The COVID-19 health emergency has accelerated the design process exponentially, pushing companies to respond to the new needs that have emerged with intelligent and functional strategies and by adopting innovative ways to reconnect with the world and make a difference. Moreover, the goal, and the great merit, of the designers lies precisely in the ability to grasp the changes of the eras they live and convert them into objects and ideas.
The public places reopening is getting closer and it is precisely this fact to offer designers the possibility to completely rethink common places in order to recreate spaces where all the design elements are in harmony with each other and in which the emotional component reflects the sense of security and the "feeling at home" sensation, all of this is done by involving the consumer in a conscious way. In short, just to start, enough with the banal and unaesthetic plexiglass plates and free way to more client-friendly alternatives!
COVID-19 is bringing increasing attention towards health and wellnes related issues, affecting all sectors: food, retail, furnishings, travel and beauty.
The concept of any new product will then be strongly influenced by the Circular Economy principles, based on concepts such as that of sharing, reusing, repairing and recycling existing materials and products, abandoning the bad habit of disposable use.
In public places consumers want to feel protected and "safe", for this reason working environments will have to be organized according to some guidelines.
OFFICES
After the two-month lockdown, it's important to return to the workplace feeling at ease and act responsibly. A Six feet office has fixed workstations, semi-isolated or limited by graphics that visually delimit the space, making the safety distances perceived. The two months of isolation at home have questioned people's habits, encouraging them to seek more and more a balance between private life and work and to be increasingly eager to work in an environment that reflects the home environment, in colors , in furnishings and perfumes.
Source: Estel Group
BARS AND RESTAURANTS
They must have a partially insulated entrance that acts as a filter with respect to the rest of the room where you can carefully sanitize your hands, deposit your clothes and wear disposable shoe covers. In this regard, Samsung has created AirDresser, a sanitizing cabinet that eliminates bacteria, mites and viruses through steam jets.
Source: Samsung
The menu will be contactless and digital: with the Sooneat app, every customer from their smartphone can avoid the queue at the entrance, sit at the reserved table, consult the menu, photos of the dish, order and pay with a simple click.
Speaking of tables and chairs ... how will they be organized? Large-sized restaurants will have the opportunity to rearrange the tables according to the safety distances provided, but what about small restaurants? To one of my clients I proposed a shaped table top to be screwed simply to the existing table structure, optimizing the space compared to combining two square modules.
It will also be very important to reorganize the outdoor spaces. It will be one of the most important missions of restaurants and bars to guarantee an experience up to the past again.
HAIRDRESSERS AND BEAUTICIANS
The visit to the hairdresser and beautician will be much more psychological than one might expect, it will be a 360 ° wellness and beauty experience with customizable treatments and mainly green products, all bookable through an app. New restylings for waiting rooms where possible, with modular furnishing solutions, able to maintain a minimum contact between customers but respecting the safety distance. The image represents a typical Martex furniture solution before and after Covid-19. The furnishings can be adapted according to needs and are covered with 100% antibacterial fabric.
Source: Martex
