking their posts, making comments and even sharing via WhatsApp.
Salone del Mobile 2022. Image Courtesy of UNStudio
The 61st edition of The Salone del Mobile transformed its general layout and program, including Euroluce, the iconic International Lighting Exhibition in Milan. Curated by architect Beppe Finessi, in collaboration with Formafantasma and the studio Lombardini22, the new vision for The Salone del Mobile will improve accessibility and the trade fair and user experience. Running from 18th to 23rd April 2023 at Rho Fiera Milano, the 2023 Salone will focus on schools and universities under the theme "Design School."
Designing-Women’s Lives calls for a place-making revolution based on women’s culturally nurtured “feeling” sensibility. Women too often have had to repress that sensibility in order to become designers. Now, rather than struggle to fit in, women can break new ground by using Design Psychology as the foundation for creating emotionally satisfying places. To encourage such a heart/mind shift, the author discusses how she took architecture Gold Medalist Denise Scott Brown and interior design legend Margo Grant Walsh through a series of Design Psychology exercises.
The year 2022 saw a rise in conversation around health and well-being. Two years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the architecture industry is more informed about healthy building practices and equipped to drive forward impactful solutions. World Architecture Day 2022 was themed around “Architecture for well-being”, paralleling the designation of 2022 as the UIA Year of Design for Health in buildings and cities. As we wind up the year, ArchDaily explores “healthy spaces” as a trend along with insights that will last well into the future.
Once popular in Victorian architecture, pocket doors fell out of fashion in the mid-1920s and hinged doors soon became the norm. In recent years, however, a renewed interest in space-saving and design-forward solutions has brought pocket doors back into the limelight. What used to be an overlooked architectural feature is now becoming increasingly common in modern interiors, along with its creative flair and countless functions. These sleek, sliding doors can efficiently divide rooms, create seamless transitions, save space and contribute to a unique, sophisticated and stylish look. All of this while adding a slight touch of poetry to the home; sliding silently into the wall, pocket doors invite users to step through and explore what lies beyond, creating a strong sense of mystery and intrigue.
Throughout 2022 we brought different ideas for homes, from methods that do not require previous experience and with accessible materials to more elaborate projects that demand a complete renovation of the space. Many people want to bring a new atmosphere into their own homes at the end of the year. That is why we have put together some tips with the simplest executions and others that help you create the necessary transformation for your home.
As we wrap up 2022, we take a look back at how this year introduced new adaptations to the way we live, work, and interact with our built environment, especially after emerging from years of unprecedented changes. One way to describe this year's design identity is that there isn't one. Going through this transitional period, inspiration came from foreign travels, immersive virtual worlds, being one with the planet and the serenity that came with it, platforms that promote expressionism and individuality, and a trend-setting generation known for its bold perspectives.
Pantone has revealed its Color of the Year for 2023, 18-1750 Viva Magenta, a brand-new color "brave and fearless, whose exuberance promotes a joyous and optimistic celebration." The shade falls under the red family and is inspired by the tone of cochineal extract, one of the most precious dyes historically used to color textiles, cosmetics, and food.
Vertical circulation may be just one of the functions of a ladder. Always occupying a reasonable area, this element can serve to bring some other uses when it is thought of in a more integrated way with the entire room, providing living spaces, storage and also a greater aesthetic appeal. That is why we have gathered some ideas on how to occupy the areas around a staircase in different projects: from home to industrial scale.
A Hungarian proverb says "Aki tagadja a múltat, az nem talál jövőt", telling of the importance of using our past experiences to write our future, but balancing these two endless worlds – the traditions and culture of one, with the technology and innovation of the other – is often key to creating timeless design.
At the annual 360 Design Budapest event, Hungary’s most important cultural showcase of emerging and existing homegrown talent, the interconnectedness of both time and art inspired three key themes of storytelling (history and tradition), education (youthful talent and sustainability) and digitalization (technology and innovation).
Here are some of the standout designers, manufacturers, and their products from the week:
Designing a living room is not just about deciding on the sofa and rug set. Often, because it is the main environment of the house, it is connected with other programs of more public use, such as kitchens and offices - or even private, such as dormitories, in the case of apartments with a reduced area -, therefore, in order to conceive greater spatial flow, it is necessary to think of different strategies that help design a more comfortable and pleasant space.
With different shapes, sizes, and styles suiting different locations, functions, and personalities, mirrors can be used as points of self-reflection for dressing and beautifying, but also for multiplying light and space in naturally dark or narrow environments, or simply as strikingly decorative objects. Here are the right questions to ask when lost.
Thinking about woodworking in wet areas is one of the key parts of interior design. In the case of bathrooms, besides creating spaces for storing toiletries or towels, woodworking can serve as an element that composes the space by bringing different possibilities of decoration or even hiding pipes.