6 ways to Adapt to a Covid World
We all know that so much has changed since March of 2020 when the Pandemic reached the US and stores were forced to close down, and friends and family were quarantined for precaution. One of the greatest changes was that a huge amount of people were forced to work from home. If you didn’t know how to run meetings via Zoom or some other kind of virtual meeting space, you were forced to quickly learn. 2020 was the year of great adaption as so many people became flexible for their day-to-day routine and established new ways of working, parenting, and living.
As more people started to work from home, the great need and desire to establish a nurturing and functional workplace was sought after by all. I remember looking at desks at Ikea for my own office and was stunned by the backorders that were already occurring in June or March of 2020. Now in 2021, although the quarantine has been lifted, the desire to improve our homes has not diminished. It can be felt across the nation, how important it is to make your home functional and feel good while you are spending so much time residing in it.
So, how do we navigate the current world and utilize E-Design to design our spaces? Luckily First Creek Interiors can assist with some super design tips!
TIP #1 - Don’t Procrastinate!!!!
We will provide you with a shopping list of selected items. At the time of presentation, all items should be “in stock”. It will be up to you to purchase these items right away. Furniture is flying off the shelves leaving extremely long backorders. Like other industries, the supply chain in the design industry has greatly been disrupted by Covid and has not recovered at this time. With that said, the worst thing you could do is wait to make a decision on purchasing.
TIP #2 - Be Flexible!!!
Should unexpected backorders occur with your design, your flexibility and adaption muscles will need to be flexed! With all great interior design projects, we must learn to be flexible when hitting road bumps. We encourage you to look at the shape and color of our furniture or accessory selections and see if you can find something similar as a replacement. Scale is very important here too, so take another look at the measurements to be sure you aren’t purchasing a doll-house sized nightstand or rug.
TIP #3 - Choose furniture pieces that are both functional and aesthetically timeless
Since you will be working and living in your space a whole lot more these days, we need to make sure your furniture pieces work for you as well! At First Creek Interiors, we like to have furniture pieces double up if possible and perform two or maybe even three functions of a space! An excellent example of this is a large living room ottoman, which can function as a coffee table, footrest, or be pushed aside for additional seating.
TIP #4 - Choose quality that will last
Covid has really made us re-evaluate our love of family, friendship, and heritage. Antiques and vintage furniture is trending because it reminds us of the good ‘ol days when life was simpler. If you have a beautiful older piece of furniture that you have been cringing at because it seems “dated”… well I have great news for you, it is time to embrace these pieces and incorporate them into your newly designed space! Let’s treasure the quality that has made these pieces last throughout the years.
TIP #5 - Layer your lighting
We know that you are totally cooped up in your house. Seriously like, all day! Daylight and proper artificial lighting are so vitally important for your mental health and productivity. If you are working in your home office during the day, you should have plenty of natural light (if you are lucky) but additionally plenty of artificial lighting. You need both overhead lighting and a great desk lamp, to light up the task at hand. Nothing makes me sadder than coming into a client’s home in the middle of the day and it is dark and cavernous. It would make me want to crawl in bed and take a nap! Once evening comes about, you can tell your body that it is time to rest and detach yourself from “work” by lowering the artificial lighting in the house. I love using table lamps for this because it gives off a warm glow that isn’t too harsh on the eyes.
TIP #6 - Define your space
Open floor plans are a popular concept for renovations and new builds in the 2000s, but I’m sure we are all learning now why that is a problem. There is no physical separation from space to space! During quarantine, our families were constantly co-mingling and our kitchens, living, and dining areas were co-mingling as well. I am empathetic to your struggles if you had to home-school and work from home! It was quite the challenge if you didn’t have an enclosed office with a door. If you have an open concept, it may be worthwhile to set up some visual dividers or sound barriers. Common items like decorative screen portions, tall plants, decorative lighting, curtains, or even tapestries can be used to divide and conquer your work from home space!