Home as a Multi-Functional Hub: Future-Oriented Design

Nextatlas x Midea

FREE

In June 2025, we hosted a webinar on future home appliance trends with Paolo Lorini of Midea. With 25 years of experience leading design initiatives across top creative agencies, consulting firms, prestigious design schools, and global corporations, Paolo brought a uniquely holistic vision to the future of domestic living. Over the last five years, Paolo has focused on designing Residential Air Conditioning solutions for Midea to meet the nuanced needs of the European market, where expectations around comfort, sustainability, and smart living are rapidly evolving. Paolo joined Nextatlas’ Erich Giordano for a conversation grounded in industry expertise and the latest insights from our ongoing trend analysis. They explored how the home is becoming more than just a space; it’s turning into a multi-functional hub at the intersection of technology, connection, and sustainable design.

Key Insights
What’s inside

Design and technology are combining to create spaces that support mental clarity, emotional wellbeing, and calm. The home is becoming a center of human connection and adaptive technologies for an anxious world, transforming living spaces into connected, adaptable hubs.
Consumers today are balancing instant gratification with a growing demand for long-term value and resilience, especially in uncertain economic times. Smart investments in long-lasting, adaptable products to create economic and environmental stability are key.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, homes are being reimagined to support both social connection and personal safety. Emotionally resonant objects, appliances, and furniture can foster a sense of cosiness, intimacy, and togetherness.
Emerging technologies can create more intuitive, emotionally aware living environments. AI can transform digital interactions into moments of genuine personal insight and can be a powerful, accessible medium for self-understanding and growth.