10 Designers Share the Trends Defining Dwellings of Tomorrow

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Remember back when an open-plan layout was considered cutting edge? Or everything was shabby chic and then suddenly midcentury modern? Trends in home design can either cement themselves as benchmarks of contemporary living or flame out fast. So what’s right around the bend? We asked 10 of the world’s leading designers and architects to share their predictions. Tackling the effects of climate change, technology, and the epidemic of loneliness, their replies run the gamut from meditation rooms and wellness zones to wilder, less manicured gardens, calming decor, and creative ways to reinforce human connection.

“Human connections are getting lost because we spend too much time on the screen. I like the idea of homes being a kind of collective—something that you can share with other people. We call it a buddy block. The idea [is] that friends build a community together. You have your own home, but perhaps you also have a clubhouse that you enjoy with 10 friends. It’s almost like a mini hotel, [where] you can have breakfast, lunch, and dinner [and also] share a physical trainer, life coach, or driver.” —Kulapat Yantrasast, AD100 designer and founder of Why Architecture Workshop, Los Angeles

“Full-blown wellness [areas]—whether you’re integrating a steam shower into a shower or [installing] a dedicated sauna, steam, cold plunge or hyperbaric chamber. Things like gyms are [now] dispersed throughout the house—[there’s a space for] lightweight exercises [and another one where you can do] yoga. I’m not overly into techy houses. I love the physical touch and sound of a light switch [rather than using a smart switch]. You want to walk in your house and it feels good. Why does it feel good? Because it doesn’t overwhelm you. You don’t want to go: I didn't charge my phone, so now I can’t get into the house.” —David Flack, AD100 designer of Flack Studio, Melbourne

This story is part of The Future of Home, a collaboration between the editors of WIRED and Architectural Digest to help you understand what “home” will look like tomorrow and beyond.

“The home is becoming quieter. People are moving away from overly decorated interiors toward spaces that feel mentally calm. Not necessarily ‘cozy’ in the traditional sense, but less visually busy and more emotionally clear. Empty space will become more important. Minimalism will finally become meaningful again—not just an aesthetic, but a way to clear your environment and your mind. Personally, I’m becoming more interested in strong contrasts like black and white rather than endless shades of beige. I also think it’s interesting that we still try to hide wellness objects like treadmills or yoga mats after using them, while the dining table stays permanently visible even if we use it less often. If we spend more time on a treadmill than at a dining table, maybe we should rethink which objects deserve space in our homes.” —Harry Nuriev, founder and creative director of Crosby Studios, Paris and New York

“There’s an attitude shift about landscapes. People understand that they have the agency to shape their outdoor spaces in the same way that they do their interiors. [There’s] a really big shift away from lawns and super high-maintenance landscapes [toward] things that require less maintenance, like meadow mixes and growing from seed—having the patience to manage and work closely with the land to generate a different [wilder] look. In the post-Covid era, spending time outside is something people want to do. Shade structures have become a big part of what we do—what does it look like to have dinner outside? Shade has become a really important part of making an outdoor space comfortable enough to live in.” —Sara Zewde, AD100 designer of Studio Zewde, New York

“The domestic layout is becoming less hierarchical and more cinematic. Spaces are no longer read in sequence, but in layers—sometimes connected visually, sometimes only perceptually. Primary suites, for example, are increasingly conceived as almost autonomous worlds within the home. Not separate, but self-contained, with their own rhythm of light, materiality, and silence. At the same time, we see a strong interest in secondary units—small independent architectures within or near the main house. They are not only functional extensions, but spaces of emotional distance and return. What matters is the possibility of proximity without overlap. The home becomes less about division and more about calibrated distances.” —Britt Moran, cofounder of AD100 firm Dimorestudio, Milan

“People [now] have dedicated rooms for [tea and] coffee. It’s not a living space—it’s a [separate room] to grab your coffee in the morning. It’s also a way to keep electronics out of the kitchen. Color is making a comeback. Everyone is trying to be authentic in their own way and pushing for individuality: more color, more prints, more warmth, less plastic and sterile-ness.” —AD100 designer Mark Grattan, New York, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro

“Anything that breaks you from technology—meditation, retreat, and isolation rooms. People are constantly looking at ways of detaching from what we inadvertently evolved into. There’s [also] a great desire for socialization, so a lot of people are wanting to entertain again. There’s a whole contingency of people that are quite nomadic, so some people like to have full apartments attached to their houses [where friends can stay]. It’s not just about having a guest room; [rather] you want guests to have their own world, [but you can still have interaction]. Especially in the techy, entrepreneurial world. Entrepreneurs are hungry for new ideas and new sparks of inspiration, and I think that comes from connecting or hanging out with someone in a very real way.” —Andre Herrero, architect and principal at AD100 firm Charlap Hyman & Herrero, Los Angeles

“People are looking for places [where they can] work at home. It's not about having offices but more informal spaces—maybe a breakfast table that can be converted to a workspace or part of a bedroom [that] can be a temporary workspace with a small table. No one is constricted to a static office environment. It may be a small nook or a discreet place. [Our] lifestyle [has] become more fluid within the home, so [people are] not doing one thing in one room.” —Toshiko Mori, Toshiko Mori Architect, New York

“People are more willing to get their hands dirty. [They’re] becoming aware of the fact that, as a homeowner, you're part of the garden team. A great garden is usually defined by the person watching it—[which is usually] the person who lives there. Water features [are] coming up a lot. There was a stigma because of water use, but if you do them right, they really don’t increase water use much. The idea of sound in the garden should be considered—the revival of the wind chime or the sound that certain plants make, [whether] that’s bamboo, dried leaves, or water features.” —Carlos Campos Morera, landscape designer and cofounder of AD100 firm Geoponika, Los Angeles

“We want smart technology to be more invisible. It’s not cool to see screens. Of course we have to deal with ecological elements, like how to regulate heat and to have smart houses. [We] want to feel it but not see it. We [also] want to come back to natural materials and textures. It’s more about working with artisans. [There’s a] return of the ’30s, where people were working with [craftspeople] and techniques, where you show the hand of the artisans. Not everything needs to be symmetrical or perfect.” —AD100 designer Hugo Toro, Paris

This article originally appeared on Architectural Digest.

Photo-illustration (clockwise from left): William Jess Laird (Toro); Maggie Shannon (Morera); Ralph Gibson (Mori); Anson Smart (Flack); Miguel Flores-Vianna (Moran); David Powers (Herrero); Amy Lombard (Grattan); Guarionex Rodriguez Jr. (Zewde); Seth Caplan (Yantrasast); Ludovic Balay (Nuriev).