The pandemic has disrupted a lot of the usual things we did like work, school, recreation, and even vacations. This past year, we did all of these things at home.
We worked from home. Our kids went to online school at home. We worked out at home, so maybe some of us went out for a jog around the block or in the park but you get the idea. We even took vacations or staycations at home.
With all of the things we did at home during lockdown season, a lot of folks decided to take on home remodeling projects to improve their homes and make staying at home as bearable and pleasant as possible.
Several home remodeling trends sprung up during 2020 that are finding their way into 2021 as more folks continue to jump on the home improvement bandwagon.
Here are some of the most popular trends to come out of 2020:
Breathing new life into old and dull rooms
One of the most common home improvement projects folks did during the pandemic was to give life to an old room. It can be as easy as giving it a new paint job or updating its decor or something as big as a total makeover project like converting a basement into a man cave or some similar project. Either way, it is probably one of the top two projects homeowners did to their homes last year.
Creating home offices
Ever since the pandemic started and more and more folks started getting work done from home, a lot of homeowners started dedicating spaces and creating home offices. And at the rate that remote work opportunities continue to increase, a lot more folks are likely to spend more time, effort, and money in creating a suitable working space that will maximize their motivation, concentration, and productivity.
Multigenerational homes are getting popular
One of the things that were quite unfortunate during this pandemic was families not seeing and being with each other because of self-isolation and physical distancing, especially when it comes to elders and those who are immuno-compromised.
Designers and builders are now coming up with multigenerational home designs that allow families to be close to each other living under one roof but separate housing units. And even if homeowners don’t have any family members living in the other unit, they can rent it out and earn from it, which is a win-win situation for them.
The center of the home is getting some well-deserved attention
People have spent a lot of time in the kitchen since the start of the lockdown season. Proof of this is the dramatic increase in sales of kitchen products and food ingredients in the past year. A lot of people have been cooking and baking (or learning to) while some have started home-based food businesses like catering, food prepping, and made-to-order food products.
This has caused countless homeowners to make improvements in their kitchen, from replacing appliances and furniture to remodeling it to make it more pleasant and easier to work in.
So are bathrooms
Bathrooms have also received VIP treatment from several homeowners as they have decided to give their bathrooms much-needed upgrades.
Some projects involved simple hardware and fixture updates while others expanded and converted their bathrooms into mini-spas and decked them out with new flooring, new tiles, new tubs, new everything.
Those who can afford it even had hot tubs and saunas installed to really get that home spa feel.
Going green
The green movement has expanded during the pandemic. With almost everyone stuck at home, energy consumption has significantly gone up per household. This led to homeowners installing devices and buying furniture that let them conserve as much energy as they can to minimize their monthly utility bills.
American homeowners also spent $52.3 billion on plants and garden items in 2019 alone, with millennials leading the way. Homes that have more plants whether in their gardens or indoors have somehow reported a decrease in heating and air conditioning consumption as plants have greatly improved air quality and circulation in their homes.
Homeowners are going for a bigger and more spacious look
You have to admit being locked up in a cramped space for months can get on people’s nerves. Cabin fever is bad enough but claustrophobia is worse. For this reason, a lot of people decided to add some space to their homes. Some tore down walls and counters to make the space appear bigger. This helped improve light distribution and air circulation. Others added some square footage by expanding their homes and building new rooms.
We’re pretty sure that a few more trends will spring up as we go further into the pandemic. If you know a popular remodeling concept that we failed to include on this list, chime in the comments section below and share them with us. We’d love to hear from you.
