To celebrate its 40th Birthday, DIY giant B&Q has commissioned a ‘Future of the Home’ report looking into – what will the family home of the future look like? to see just how we’ll be living in the next 10, 20 and 40 years.
One of the main factors that will affect UK housing stock in the future – will be the need for space.
Predictions expect the UK population to rise a staggering 77.2 million by 2051, so space is going to be at an absolute premium; also the ever-increasing fluidity of personal and family circumstances will also have a major impact on the way we live and use our homes.
So what can we expect to see in the future?
- We will see an evolution in our living spaces in the home – rooms will become multifunctional, supporting an ever wider range of activities and ever more ‘professional’ in-home leisure.
- We can expect to see innovative and ‘responsive’ designs, as the desire for flexibility and space pressures grow in tandem.
- In the kitchen for example, we could see our regular table-tops doubling up as a computer surface, interactive displays for accessing the Internet at the touch of a button – working from home will never be the same again!
- Personalised, 3D entertainment and information screens will be available throughout the home, with monitors responding as they sense you leave the room.
- In the kitchen, fridges will have interactive displays on the front, which will list fridge contents, tell you when products are about to pass their sell by dates and also let you know when you run out of ingredients.
- Cookers, sinks and hobs that can be neatly tucked into walls, will be huge spaces savers and ‘green growing shelves’ containing herbs, spices and vegetables that can be pushed outside for growing and then pulled inside when cooking, will become common place in homes without outdoor space.
Rachel Osborne, Director of Customer Insight, B&Q comments; “The nuclear family as we know it, looks likely to change beyond recognition and our report indicates that in the future, we will see exciting new high-tech homes built to suit the family’s evolving demands.â€
“B&Q has always been at the forefront of home innovations, and over the next 40 years and beyond, we will continue to help our customers improve their homes.
Web: http:// www.diy.com