In 10 Years, Ikea Thinks All Homes Will Look Like This

Futurist Barrie Barton predicts that "homes will become an ecosystem of technologies operating seamlessly in the house,” which prompted Ikea to include intelligent countertops into their futuristic home concept.

Ikea Future Homes Project Manager Eva-Carin Banka Johnson thinks that homes "will be self-aware with the interiors responding to the occupant, preempting their daily needs. We predict that by 2025 kitchens will include smart counter tops, smart storage solutions and smart waste management systems — and the rest of the home will be no different. Soon our homes will give us what we want without us even asking for it."

As time goes on, consumers' concern with environmental impact will only increase. Not only will future homes contain extremely efficient (and attractive) food waste and recycling systems, but Ikea also thinks that homes will reflect health-conscious lifestyles.

"By 2025 home gyms will be increasingly popular and furniture will double up as exercise equipment," says Eva-Carin Banka Johnson. "Technology will be used to create a harmonious environment, with wall projections helping to create a space for meditation and mindfulness. Every square inch will be used to accommodate our lifestyle, which is why you can expect to see things like electric bikes doubling up as wall art.”

Despite our reliance on technology, Ikea predicts that the next decade will spur a movement to bring the outside indoors: “In the future, we will see more indoor gardens that allow the inside and outside to flow seamlessly. In the kitchen, planters will be fed with recycled water, while open panels on balcony roofs will allow sunlight to beam down into living space, allowing us to feel close to nature in any inner city dwelling.”

Urbanized households with fewer members are on the rise, which led Ikea to design an adaptable, multifunctional home for the future. "By 2025, we will see an increased demand for sliding walls to create modular living and recreational spaces," envisions the company. "Movable walls will become increasingly popular, allowing lounges to become bedrooms, or bathrooms to double up as a laundries and living rooms to easily transform into an office. Ikea is already working on a solution for this.”

"We are already seeing an increase in social spaces in the home, and Ikea is already creating furniture that is stackable, foldable, extendable so it can adapt to every social need,” describes the company's sustainability manager, Richard Wilson.

“Over the next few years there will be a rise in what we call social furniture, which will be things like multifunctional kitchen islands that allow for food prep, socializing, working, watching TV, or spending time with the family.”