In an ever-changing market still rebounding from the recession, being aware of the trends shaping the interior design industry plays a vital role in not only growing one’s brand, but making a positive impact on the built environment. “We spend 93% of our time indoors,” said David Krantz, vice president of research and knowledge management for the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). “What interior designers do is important for a lot of people. So when we discuss trends, we’re talking about big, important movements across society, and how designers can tap into those. As a result, they’ll be better designers, and have a bigger positive impact on society.”
With these goals in mind, the ASID released their Interior Design 2015/2016 Outlook and State of the Industry report in which they pinpointed the six macro-trends interior designers can anticipate seeing play a vital role in their work in the upcoming years:
- Health and Well-Being
- Technology
- Sustainability
- Urbanization
- Globalization
- Resiliency
After identifying the trends by analyzing design publications, ASID convened the first ever ASID Think Tank with thought leaders from cutting-edge firms across the country to consider the implications of each macro-trend, resulting in the 44-page State of the Industry report.
But what are the actionable ideas designers can take away from each subsection to ensure they stay on top of the trends? We discussed the implications and importance of each with Krantz.
health and well-being
As scientific studies rocket the global health and well-being economy into a trillion-dollar-per-year industry, healthy habits are making their way into every aspect of our lives. “There is new research coming out suggesting the importance of activity,” explained Krantz. “So there’s a market opportunity here where business managers understand that having a healthy workforce is to their benefit.” In addition to rising insurance costs, researchers are finding a correlation between a healthy workforce and higher job focus. “If you’re going to reduce costs and increase productivity, there’s a real drive to do whatever it takes to make that happen,” he added.
For designers, this opens the opportunity to link health to design in a way in which clients will be more receptive. Krantz’s suggestion: To study the impact of a healthy workplace on employees to better present clients with authoritative options, which will add value for them beyond just expanding their office space. “You’re not just talking to them about more of the same; you’re designing beyond for healthy behavior,” he said.
technology
Technology hasn’t merely crept its way into design; from the way we work with mobile technology to 3-D model displays, technological advancements have transformed the industry.
While one would be hard-pressed to find a designer who doesn’t rely on technology in their day-to-day life, ASID suggests designers expect and embrace the impact of technology on the field as new advancements become available constantly. “Don’t stop learning about new technology, how it works, what’s needed to make it work, or what other design implications are or could be,” said Krantz. Engaging with specialists—including suppliers, electricians, and engineers—to improve your knowledge of leading technological advancements will aid in your ability to better communicate with and plan alongside your client.
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Additionally, designers shouldn’t ignore new prototyping and space planning technology. “Just this year alone, we’ve seen a pretty drastic drop in price as far as being able to get a 3-D printer, and we’re seeing some of the bigger
firms using virtual reality goggles,” said Krantz. “Interior designers of all varieties should consider investing in a 3-D printer, and taking the time to learn to use it. It changes the interaction with customers, as well as rapid prototyping and understanding the conceptualized space.”
sustainability
In the years since “sustainability” and “green building” have entered the American lexicon, meeting higher social, economic, and environmental goals has become the norm for the industry. “Sustainability initiatives have been used for a long time now because it’s just the right thing to do,” explained Krantz. “But what we’re seeing is this shift in that government is now driving the majority of green initiatives in new developments.”
Of the design disciplines, recent studies have shown that government and education have the highest amount of sustainability elements in them, often influenced by local ordinances, while corporations are looking more closely at green practices to satisfy their corporate responsibility policies. Conversely, entertainment and retail have made less of a shift towards green building because, Krantz explained, “consumers aren’t asking how green the design of a movie theatre is.”
With more than 40% of healthcare, hospitality, office, education, and government projects having used sustainable technologies in the last year, firms who haven’t already done so, need to focus on keeping up-to-date with emerging sustainability techniques and understand how incorporating green practices into their designs can be a positive influence on their bids.Additionally, Krantz suggested becoming familiar with energy optimization: “Energy optimization is identified as the number two most transformative and fastest moving trend in this category. It’s a technical expertise that designers can study up on, know about it, and bring to their clients.” Completing CEU training in energy optimization would add a competitive edge for firms approaching more green-focused clients.
urbanization
“Urbanization is a trend we’re seeing globally,” said Krantz. “The number of workers that are on farms have been going down steadily, and for the last 15 years, we’ve seen the population of cities increase.”
One cause: millennials. As this new generation enters the workforce, they’re choosing to live in urban populations, rather than commute from the suburbs as their parents did. The result is a change in lifestyle as urban densities increase, which has implications for designers who need to adapt to accommodate the ways in which millennials are occupying space. “A lot of young folks are living in a variety of spaces. The coffee shop down the street might become their living room, in a way, and the park becomes their backyard. Their home, then, is pretty much there for sleeping and not much else,” he said.
The impact of this new form of utilizing space creates an interesting challenge for designers who find themselves designing more often for mixed-use buildings that incorporate a variety of tenants and public uses to accommodate the way that millennials live. “It’s a growing market,” explained Krantz. “You may be designing for a space that mixes office, retail, recreation, and hospitality. If you’ve got a large mixed-use building, you’re designing in a different way. You’re designing to create community.”
Designers working in urban spaces could find themselves at an advantage by focusing on how to create communities and cohesive communal space for potential clients who are looking to lease their spaces to a blend of occupants.
globalization
As the ease of travel and communication across countries has expanded, the ability for designers to work internationally has increased. No longer are designers locked into a portion of the globe, allowing a greater participation
in the international market. “What we’ve found—and the biggest thing I’ve noticed—is the increase in international practice and competition,” said Krantz. “As U.S. design firms are opening and competing overseas, there’s a demand for U.S. design talent.
“Explore potential business. Look at partnerships too,” he suggested. “You don’t want to walk into that kind of situation without being able to communicate and translate effectively. But it’s an exciting area of growth.”
Larger firms with a strong grasp of their market should know that the desire for American designers is growing, leading to new opportunities in expanding their brand beyond domestic design.
resiliency
Defined as “the ability to prepare and plan for, absorb, recover from, and more successfully adapt to adverse events,” resiliency is a necessary agent for designers in an ever-changing and fast-paced environment. The ASID State of the Industry report noted, “At this stage of resiliency’s maturity as a design trend, it takes visionary design leaders to see past the bottom line and onto the horizon where resiliency is a key to enhancing quality of life.”
“What you’re doing is building through a variety of phases, including how it may perform during or after some sort of emergency or human catastrophe,” Krantz explained. “You have to look holistically at the aspects of a space, the materials you use, and how that space can be adaptable.”
By understanding the current and potential future needs of the space, and how all aspects of the design come together, a designer is able to present the client with a more impactful collaboration, which adds value to their property, and advances the interior design profession as a whole.
