IKEA predicts the future of homes

IKEA’ Life at Home Report is using AI to predict what the next chapter of domestic living might look like in 2030.

IKEA presents three potential scenarios for the next decade. Using AI-generated imagery in partnership with art director Per Eriksson, the project depicts the lives of three fictional individuals, Jin, Angela, and Jamie, as they navigate different possible home-living futures. The scenarios introduce narratives such as holographic house parties bringing together friends from afar, bio-solar wallpaper harnessing algae to generate electricity from sunlight, and chairs crafted by 3D printers using a mushroom compound

In the first future scenario called ‘Home on the Go’, people adapt to a lifestyle of constant movement. Jin adopts a highly adaptable lifestyle, furnishing his home to promote well-being. Currently residing in a pod within a high-rise apartment in central Seoul, Jin experiences the need for temporary evacuation from the lowlands due to climate reports. Despite this, he plans to return to the coast soon to prepare his home for an upcoming graduation party. Utilising cutting-edge technologies, such as holographic meetings, provides a level of flexibility that enables access to homes from any location and at any time.

In ‘Resilient Communities’, the global population is decentralised, living in distinct communities with limited connections. People choose to reside with those who share similar political views, parenting styles, or cultural preferences. Jamie, a non-binary primary school teacher, embodies this lifestyle in a small township north of Uppsala, Sweden. Living with two partners and children, their home is equipped with self-cleaning surfaces and cloud-based meal planning. Despite technological conveniences, Jamie values hands-on work on their adjacent land for the well-being benefits, while the whole family adorns the home with self-crafted 3D printed mushroom furniture.

 

In the final scenario ‘A Nurtured Home’, where the future is shaped by the impacts of the planet’s climate crisis and interconnected eco-initiatives, Angela is a resident who embodies the shift towards sustainable living. Angela lives with Patricia, and both share a passion for sustainable interior design. Together, they install bio-solar wallpaper using algae to generate electricity. International policies have led to interconnected eco-initiatives, and smart home systems are widely adopted to promote resource efficiency. In this scenario, transparent behaviours regarding resource consumption become more prevalent. People acknowledge the consequences and connections between their lifestyles, homes, communities, and the natural environment. In this future, homes become more responsive to external forces, incorporating both technology and nature into their design.

 

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