A New Perspective: What Should a Modern Home Be Like?

We asked experts what they think about modern interiors and which solutions can make our lives better.

Choosing Housing

Kirill Ignatyev, a specialist in future economy trends, believes that ready-made solutions are now popular when choosing housing. People value their time more than ever. Therefore, apartments with finished interiors that you can move into immediately are in demand. Designers and architects understand that their main client is the real estate developer.

Speed of creating an interior is now more important than ever. People first think about their lifestyle, and concepts like "economical" or "expensive" gradually lose their significance.

"In the future, the income-generating housing market will return, - Kirill is convinced. - The key rate of the Central Bank is gradually decreasing, and with it, credit costs are becoming cheaper. It will soon be profitable to build homes with apartments for rent only.

For designers, it's important not just to master adjacent markets and study new materials, but also to offer clients more than just design - a lifestyle.

Layout

Designers say that a modern home should reflect the person, look like them. How to create such an interior? Pavel Gerasimov, founder of Geometrium Studio, believes that you should start not with choosing furniture and decor, but with a layout that suits you.

In the past, the kitchen was the heart of the home, but modern people can easily do without it.

"For people who are used to eating at cafes and restaurants, it's simply not needed, - Pavel explains. - Recently, kitchens, living rooms, and dining areas have been combined where guests are usually received. If a person cooks in a separate room, they are completely isolated from communication. For such cases, a kitchen island is ideal: you can cook and at the same time communicate with guests.

Design: Geometrium

In the opinion of the designer, there should be nothing unnecessary in a modern interior. In most apartments today, there is an opportunity to hide a small wardrobe or equip a discreet built-in closet.

And in new constructions, a second bathroom is often provided to distinguish public and private zones for apartment owners.

Design: Geometrium

Finishing

In recent years, a trend toward eco-style in interiors has emerged. In the past, people were more concerned about saving money on finishing, but now they increasingly choose eco-safe materials. "Unfortunately, not all materials are safe for humans, - designers share. - Many of them contain dangerous elements and impurities that affect our health and well-being.

Don't forget that some materials can be unsafe in certain conditions. For example, vinyl wallpaper should not be used in rooms with high humidity. And furniture and wall panels made of particleboard are only safe if they have protective lamination: pressed wood chips are glued with resins, which contain formaldehyde.

Design: Para Studio

Where to buy materials and how not to buy a fake? "Best of all is big hypermarkets, - designers think. - Pay attention to labeling with a green leaf, material resistance class, and price. High-quality and eco-friendly material will cost more than analogs.

Most manufacturers indicate the eco-friendliness of one main component on packaging, while others mask or do not indicate it. This is usually done by less-known manufacturers who don't care much about their reputation.

Design: Para Studio

Furniture

"Everything should be as simple as possible, - designer Ira Nosova believes. - So the bed is always made and you don't need to make many movements for that: take away the coffee table, unfold the sofa, spread the bed linen.

A modern home should help make our lives more comfortable and easier. We value our time, and we don't want to waste extra effort.

Design: Ira Nosova

"You can, of course, buy special transforming furniture: for example, a bed that can be raised and hidden in a closet. But such furniture will be much more expensive than ordinary one. Moreover, it must also be of good quality, and then you definitely won't save money. The cheaper the price, the faster the furniture will break down, - the designer believes.

Also, it is usually used in small-sized rooms, and owners of compact homes often have limited budgets - it's a vicious circle.

Design: Ira Nosova

"And you will use transforming furniture as an additional sleeping place or a large table for parties at most once a year, and the rest of the time the bed will remain unfolded, - Ira is convinced. - For this same reason, I would not use a sofa as a permanent sleeping place: in the unfolded state, it can stay for a long time and take up most of the room.

But well-thought-out storage systems and using mobile partitions are another matter. When you can hide or close something with just one move, without transforming the furniture itself. Push the partition - and the sleeping area is hidden from view, and the bedroom turns into a living room.

Design: Ira Nosova

Lighting

"A modern home cannot exist without lighting with multiple functions and scenarios that make our lives easier and more comfortable, - Konstantin Tsepeliev, founder of Bright Buro, believes. - There are lighting systems with remote control. Modern people spend most of their time with a phone, and it's convenient that you can control the lights from your smartphone.

You don't even need to do anything: when you return home from work, your phone sends a signal about your geolocation, and smart bulbs in the hallway turn on.

"Special sensors have also been invented long ago: they react to movement and are convenient in passageways. But now there is a more convenient variant - presence sensors, - Konstantin shares. - They are more sensitive, and you don't need to move constantly to keep the lights on.

A modern home is an opportunity to choose the right lighting scenario at any time. For cooking, you can always turn on kitchen under-cabinet lighting; for reading before sleep - bedside table lamp; and to quickly find items on shelves, you can always install lights in wardrobes.

Smart Technologies

"Another necessary element for a modern interior, - Tasha Tsyba, senior designer at «Design Point», says. - It might seem like an unnecessary expense, but it's not.

A system can even be a small set for ten thousand rubles. It may include motion sensors, window and door opening sensors, gas leak, smoke, or water leakage sensors in the bathroom. Some elements cost even less: a socket adapter for remote control can be bought for a thousand rubles.

Design: «Design Point»

For a modern person, safety and comfort are important. It's convenient when garage doors open automatically as you approach the house. And a kettle and multicooker have already prepared everything for dinner upon your arrival.

"By the way, a «Smart Home» system is useful not only in large apartments where you can turn off the lights in all rooms with one button. For example, a security set is useful in any house, regardless of size."

Design: «Design Point»

Cover Design: Para Studio Project