Technology and the future of Interior Design?

Lately I have been giving some thought as to how much the world of technology will change the future of interior design. I believe all the advances that have been made in the last few years can have a very positive impact on the interiors of our homes. 

Most of us now own ipods, laptops, blackberrys or iphones, e-readers or kobos. These new electronics greatly reduce the amount of space we need to store data.  The ipod can hold massive amounts of music in a very small unit.  It has almost eliminated our need for cds and dvds.  Everything is uploaded to these devices and because there are docking stations available for them, a stereo is also no longer necessary.  Listening to the radio online is another option.

Due to the kobos, we could theoritically do away with all bookcases and cd towers.  Photo albums will also be redundant as we can load all the images onto cds.  Think of how much less space storing photos on a cd takes up versus in a photo album.  

Movies are downloaded to memory sticks or rented through programs such as Netflix.  Physical copies of movies arent required, so there is no demand for vcrs or blu ray players.

 

So what does all of this mean with respect to the interior of our homes?  Most likely the elimination of some furniture pieces and less clutter.  The trend of large open spaces in homes will benefit from this with a more streamlined look.  Maybe these changes will make some people gravitate towards minimalism.  Those who prefer the more transitional or traditional styles may find increased importance of the fabrics and wall art used to prevent the look from becoming too stark. 

We will have more freedom to choose what goes in our rooms. Decisions to include pieces such as media consoles, bookcases etc will be based on our desire to include them, not necessity.  If we want to feature a bookcase because we still enjoy turning the pages of a paperback so be it.  Otherwise we can use that extra open space to display some sentimental items we dont always have room for.     

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Although many of us still appreciate having tangible photos, cherished collections of old movies, cds or even records, we are slowly embracing the flexibility the improvements in technology can afford us.  The constant innovations that are being made are sure to bring many more changes in our way of life, leisure, and the interior of our homes.