Dedicated activity spaces create a place for individuality

Dedicated activity spaces are places that people have set aside in their homes and furnished for specific pastimes. These could be a home cinema, a game room, a basement bar, or a library or reading room, for instance. This interior design trend is therefore not new. People’s needs have merely adapted to current situations, giving rise to new ideas for home entertainment that haven’t stopped flowing.

The more recent types of activity spaces include home offices, home gyms or yoga rooms, specially furnished art rooms or craft rooms. Another – and much louder – category is the rumpus room: quite literally an invitation to make a racket. By contrast, others want a space in which they can practise mindfulness and switch off. This might take the form of a meditation or quiet room, sometimes also known as a spirit room. So there are lots of possibilities for dedicated activity spaces – and hence lots of potential for innovation in interior design.

The reason why dedicated activity spaces are taking off is clear. In these times of coronavirus, climate change and other crises, we are looking for balance in our everyday lives, both in the home and in our immediate environment. Activity spaces can also serve quite simply to reduce stress, which is vital. People who are exposed to less stress are at a lower risk of physical or mental illness, as studies investigating the relationship between the environment and physical activity using hobby spaces have demonstrated.

Hobbies also help people to find more balance and greater happiness in general. After all, the best way to find fulfilment is to do what we enjoy. And ideally, we should simply make this a part of our daily lives.

Given the housing shortage and soaring rents and house prices, especially in densely populated urban areas, multifunctional and innovative interior design ideas are needed more than ever before. After all, not everybody is in a position to carve out a separate physical space for all of their hobbies. But tiny spaces are often the mother of invention: With multifunctional furniture , a room can be used in different ways, while an alcove is sometimes perfectly sufficient as a hobby corner.

In addition, the neo-ecology megatrend is now entering the picture. This major shift has many implications for interior design: Consumers are weighing up product purchases carefully, asking themselves whether an item is genuinely long-lasting, sustainable and a good match for their living space.

Going beyond this, many people today are mindful of the social added value that a product creates. This includes aspects such as environmentally friendly product life cycles from production to disposal and fair working conditions. Brands and companies therefore need to be transparent. But considering these issues should also be enjoyable, and acting on the decision should reduce stress. “Hedonistic sustainability” is the term that’s been coined for when sustainability provides lasting pleasure.

Dedicated activity spaces are appearing in growing numbers of homes. Hobby room, home gym, rumpus room or yoga space, these are places for enjoyment that help to restore balance in everyday life. They are one of the consequences of the neo-ecology and hedonistic sustainability megatrends, which are driving the shift from economic systems to value systems. Mass consumption is being replaced with carefully considered, critical consumption. For consumers who want to create an environment that is generally sustainable, products ideally need to be intelligent, multifunctional and environmentally friendly.

This poses huge challenges for manufacturers – but it also opens up immense potential. The desire for personal fulfilment and stress relief is at the forefront of many consumers’ minds. Innovative interior design will be able to offer many ideas to foster this.

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