The year of digital decor: How interior design services have changed during the pandemic

Just when we thought life during the pandemic had peaked with digital gallery tours – we learned about virtual interior design services. 

With instructions to stay at home, people were and are spending every waking minute looking at the same four walls. Between working, cooking, and sleeping, there is more opportunity to assess your home interior and, most significantly, what you would like to change about it. It is, therefore, unsurprising that virtual interior designers have seen demands for their services grow considerably since last spring.

See: Interior design trends – the top looks for the year ahead

An abundance of homeowners are using their extra time indoors to renovate their properties, driven by the expertise of a virtual interior designer – so you can transform your home without having to move from your sofa.

'During lockdown, we have seen a rise in the number of remote design inquiries,' revealed Faye Robinson-Hey, lead interior designer at Robinson King Interiors. The designer continued, explaining more about the trends she has observed amid the pandemic: 

'At Robinson King Interiors, we have been offering remote interior design (or e-design) for some time now as there has been a gradual shift in how people access design services.'

See: Living room ideas – inspiring ways to decorate and furnish your space

'Remote, online interior design is perfect for the current climate as well as being a great service for those who want to work with a designer in a more flexible manner; it works really well on the residential interior design front. 

We use Zoom video calls, WhatsApp, Pinterest, and of course, emails and telephone calls to communicate, producing digital design packages that are emailed directly to the client in addition to sample packs sent out in the post. We are aware that the impact of the pandemic will be long-lasting not only on the way we live and work but also on the value we put on our own environments,' she added. 

Faye expanded: 'Good design can have a positive mental impact on how we feel about being in a space, and so we look to bring our interior design service to clients with a non-intimidating, remote, but personal approach.'

Similarly, the San-Francisco based virtual interior design company, Decorist, has also witnessed an increasing demand for their services amid the pandemic, as the Vice President of Operations, Susie Doyle, shared: 

'As a more efficient and cost-effective alternative, online interior design has been a growing trend over the last five or six years, and the pandemic really accelerated this trend. As people have been spending more time at home, they have turned to online alternatives, and we have been there to provide a simple, fast, and inspirational service to meet the demand,' 

Susie continued: 'Here at Decorist; we have seen an influx of interest since mid-2020 from a number of customer segments, and in particular from Millennials. 

Millennials have always been a core base for us, and we have seen that number expand as more people needed to use their home to work remotely, to home school, or safe space to see friends and family.'

'As we spent more time in our homes, we also saw more customers who were simply motivated to invest in and redesign their homes. We think that now that the consumer knows how easy and affordable online design services can be, they'll continue to come to us with their future design projects,' Susie added.