As new generations begin to enter the housing market, interior design trends and living space decor begin to undergo change. In some cases, these changes are rather subtle. New homeowners have a predisposition to leave behind the less-popular styles that their parents endured, as well as wall colours and furniture designs. There are also examples of significant changes too, with the change in generation prompting a large cultural shift, one that prompts industries to rethink their market.
As Generation Z begin to establish themselves as homeowners, taking on properties across the country, we are seeing the next period of change take place. Interior designers and property developers alike are paying close attention, seeking to understand exactly how Gen Z are rethinking their living spaces.
LED Lighting
The bulb is under threat. Between TikTok trends criticising the culture of ‘big light’ living spaces (those homes that rely on a single and central bulb to illuminate a room) and a favour for alternatives, artificial lighting is changing.
LED designs are now among the most popular designs, offering a more energy-efficient, variable, and stylish option for homes. What’s more, the shape of LED bulbs is remarkably varied, with lighting options available in strips, panels, or bulbs.
Garden Sheds
Interestingly, the garden shed is falling out of fashion for a number of complex reasons, from technology rendering many assets, like lawnmowers, obsolete, to the increasing value of property. Gen Z are, instead, choosing log cabins and external offices.
Such outbuilding options have far more potential than a garden shed and tend to have more visual appeal too. These simple additions to a garden help to expand living space and maximise the utility of an outdoor space, certainly more so than shed storage does.
Pastels
The favour for living space colours is an ongoing and fickle consideration. Each year, various paint companies announce their colour of the year, choosing that which has come to define the most brilliant designs, while, at the same time, social media influencers share their own opinions and hashtags, prompting surges in the sale of various paint colours across the country.
While these small shifts occur regularly, Gen Z has made a notably large change in favour of pastels. What is being referred to as a whimsical overhaul, pastels are a soft, warm, and exciting way for homes to express themselves without being overly aggressive.
Wobble Style
Irregular edges, wobbles, and squiggles are all examples of how Generation Z are leaving straight edges behind in favour of more organic alternatives. Decor, mirrors, furniture, and even doorways are embracing curves, with this coded style being associated wholly with a new generation of renters and homeowners.
This change is not solely aesthetic and is, at least partly, motivated by biophilia. This love for nature is leading homes to embrace a less rigid form, seeing regimentation as a sign of industrialisation. Soft and rounded edges, however, represent the wild and unique shapes of natural landscapes, a quality that brings wellness and character to a living space.
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