The last few months were indeed difficult for everyone. It was a time for unlearning something, while learning a lot of new things about the new normal. Like most industries and businesses, it was a learning for interior designers too. We have learnt four important things that every interior industry and professional would have to adapt in the post pandemic world.
An online presence
Our consumption of the internet has tremendously increased in the past few months. We have relied on the internet for all useful information and this dependence is not just on the news portals. People have gone to social media to know about their surroundings from members of their vicinity. Today, we know that if a homeowner needs to avail interior designing services then the first thing one would do is either a google search or raise a query in some Facebook group.
Minimum Site Visits
Since this pandemic has emphasised the need to cut down on physical interactions, we need to adapt to meeting clients over a video call initially. Big companies like Reliance have conducted their board meetings over a video call. So, even the industry professionals must try and cut down on having physical meetings for the purpose of our client’s safety. The portfolio, mood boards and designs can be created and finalised online with clients, vendors and contractors. The need to visit the site is only when the project commences for execution. This will ensure additional safety measures from our side.
Use of Augmented Reality
We predict that the use of augmented reality will soon shoot up in the interior designing industry as well. There was a time when homeowners hired interior designers by looking at their previous designs, or through referrals, or for newbies with merely their skill of bringing a kick-ass design to the table. Now we predict to enter a time where use of augmented reality or a virtual tour of the space would take over. This will further ease out on time spent in physically brain-storming and getting design approvals in person.
Special focus of cleanliness and hygiene
Just before the pandemic, interior designing was all about luxury, colours, quality of materials in design. But the pandemic has helped us realise an important aspect of every home design- cleanliness and hygiene. We have learnt to look at every design from a new aspect; how easy would it be to maintain cleanliness in such a design and how to maintain hygiene of any particular product or material for a long term.
Additional safety measures must be ensured by the interior designing team while they are working on site to maintain a smooth, hassle-free execution of the project with all necessary health protocols.
We have also listed out a few small yet important things that you need to do as a homeowner to keep your home hygienic.
The past months were a great learning and it has given interior designers the time to retrospect about the future of the industry. The post pandemic changes in the interior designing industry would help us to serve our clients better.