b'DESIGNIMPROVE LIVABILITYAs weve come to live, work, entertain and exercise in our homes during the past few years, homeowners have realized they have spaces that are underutilized. Interior designer Gillian Gillies, from Gillian Gillies Interiors, is pleased to see people now configuring their homes for themselvesand not just for the occasional guest. The pandemic made us focus more on what we need to function best in the space we have, as opposed to having a massive dining room that doesnt get used or a guest bedroom and bathroom thats occupied only a few times a year, she says.Interior designer Colette van den Thillart, from CVDT Interior Design, agrees. Im a firm believer in the psychology of how the home is a factor in the quality of our life, a major player in our wellness, she says. To achieve this, van den Thillart explains, designers are now looking at approaches that take mental health and happiness into consideration. When she first starts to work with a family, van den Thillart gets to know them, gauging their likes and dislikes, taking a psychological read on the whole family dynamic, before creating something thats not Top left, centre, right: CVDT Interior Design/Alex Lukey; bottom left: Melanie Acevedo; bottom right: Laura Resenonly functionally supportive to how they live, but aesthetically pleasing. Gillies also finds that many of her clients now realize how much sound is transmitted through their homes, having noticed that when everybodys there, a house can be noisy. Were putting in acoustic panels and designing spaces so that the kids can be home playing computer games or watching TV, butTHE PANDEMIC not everybody in the house has to take part. MADE US MINIMIZE SYNTHETICS FOCUS MORE Natural materials are huge, says Volk. SheON WHAT has recently been travelling to the United States and Mexico, sourcing handmadeWE NEED TO materials to incorporate into her work,FUNCTION BEST including hand-woven fabrics, baskets and carpets, things that add instant texture to aIN THE SPACE room. Im looking out for the beautiful andWE HAVEthe unexpected items that you cant find in the stores here.More vendors and suppliers are doing the research, developing new natural products and bringing them to the table, according to van den Thillart. She adds that textile, hardwood and paint suppliers are considering how to make products safer for the home. We try to use as many natural materials as possible, she says. Certain things like carpet have a bad rap for off-gassing, so I tend to 12 BEYONDA Heaps Estrin PublicationBeyond_FEB23_DesignTrends_FINAL.indd 12 2023-01-24 5:46 PM'