IFDA Announces Residential Trend Forecast for 2020

by Ian Volner | Friday, September 2, 2011 | 8 Comments

Electronic home-fixture operation.

Dining rooms are coming back. Houses are scaling down. The living room will soon be a thing of the past. This is the next domestic frontier—a glimpse of the design scene of tomorrow—according to “20/20: IFDA’s Vision for the Future,” a new report from the International Furnishings and Design Association. The study is based on the results of the IFDA’s annual Crystal Ball Survey, which canvassed the organization’s 2000 members to see which way today’s practitioners think the design winds are blowing.

The effects of the economic downturn definitely seem foremost on the minds of the survey recipients. According to them, we can all look forward to smaller houses with smaller rooms by 2020: fully 76 percent of respondents said so, as opposed to only 49 percent at the last IFDA census. In our newly downsized homes, we’ll all be doing twice as much work—the report predicts a strong likelihood of more residences with not one but two home offices within. And in perhaps the survey’s most Jetson-esque prediction, a convincing 97 percent of designers surveyed said that in nine years, our living spaces will feature a larger number of electronic devices activated by means other than flipping a switch or turning a knob. Yes, voice command is going to be the next big thing in toast preparation.

Increase in outdoor dining; modular furniture use.

Looking back—and forward—on the results, Susan Hirsh of the IFDA’s New York chapter said, “The reverberations of this recession will continue to impact the decisions and home purchases people make for years to come. I can hardly wait to see what IFDA’ers have to say when we conduct the next survey in 2020.”

Images courtesy of IFDA.

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8 comments

Edward Lent

Posted Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at 04:35 pm | Permalink

The new affluents want better not more. No one wants to clean, paint, maintain or pay for utilities to heat or cool a castle. I do see an even bigger trend in hand made and American made quality crafted products. People want to be real and feel real. No one wants to be on the other side of a huge room. And although they may have an electronic remote everthing, they are holding a hand made wine glass and making a home made,slow-cooked dinner for friends with just picked herbs from their garden. The American colony is back. We may not want to open a shade or turn on a light but we do want to spend time on what we really value. Friends, gardens and resourcefulness in our homes.
Loni Gray

Posted Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at 04:55 pm | Permalink

How might one see the whole 20/20 vision report?
Jose P. Archival

Posted Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at 07:58 pm | Permalink

I like this site very much.
Designs in this very hard times in furniture business should scaled down the design size to be more affordable, and environment friendly furniture.
I have gone through this transformation a lot. I had made a lot of very huge, custom made, knock-down wall units before for higher end markets that goes down when housing economy plunge down.
Every designer and manufacturer should look ahead on how the trend is going and where it is going.
Rose Hittmeyer

Posted Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 12:04 pm | Permalink

I am one of the IFDA members that particpated in the survey . It’s a great barometer of the future as our members come from ALL aspects of the industry: designers, media & PR ,plus design, sales & product development for a whole array of products that go into rooms & buildings. Check us out at http://www.ifda.com we have chapters all over the US!I’ve been a member since 2004 and have learned so much and have found such wonderful supportive friends there!
Stephanie

Posted Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 04:46 pm | Permalink

Is this the trend prediction for people of all income levels or is this more of a generalized consensus? How do fellow residential designers believe this will impact our work? Is it positive because there are more “rooms” for us design or negative because there will be overall less space? I would love to hear others’ thoughts on this subject.
Temenouzhka Zaharieva

Posted Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 10:43 am | Permalink

“I can hardly wait to see what IFDA’ers have to say when we conduct the next survey in 2020.” – me, too, but I do not believe that living rooms will disappear. Communication is probably going to be also one of the main values in our lives like hand made, quality crafted products, fiends, nature and sustainability.
Ike omezi

Posted Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 06:12 pm | Permalink

Still in Nigeria, we are still not ready to reduce sizes and space. We are however happy with clean and elegant interiors, loads of windows, bright lights. Front rooms will not disappear, because it is increasingly becoming a part of the general entertainment area of a house. Personally it’s my best part of the house, especially if it has a patio door leading to the back garden
WAGH

Posted Friday, September 23, 2011 at 02:52 am | Permalink

I feel,in most parts of the world,SPACE will always be in demand and be available only for priviledged few. As a designer,inventing and discovering new ways to design successfully in this scenario will always be challenging and good.