Τhe coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the trend away from open-plan living as people seek greater privacy at home, according to Albert Hill, co-founder of design-led estate agent The Modern House.
Hill said that buyers were increasingly looking for homes with a variety of different rooms for different activities rather than large, open multipurpose spaces.
"People are moving away from open-plan spaces now. People like a little bit more variety", Hill commented in a live discussion about the future of housing organised in conjunction with House by Urban Splash.
Suzy Jones, director of Future Lab at House by Urban Splash, said the trend away from open-plan spaces started in commercial offices and has now spread to homes. "Everybody wanted huge open-plan offices, which in some ways are great," she said. "But in other ways, it's very, very difficult to actually get any work done."
"And it's the same in homes," she added. "I think we want the best of both worlds: we want parts of our homes where we can all get together and then places where we can retreat and have privacy."
