Dressing Up the Modern Elevator

A conversation with interior designer Sapana Jain, founder, I Heart Homez, elucidates COVID-19’s impact on décor trends of residential premises and elevator interiors.

COVID-19 has transformed almost every aspect of life as we know it. With people increasingly in work-from-home mode, home décor is getting as much, if not more, attention as office interiors. This brings up concerns such as how the work-from-home concept has been affecting interior design in residential premises, along with the challenges of creating and designing workspaces in such residences to be in synchronization with the home décor. 

Interior Designer Sapana Jain founded I Heart Homez in June 2014. She draws her inspiration from travel, technology and the environment. She believes in continuous modeling and adding new products to her collection. Pointing out that the work-from-home concept has been affecting interior design in residential premises in many ways, she commented: 

“People have begun understanding the importance of having good interiors due to spending increased time at their houses since the lockdown. More specifically, the want (and, moreover, need) of a study table has become important for not only youngsters, but adults, too, who have been requiring a well-done work desk/setup.”

According to Jain, the challenges of creating and designing workspaces in such residences are numerous: 

“Making space for work areas never before considered a part of the layout can get taxing. People are facing budgeting issues due to pandemic losses. [While] making workspaces, people need to keep in mind that the color needs to be coordinated with the house colors; a balance in tones needs to be maintained.”

For example, some spaces use red, because it is believed to make one feel energetic, although a house atmosphere needs to be calmer. Also, red may not match with the house color. Lighting in the workspace could prove to be challenging, too, Jain opines.

Regarding her approach and philosophy toward interior design and how she manages to adapt to the changing needs of designing a space in a post-COVID-19 scenario, Jain explains that it includes providing the client with the newest trendy and timeless designs that maintain a balance between practical and aesthetic styles. “We plan to adapt to the changing needs of designing a space in a post-COVID-19 scenario by carrying out minimal site [visitation] with quick and effective work, [and] detailed research carried out beforehand to save time and maintain scheduled work.”

According to Jain, there are both challenges and opportunities in selecting different colors, patterns, textures and interior design objects like furniture. This is especially true when it comes to the lobby areas that need to be synchronized with elevator interiors. The approach she recommends is to carry out low-maintenance, easy-to-wash items and avoid materials that can hold viruses, such as plastic or metal. Antiviral paint in subtle colors is advisable.

Primary trends Jain foresees in interior design going forward are: 

• A trend toward navy blue, also called the new black, for contemporary and elegant spaces

• Face line art, widely used for the millennial generation 

• Sustainable design created from unused materials such as bioplastic, which makes use of intelligent recycling and has a low impact on the environment

With bespoke home elevators rapidly gaining popularity due to changing lifestyle aspirations, Jain feels there is scope for customization of elevator interiors: 

“Some extraordinary products or design objects that can be used to transform a mundane elevator into an attractive one would be fancy-yet-classy chandeliers, carpets, leather [and proper material for] buttons (instead of cheap materials): metal, aluminum and so on. Sofas would be an extraordinary element to add to a lift.”