The Extreme Future of Interiors – in the year 2077!

Have you ever thought about what home decor will look like in the future? Not just next season’s or next year’s trends, but WAY in the future. Like - I don’t know - sixty-five years into the future, say in the year 2077?

via ImageLocations, Inc

Amidst much excitement, Showcase very recently (May 27th to be exact) launched a brand new & highly anticipated TV series called Continuum.

Dean and I had great fun watching the uncut first episode in mid-May. It was very intriguing and we’re curious to see where it goes next. As described on the Continuum website, Continuum is…

…a one-hour police drama centered on Kiera Cameron, a regular cop from 65 years in the future who finds herself trapped in present day Vancouver. She is alone, a stranger in a strange land, and has eight of the most ruthless criminals from the future, known as Liber8, loose in the city.

Lucky for Kiera, through the use of her CMR (cellular memory recall), a futuristic liquid chip technology implanted in her brain, she connects with Alec Sadler, a seventeen-year-old tech genius.  When Kiera calls and Alec answers, a very unique partnership begins.

Kiera’s first desire is to get “home.” But until she figures out a way to do that, she must survive in our time period and use all the resources available to her to track and capture the terrorists before they alter history enough to change the course of the future. After all, what’s the point of going back if the future isn’t the one you left?

Kiera knows that the eight terrorists will resort to criminal activity to further their goals of taking down the corporations that will one day rule the world. Lives will be lost. Her goal is to kill or capture them before they can turn the world upside down.

For Kiera, there’s only one organization that can help her hunt down Liber8, and through clever thinking, manages to work with the Vancouver Police Department.  Partnered up with Detective Carlos Fonnegra of the Special Investigations Unit, Kiera positions herself perfectly to hear about Liber8′s activities and hopefully intervene.

Like Kiera, Carlos is a cop with a passion for justice. They are from totally opposite ends of the ideological spectrum. Coming from 2012, Carlos believes in justice for the individual while Kiera, coming from 2077, believes in justice for the corporation. This provides sparks on many levels: work, political worldviews and emotionally.

Yet despite their differences, they have each other’s back. And although they get off to a rocky start, there’s an inherent trust that blooms between them. Kiera, brought up and trained to always depend on her technology, finds her relationship with Carlos has her learning to listen to her gut for the first time.

In true aka design fashion, this TV drama has me imagining what a typical home would look like in the future – in Kiera‘s time. In our 2077 even.

Kiera at home with her husband and son, in 2077

I think in the future, as we continue to expand the major metropolises, there will be two major housing locals: those in the city and those in the rural areas.

I think the domiciles located in rural areas will tend to be old, perhaps a little worn out, far from important services and therefore not very desirable for most.

On the other hand, I imagine homes in the city will be popular and at a premium as people will gravitate into the urban core for work, survival and convenience.

Here’s what I envision…

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Industrial loft-style spaces

Industrial lofts  – a favourite style of mine – will be in high demand, initially out of necessity. The need for much urban housing, coupled with the desire to reuse as many resources as possible, will necessitate utilizing every available space, including old factories.

These modern homes will feature floors of polished concrete, exposed duct-work and expansive walls of windows – to let in as much light as possible. Not at all unlike the hard lofts of today.

via ImageLocations, Inc

via ideascasas

Double story lofts  – affordable only for the few – will be airy and open, but a little mysterious and moody too. What goes on in those upper rooms?

via loftenberg

Brick walls – when available – will add to each unit’s sense of uniqueness. I even imagine old run-down warehouses being turned into ground floor lofts complete with parking inside!

via by Clarke Hopkins Clarke

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Sleek Masculine Materials

By masculine materials I mean low maintenance things like long low-profile leather couches and chairs. By placing them at right angles to each other they become perfect for conversation or a late night tete-a-tete. Sleek metal, glass or marble side tables will be placed strategically near seating for an easy place to set down a drink. Add in some unobtrusive track lighting and at least one large metal light fixture for softer light. No fuss will be the key to keeping life manageable in the city.

via ImageLocations, Inc

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Sparse Softer Accents

Easy to maintain, industrial lofts can be almost sterile leaving them rather uninviting. To avoid this, I picture rooms warmed up just enough. A few key elements such as a large plush area rug in the main seating area (and perhaps the bedroom) will accomplish this easily. A few geometric throw pillows stuffed with faux feathers could be thrown around for extra comfort. Large overscale pieces of art (one or two pieces will be more desirable than several smaller tchoch-kas) will be equally at home propped on a sideboard or hanging on the wall.

via Ava Living

Maybe a stark white vase full of flowers and a tufted ottoman will add texture to a space, without adding clutter.

via ImageLocations, Inc

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Tone-on-Tone

I think most loft colour schemes will be neutral whites and creams with a little saturated black or rich brown thrown in for a grounding effect. In the busy-ness of the metro area, this tone-on-tone effect will provide a serene daily escape.

via Gananda

No bright bursts of colour here – just taupes, beiges, whites and greys.

via ImageLocations, Inc

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So that’s my take on the extreme future of interiors based on city life: urban neutral industrial lofts furnished with sleek masculine pieces and dotted with a few sparse softer accents.

I think I could live in the future – just look at all the industrial pretty! How about you? Do you like this vision of 2077 home interiors? What do YOU think homes will look like in sixty-five years?

I also have to say Dean and I can’t wait until the next episode of Continuum! We’re little hooked!

This post was sponsored by Continuum. It was great fun imagining the extreme future of design!