What will the home of the future look like? Greener and smarter, according to Leroy Merlin's Home Observatory

Comfort, savings, health and respect for the environment: according to the Home Observatory by Leroy Merlin and Doxa, these are the pillars of the home of the future. Here are the main trends, together with a wide selection of wall art that you can buy directly online from our gallery to decorate your home of the future.

The living area and kitchen are the favourite rooms

The favourite areas of the home are the living area and the kitchen, followed by the dining room and the bedroom, with the bathroom and garden bringing up the rear.

Here's a photographic print that would be perfect for your kitchen.

Features that make a home easy to run are becoming increasingly important. Saving money is never far from people's minds: energy efficiency and lower maintenance and running costs are the key points. To meet these needs while keeping an appealing interior design, you could take inspiration from Nordic-Scandinavian interior style or go straight for the décor of a Zen home.

Another topic covered by the Home Observatory survey is that of architectural barriers. There has been a sharp rise in the number of people with mobility and respiratory conditions who need a home designed specifically for them. Better air and water quality is very important, and great attention is paid to removing architectural barriers.

As well as being beautiful, a home must also be comfortable. It needs to adapt to different needs while still looking good. Thermal and acoustic insulation can improve quality of life while making better use of resources. If they could choose what to change, respondents would like more space and more light, with a preference for plenty of windows and balconies. For those who don't have many square metres to play with, it's now easy to find lots of ideas and tips on how to furnish a home with small spaces.

In recent years, there has been growing attention to sustainability and respect for the environment and the landscape, as shown by the love of gardening among those who have a garden.

Outlook and trends for the home of the future

So what are the trends for the home of the future? One trend that isn't yet widespread in Italy but has great potential for growth is "smart protection": controlling household appliances remotely via smartphone. Only a few people use it so far, but more and more are thinking of starting: a sign that the trend is growing.

Decluttering is the practice of getting rid of everything superfluous in the home. Instead of accumulating things, people get rid of what they don't need, and in recent years this has become a fast-growing trend in Italy.

In line with growing environmental awareness, eco-cleaning is on the rise: more and more people use homemade natural products to clean their homes. "Grandma's remedies" such as vinegar and bicarbonate of soda are partly or completely replacing harsher, more polluting detergents, all in the spirit of eco-friendly interior design.

Another growing trend that emerged from the survey is furniture upcycling: salvaging old vintage furniture and restoring it to its former glory. In recent years it has become a very common habit and a hobby for many Italians. As well as the obvious savings, upcycling cuts down on a lot of waste and supports sustainable interior design. Along these lines, a particularly creative trend is decorating with pallets in the spirit of creative recycling.

Restoring old vintage furniture can be great fun and can help you add the touch of personality you've been looking for in your home. With this in mind, we recommend a few photographic prints for your vintage-style interior.

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You can buy the images we've shown you in this guide as prints and canvas wall art in our Pixtury gallery.