How will the post-pandemic ‘roaring 20s’ affect our interiors and homeware choices?

I know what you’re thinking. After spending more than a year in the confines of your own home, the last thing you want to do as lockdown restrictions lift is stay within your four walls. So why bother with revamping them with new interiors? Why spend money at home when you could be spending it on staycations and cocktails to be drunk indoors at the pub?

Throughout the last year, interior designers have been inundated with requests from homeowners looking to mix things up; in January, a study conducted by the Checkatrade Home Price Index found that property owners spent £39bn on home improvements in 2020. But far from subsiding, this flurry of activity is only predicted to increase as restrictions ease, people venture into homeware shops for the first time in months, and are allowed to invite guests over, consequently finding a need to replace everything from crockery to tea towels.

And according to interior designers, there is one uniting trend among us. In the run-up to 21 June (the date when all restrictions are currently set to lift in England), much has been said about an impending “roaring 20s” period. Think a summer filled with all of the debauchery, festivities, and social and sexual liberation we’ve spent the last year longing for. And it transpires that this spirit of celebration will have an impact on the choices we make when it comes to our interiors and homewares.

“There is always an intrinsic link between the happenings in society and the creative realm,” says Phoebe Hollond, director at Stone Hollond and member of the Society of British and International Design. “Whether it’s music, art, interiors, or fashion... all of it is a reflection of the current cultural situation. We know that post-pandemic life will be something like the roaring 20s, and so we will want to choose bold, colourful and vibrant pieces for our homes.”

We’re already seeing the roaring 20s have an impact on design choices, too. Consider writer and broadcaster Camille Charrière’s new colourful slogan plates, created in collaboration with Evie Henderson and Laetita Rouget for The Yellow World. There are eight hand-painted plates in the collection, and each of them features a different liberation-inspired design. There’s the “cabin fever” plate, or the “f*** that s***” plate. There’s one green plate featuring an image of naked ladies dancing and another of three derrières with miniature people atop.

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“One of the hardest parts of being in lockdown has been the restrictions to meet our friends and loved ones,” says Charrière. “I think we wanted to remind people that the best is yet to come and that after rain, there is always a ray of sunshine. Counting down the days to mark the return of life as we knew it seemed like a fun way to lift everyone’s spirits, as these last few weeks have not been the easiest.”

If you’re looking to capture this joie de vivre spirit elsewhere in your home, you might want to look for vintage items, which boast a certain breed of idiosyncrasy that can’t be found on the high street. Paul Middlemiss, founder of one of the UK’s leading vintage interior and lighting stores, Merchant and Found, has already seen a 70 per cent increase in vintage furniture and lighting sales this year. “This is partly driven by social media but also through a genuine interest in sustainability, too,” Middlemas says. “Consumers want something that is well made and will last.”

One particular vintage item that is set to boom in popularity this summer is the at-home bar. A staple among hedonistic homeowners, the at-home bar can transform your living space into the perfect party venue with a dash of Gasby-esque opulence. “Bar spaces are a big trend for this summer,” says interior designer Lou Wolfenden of House of Wolf. “You could opt for a 1920s bar cart or even opt for a fixed bar, whether it’s integrated into a kitchen design or you’ve re repurposed your grandmother’s wardrobe, there are plenty of options.”

If repurposing isn’t your thing, there are plenty of retro-inspired bar carts on offer at interiors shops now. We love this brass one from Soho Home and this marble option from Swoon.

As for colour schemes and wider aesthetics, expect a sense of playfulness and experimentation. “Requests for more exuberant design has become the norm throughout 2021,” says Rebecca Leivars, founder of LEIVARS Interiors Studio. “Clients have really found their zest for life and the pandemic has created a language for them to start expressing themselves since we have come out of isolation. As a result, there has been a big move towards more colourful and playful design schemes, with patterns both contrasting and clashing to bring a real sense of joy back into our homes.”

It seems that now is the time to take more pride in your living space than ever before - and to have fun with it, too. “I care a lot more about my interior now than I used to,” says Charrière, who is keen to welcome friends into her home with open arms as restrictions lift.

“We will be having people round a lot more often as we find ourselves in this limbo where we are not prepared to be out and about all the time anymore,” she says. “That’s also why we wanted to create lovely homeware that would contribute to making a tablescape pop when you have friends and family round. Anything that sparks joy these days, is a win.”