Smaller homes, smarter designs: how the design of living spaces is changing

Functional design is now an integral part of any project. The real opportunity lies in the ability to transform constraints into design criteria, rethinking the home as a system that evolves over time alongside changing needs and lifestyles. It is precisely in this transition, rather than in the search for new forms, that design can restore meaning and value to the domestic space. An analysis by Scenari Immobiliari highlights how the floor area of homes is shrinking, in contrast to prices, and this factor is changing the way we design living spaces. ‘Over the last five years, the average floor area of newly built homes in Italy has fallen by almost 6 per cent,’ notes Francesca Zirnstein, managing director of Scenari Immobiliari — falling from around 88.2 square metres to 83.2 square metres, whilst prices per square metre have risen by an average of 10.8 per cent, with peaks exceeding 17.8 per cent in major metropolitan cities. This is a gap that is not merely economic but cultural: less space to live in, more space to design. It is within this tension that the concept of home is being redefined today and a new era of functional design is taking shape.

Much of the current transformation in contemporary residential design stems from the coexistence of rising property values and smaller living spaces. When square metres become expensive and therefore scarce, the quality of a space cannot be measured by its surface area but by the way in which it is organised. Thus, in new-generation flats, every room takes on multiple functions, often without explicitly stating so. Corridors are not merely passageways but are transformed into fully equipped spaces, with floor-to-ceiling cupboards that combine storage and utility functions. In areas with a milder climate, some of these functions can be moved outdoors: balconies used as utility spaces, with cupboards dedicated to utilities, laundry or storage, freeing up indoor space. Solutions born of practical needs, even before aesthetic ones. “The focus of today’s homebuyers,” says Zirnstein, “is on real liveability, on the ability to work from home without sacrificing other functions, and on the day-to-day management of the home.” The housing market, in turn, faces increasingly stringent economic constraints.

These projects arise within industrial and economic contexts that demand modularity, repeatability and cost control. “The layout becomes the decisive factor in determining the final price, more so than the finishes,” explains the analysis by Scenari Immobiliari. This results in the difficulty of introducing elements now demanded by the market, such as flush doors, large-format flooring or less standardised configurations, which are often excluded from the specifications, not due to a lack of demand, but because of the impact on processes and production costs.” Many choices are thus deferred to the post-purchase phase. Homes are delivered with basic fittings, whilst customisation takes place through upgrades that further increase the investment. It is at this stage that the importance of functional design becomes clear, offering complex services in smaller spaces.

When it comes to interiors, the need for flexibility translates into partial solutions: sliding walls, hybrid spaces, and living areas capable of serving different purposes throughout the day. In other contexts, such as the United States or Australia, more radical approaches are seen, ranging from mobile partitions on wheels to movable kitchens, modules that allow the interior layout to be completely and easily redefined. These ideas demonstrate a possible evolution of functional design, but in the current Italian context they face regulatory and land registry constraints that are difficult to overcome. A cultural factor also affects the effectiveness of these solutions. Often, demand alters configurations designed to be flexible and adaptable, favouring more traditional and symbolically reassuring layouts.

Taking Milan as an example, Gianpiero Alfarano, an architect, designer and associate professor of design at the Department of Architecture of the University of Florence, explains that ‘in today’s city, as a result of deindustrialisation, there is no longer a single building that is used for its original purpose. Creative studios in churches rather than museums in factories. Or gyms in flats and restaurants in banks. All part of a constant shift in how spaces are managed, where, to an excess, the identity of the city and its streets is shaped by the direct expressiveness of shop windows, the design of interstitial spaces, the atmospheric display of products, and how these influence people”. According to Alfarano, ‘the new trends in interior design are increasingly focused on sensory and detailed specifics: on microclimates, colours, sounds, smells, experiential and, above all, intangible values. Soft qualities and performances that manifest in immersive applications: expressive cross-modal correspondences of an effective multisensory design.”