16 Ways Modern Life Is Reshaping Every Room

The kitchen was once a secluded, utilitarian space. Today, it’s the hub of an open floorplan. No longer tucked away for Mom to work alone, the kitchen now blends into living spaces and invites interaction and socialization.

This shift in design marked one of the BIGGEST changes in the home in recent history. The shift didn’t just alter floor plans…it changed the way families live and engage with one another.

These days, we’re seeing even bigger changes come to home design that are driven by our evolving lifestyles and by technology. As a result, renovations are requiring new kinds of foresight never imagined before.

Understanding these shifts now offers you a unique advantage. By preparing for forward-thinking design, you ensure your home can keep up with homelife tomorrow.

Keep reading to see how both design aesthetics and layouts—and the systems that make the home work—are changing forever…

16 Design Changes Evolving with Our Changing Lifestyles

1: Fewer bookcases and storage for media

We’re acquiring fewer books, and DVDs are now obsolete. Without the need for all that built-in media storage, the look and function of media and living rooms is changing fast. This means:

• Living rooms with less shelving and more wall space for art, plants, or screens
• Display areas focused on design and personality, rather than functional storage

2: Biophilic design

This one’s been big for several years now…and it’s only getting bigger. The biophilic design movement is all about bringing nature into the home, whether with nature-inspired color palettes, décor, or plants themselves. In design, this means:

• Material selections and misting systems that support living walls
• Water features incorporated into indoor spaces to create a calming atmosphere
• Natural materials like wood, stone, and bamboo used in flooring, walls, and surfaces

3: Customizable LED lighting

Today’s new lighting requires updating a home’s electrical systems to support the lifestyle-enhancing trends available, like:

• Lights that change color and intensity throughout the day to simulate natural light
• Programmable lighting for different activities, like reading, relaxing, or entertaining
• Fixtures that adjust angle and direction to create unique lighting effects

4: Sustainable materials

Home design is also shifting in its use of materials. Long-term, sustainable design will favor more of:

• Recycled wood, bamboo, and cork for floors and furniture
• Walls and insulation made from materials like hempcrete or reclaimed timber
• Low-VOC paints and finishes for indoor air quality

5: Tech-enhanced mirrors

Bathroom mirrors will require a connection to electricity, too, and for more than those pretty LED lights!! The mirrors of the future include:

• Automatic lighting adjustments for perfect grooming
• Interactive daily update displays on the weather or news
• Personalized programming matched to your morning routines

6: Wellness-enhancing bathroom features

Bathrooms are also incorporating more spa-grade elements like steam showers, chromotherapy lighting, and aromatherapy. This requires:

• Increased space allocation
• Customizable lighting and sound systems
• Advanced plumbing and ventilation systems
• And electrical wired to the shower where touchpads control water flow, temperature, multiple shower heads, and “saved settings” (start every shower JUST how you like it!!)

7: Smart windows and lighting

Window installation requires more than expert carpentry now, too. With new features that change light, heat, and sun control in massive ways, electricity is something that new windows need to work. Cutting-edge window systems today include:

• Solar panels integrated into windows to provide additional power generation
• Remote control and time or light-based customizations for window treatments
• And windows with electrochromic glass that tints based on sunlight levels

8: Renewable energy integration

The whole electric system in homes is changing, too. Some of the advancements include:

• Solar panels embedded into roof design for aesthetic integration
• Home battery systems that store energy from renewable sources for later use
• Smart grid connections that allow homes to sell excess energy back to the grid
• Greater prevalence of independent whole-home generators

9: Advanced HVAC systems

Temperature control and air quality have become a greater priority, along with energy conservation and smart (automated) thermostat adjustments. These design changes to homes can provide:

• Zoned control of temperature and air quality in different rooms
• Occupancy sensors that adjust temperature and humidity real-time
• Integration with health data to optimize air quality for individuals with allergies or respiratory conditions

10: Media rooms for AR/VR

This one is BIG. What used to be the “perfect media room” has made way for a completely different design for VERY different kinds of entertainment. To support all the augmented and virtual reality used into games, shows, and movies, tomorrow’s media spaces need:

• Walls with flexible displays or 360-degree projection capabilities
• Floors designed for safe movement and traction during VR activities
• Integrated motion sensors and spatial audio systems for augmented reality

11: Wellness rooms

Just like recent years have focused on “bringing the outdoors in” with indoor-outdoor spaces and biophilic design, there’s also been a fundamental shift in how we perceive self-care…and where we seek it. In terms of home design, this could include:

• Customizable lighting with soft colors and a spectrum of intensities
• Soundproofing key spaces (like the bedroom) to block outside noise
• Built-in wall-mounted exercise equipment that can be stowed away
• Smart mirrors that watch you exercise and provide feedback

12: Integrated indoor/outdoor living

This is another shift that’s made a HUGE impact on home design already!! Just a few of the updates that these life-enhancing designs drive are:

• Retractable glass walls or large sliding doors for transition between indoors and out
• Outdoor kitchens with all-weather material and outdoor-graded appliances
• Indoor flooring that flows into outdoor patios, creating a cohesive design

13: Smarter—and more—outlets

WHERE outlets are placed has changed, too. Previously, the only outlets by the couch were for the floor lamps!! Today, anywhere we use devices, we need convenient and intentional places to plug in. This includes:

• Wireless charging pads embedded into tables and countertops
• USB-C and smart plug ports in every room, eliminating the need for adapters
• Outlets placed strategically near furniture where people sit and work

14: Integrated charging surfaces

Speaking of charging…the future of devices is NOT limited only to outlets. The most cutting-edge and tomorrow-focused home design also includes:

• Countertops with embedded charging zones for phones, tablets, and laptops
• Furniture with built-in wireless charging, including desks, nightstands, and sofas
• Kitchen islands or coffee tables with discreet charging pads

15: Smarter kitchens

The way we move around the kitchen will get more efficient, too, and we’ll have the help of smart appliances to thank for it. This includes:

• Timer-set burners that automatically turn the heat off so you don’t have to monitor
• Voice-activated appliances with commands like “preheat the oven” or “turn the faucet on”
• Refrigerators with cameras that monitor food supplies and suggest recipes

16: Interactive cooking surfaces

Of all the kitchen updates, the installation of induction ovens instead of gas will obviously require a major system update. The benefits to the quality of cooking and the INCREDIBLE technology that comes with these new cooking surfaces, however, is worth it!! That includes…

• Countertops that display recipe steps, nutritional info, and cooking timers
• Stovetops that recognize cookware and automatically adjust heating settings
• Touchscreens embedded into kitchen islands for meal prep assistance

Put it all together…

This is what the future of your home will look like:

As the day starts, you step into the bathroom and the light around the mirror slowly turns on. It glows a warm tungsten while you brush your teeth. You shower and come back to the mirror, and the lights burn brighter and whiter as you lean in to apply your make-up.

You walk across your home and feel the light spring of cork flooring beneath your feet. You stride into your sunlit home office where your desk automatically adjusts to a standing position. After your morning conference, you sit down—the desk automatically adjusts again—and respond to some emails before pausing to go to the wellness room.

The small space is soundproof and serene. You unfold a yoga mat and stretch out in silence. It’s a few degrees warmer in the wellness room than in the rest of the house, just the way you like it. You can feel your stretches break apart the stiffness in your muscles before you stand back up.

When you move to the kitchen for lunch, your smart fridge already has a list of the items you need to re-order. The interactive countertop has a lunch recommendation displayed with a recipe based on what you still have on-hand.

A friend comes over that evening for a 360-degree movie night. The projections in your media room immerse you both into the action. After the movie flashes to an end, the two of you sit together by your living wall in the solarium to relax before your friend goes home.

Every corner of the home can and SHOULD be designed to support the life you want to live. And with these HUGE changes to lifestyle and the technology that we’re seeing, fundamental changes to home design are coming with it.

What changes are you most excited about?! Join our private design community on Facebook to share!!

About the author

Robin Burrill, RID, NCIDQ, ASID, IDS, CAPS, is an award-winning professional kitchen, bath, and interior designer. Robin and her husband, Robert Mathews, have owned Signature Home Services, Inc. for nearly three decades, establishing a superior in-house team with a widespread reputation for delivering meticulous design to their many repeat clients.

In 2022, the national publication, Kitchen and Bath Design News magazine, named Robin to their Top Innovator list in recognition of her achievements in the field of kitchen and bath design. In 2024, she was named one of the Fall 2024 Market Pros and “tastemakers” by ANDMORE at High Point Market. Also in 2024, Fixr identified her as one of the Top Professional Interior Designers for their nationwide audience. Over her extensive career, Robin has been quoted in Architectural Digest and Forbes multiple times; her design work has been featured in top national trade publications; and she has been interviewed for Designers Today magazine’s “Profiles in Design” video series, among others. Widely respected for the depth of her knowledge, Robin is a sought after speaker and judge for many design industry events.

In 2023, Robin designed a bench for Charleston Forge, making her foray into product design. Robin currently serves as a volunteer on the board of the Dallas/Ft. Worth chapter of the Interior Design Society.