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View of a terrace with wooden shutters and windows

the house and its inhabitants

new ways of living in the era of Covid

2020 has been – and still is – a challenging year on very different fronts, equally significant from a social point of view. The months that have just passed have questioned a consolidated system based on perceived certainties of life (work routine, free time or just ordinary social interactions) that we thought untouchable, which suddenly ceased to exist.

The home is back in the spotlight, and with it, the lifestyle of all its components. We realized that living full-time with each member of the household, without the “possibility of escape”, requires a physical and, even before that, a significant mental reorganization. We have rediscovered all spaces, even those of passage without a defined function, searching for the right place for nonordinary activities such as work, sports and school.

View of a terrace with wooden shutters and windows

We envied those who have a private outdoor space, be it a garden or a simple balcony. We have coped with technology and we have understood how indispensable it is to keep in touch with the world, to restart activities, to keep “the right distance” and avoid contagion.

View of the studyroom with a lift and slide door with two white lacquered sashes

In a few words, we unexpectedly found ourselves in front of an emergency situation that required a rapid change in our lifestyle and habits. The city and the home have always been the subject of constant transformation, but with their slow and gradual renewal the latter passes almost unnoticed.

Now, as never before, the quality of life represents the synonym for the quality of space. The most sought-after construction features of nowadays, that allow the wellbeing and comfort of living, are the following:

a) Brightness and open spaces

Natural light flow is essential for physical and psychological comfort needed for all activities. Windows featuring a very narrow profile ensure maximum daylight even if the architectural openings are not so big. When a private outdoor space is not available, a bright, daylight-filled home definitely makes the difference.

Detail of the patio door, entrance door and glazed corner with fixed glass installed in the bedroom

b) Healthiness

It is often assumed that the air indoor is better or, at least, unquestionably less harmful than the air outdoor. In general, it can be said that the concentration values of pollutants are lower inside, but still impacting on health, due to the duration of exposure. For example, we can mention tobacco smoke, combustion processes, cleaning products, the use of glues, adhesives or solvents. An environment with good air ventilation, be it automatic or manual, greatly improves health and perceived well-being of its occupants.

View of a corridor and a staircase with ribbon bottom hung windows
  • Windows with transom opening of Klima 80 line, perfect even in the most restricted situations, represent the most simple and straightforward method to ensure a good air circulation.

c) Privacy

The home has always been associated with a place for the experience and enjoyment of privacy and personal activities. It is perceived as an “emotional space” and includes the time we choose to dedicate to ourselves. Not only a delimited area of the house is important, also the filter spaces become utterly essential. The surface, previously sufficient for all our needs, is not sufficient any more: the window takes on a leading role because it broadens the perspective and gives us the feeling of the infinite.

View of two white lacquered single-leaf Klima 80 windows
  • A window optically expands the space and defines a more intimate place near its threshold. This creates a work or leisure area in which one can enjoy a minimum of privacy in the continuous cycle of everyday life.

d) Multifunctional spaces

When work sphere suddenly overlaps with domestic one, it is not easy to create an adequate space for everything. For instance, houses without a study space put a strain on its inhabitants, who try to organize and rethink the spaces as good and as quickly as they can. Therefore, there is a rising discussion about some new design and building restoration criteria, which would take into greater consideration the space dedicated to the “workplace”.

Internal view of the two-door lift and slide of the study area
  • The emergency has certainly accelerated a trend already underway:  a window becomes the fulcrum around which work or leisure activities of the household are organized. A simple desk in front of Villa Pisa’s glass wall makes the workplace pleasant and illuminated, improving the visual well-being of each activity.

e) Customization

In the previous article Stay at home, with style, we talked about how important it is to define an environment that resembles us and makes us feel safe and at ease even in the most complicated situations. As a matter of fact, according to neuro-architecture, lighting, furnishings, decorations of the house substantially impact our nervous system, thus influencing directly our emotional wellbeing. Once we understand that the house is one of the physical projections of our being, the feeling of protection we feel within an environment will become clearer: a home in harmony with our body becomes therapeutic.