The document provides an overview of key trends that will influence the future of home living, organized into three themes: Adaptive, On-Demand, and Equilibrium. Some of the 13 trends discussed include reconfigurable furniture that maximizes space; responsive systems that inform homeowners about performance and needs; on-demand networks that help access services and skills from the community; and solutions focused on balance, health, and well-being in the home. The trends are brought to life with examples of innovative products and services that could be adopted today to achieve the visions of the future home.
3. INTRODUCTION
With the Future of Home Living report, PSFK Labs wants to provide our point of view on
what life at home may look like in the coming months and years and how we might get
there. This research seeks to uncover the emerging behaviors, technologies, products,
services, and initiatives that are driving the evolution of the home.
In the following pages, we’ll provide a detailed look at 13 key trends that are directly
influencing the future of urban life. Each trend has been brought to life through a mix of
products and services, many of which you could purchase and use today.
To examine our trends through a macro lens, we’ve organized them into three larger
themes: Adaptive, On-Demand and Equilibrium, which point to the importance of a clean,
efficient and responsive space that can flexibly conform to the ever-changing needs of its
residents.
5. KEY TAKEAWAYS
DESIGN
• Disappearing Designs
Seamless designs that blend into the background of our
homes, featuring beautiful form and functionality both when
stored and in use.
• Small Feels Expansive
Creative interior solutions make any sized space feel bigger
than its square-footage by allowing every room to accommodate
multiple occasions, people and needs.
• Owner-Centered
Interior decor arrangements happen on whim as our living spaces
become infinitely customizable, allowing our dream homes to
change from week to week or hour to hour.
6. KEY TAKEAWAYS
TECHNOLOGY
• A Gentle Nudge
Our products, devices and appliances improve our daily lives
by providing timely reminders, prompts and alerts, helping make
better decisions about everything from our personal well-being
to the health of our homes.
• Life In The Cloud
More of our physical possessions from media and photographs
to printable product designs move to the cloud, where they can
be accessed from anywhere, freeing up space inside our homes.
• Better Living Through Technology
Technologies enable us to control and customize the sensory
aspects of our home from lighting to atmosphere, creating an
optimal environment to live.
7. KEY TAKEAWAYS
ENVIRONMENTAL
• Access More, Own Less
Person-to-person sharing networks and personalized subscription
services give us access to everything we need without the costs
of long-term ownership and storage.
• Fix First, Buy Later
Access to on-demand parts and flexible labor enable us to
more easily repair the things we own rather than buy something
new, extending the longevity and usefulness of products,
furniture and appliances.
• Green Infusion
Greater efficiencies become standard features of all our products
and appliances, allowing everyone to lead an eco-friendly lifestyle
without altering their daily habits or purchasing behaviors.
8. Adaptive
Customizable solutions for the home
are being designed to accommodate a
wider range of needs throughout the day
and week, bringing greater functionality
and flexibility to urban lifestyles.
9. Reconfigurable Furniture
Home furnishings and decor are being
designed with modular components
and multi-purpose features to deliver
greater functionality in less space.
“I want to maximize my life at
home without buying more
stuff.”
12. Pop-Out Design
Space-saving products and furnishings
are leveraging instantly collapsible
construction and integrated storage to
reduce their footprints when not in use.
“I want to be able to entertain
friends inside my studio
apartment.”
15. Lightscaping
Programmable systems can control
the color, intensity and directionality
of light to match a particular mood
or task, or immerse people in an enter-
tainment experience.
“I want more ways
to set the mood and
define my space.”
18. Responsive Systems
Internet-enabled products are
delivering greater convenience
and efficiency to people’s lives by
informing residents about perfor-
mance, condition and needs of the
home and the things within it.
“Why can’t my apartment just
take care of itself?”
21. On-Demand
Networks and systems are growing to
help city residents enjoy their lives on their
terms and at the speed they want.
22. Guided Discovery
Novel twists on subscription services
are helping homeowners break out of
routine behaviors by delivering a
curated selection of products directly
to their homes.
“My life is busy, I need
the best of what’s out there to
come to me.”
23. Art Sharing Service Enables Swapping Of
Contemporary Artwork Every Six Months
GETARTUP
25. Community Outsourcing
Person-to-person services are enabling
individuals to tap into the valuable skills
and availability of people within their
community to help accomplish personal
tasks and errands.
“Sometimes I need
an extra hand to help
get things done.”
28. Make It Yourself
A new range of DIY kits and tech-
nologies are making the process of
envisioning and producing custom
products and designs accessible to
anyone regardless of space or skills.
“If it was up to me,
I would have designed
it this way”
29. Home 3D Printer Lets Owners Print
DIY Designs At Home
PRINTRBOT
30. Starter Kits Teach Users To Make
Their Own Interactive Electronics
TECHNOLOGY WILL SAVE US
31. Entertainment Cloud
Home entertainment is shifting away
from wires and cords to streaming
cloud-based services that allow people
to seamlessly access content when
and where they want it.
“I want all of my enter-
tainment options accessible
throughout my home.”
33. Sleek Set-Top Box Combines Streaming
Content Services Into A Single Interface
FAN TV
34. Equilibrium
The home is being re-imagined as a
platform to integrate balance, health, and
well-being into people’s everyday lives.
35. Purified Living
A mix of tech-enabled and natural
filtering systems are being placed into
appliances to improve the
environmental quality of people’s living
spaces.
“If it was up to me,
I would have designed
it this way”
38. Home Farming
Compact gardening solutions are
being developed to accommodate
the time, space and resource
restrictions of modern urban living.
“I want to be able to
grow some of what I eat
at home.”
41. Hushed Interiors
To control noise levels both within and
from outside, home products and decor
are incorporating soundproofing
technologies and materials.
“I want my home to be
an escape from the rest
of the world.”
44. Quantified Lifestyle
Sensor embedded technologies
provide unprecedented access
to personal information, helping
people make smarter decisions
about their daily lives.
“I just need a little nudge
to change my behaviors for
the better.”
47. Resourceful Design
Home furnishing and appliances
are lowering resource consumption
by leveraging a combination of
recycling systems and alternative
energy sources or completely
rethinking traditional designs.
“I don’t want to have
to think about living an eco-
friendly life.”