Best of G-Pulse: our highlights from 2021

2021 presented us with a lot of challenges. While the ongoing pandemic kept a firm grasp on the world, it also opened up new ways of living and working. Topics around the home became even more relevant – from planning and building to interior design and smart technology

Picking up on this trend, our articles presented many different ideas to make home life more comfortable, stylish, and safe. Your responses on our blog and social media have shown us which of these were your favourite.

Interior design was by far the most popular topic on G-Pulse this year. Judging from your likes, shares, and comments, you all wanted to know which colours were going to be huge in 2021 – and how you could integrate them in your own home.

We gave insight into upcoming trends based on the forecast of institutes such as Pantone and the NCS Colour Academy. Their predictions centred around two colour schemes: blue, symbolising the advance of technology, and green, representing the turn toward sustainable solutions.

Nature played a big role in 2021 – not only for interior styles, but also architecture. One article you found particularly interesting was about the so-called “Buitenhuis” (which translates to “outdoor house”) in the Netherlands. Located amidst beautiful scenery near the De Hoge Veluw National Park, this holiday home lives up to its name.

With huge glass fronts and a living area that opens up to a furnished terrace, guests can enjoy a new kind of outdoor experience. Inside, lots of green plants and sustainable materials – including Gira Esprit switch frames made from linoleum-plywood – round off the nature-based concept.

Let’s be honest – who likes spending hours on tedious chores such as cleaning, ironing, or doing laundry?

It came as no surprise that our article on smart household appliances sparked the interest of many readers.

We presented the latest innovations to make your life easier – from vacuum wiping robots with infrared sensors and app-controlled washing machines to intelligent steam-ironing stations. Judging from your responses, you were all quite excited about the prospect of not having to deal with housework anymore. Agreed!

What comes to mind when you think of an English cottage in the countryside? Probably a small quaint house with rather modest – and maybe outdated – amenities? That’s certainly not what you will find at the “Friends House” in Hampshire. The home was designed by a Spanish team of architects, who wanted to redefine the concept of cottage-style living.

Fusing traditional and modern elements, they created a building that offers a high level of comfort and yet blends in with its rural surroundings. No wonder our article about this project was among the most-read in 2021: you clearly loved the minimalist aesthetics, complemented by the Gira E2 design line, as much as we did.

There’s no comfort without security: in the end, we can only lean back and relax if we know that we are well protected. Luckily, smart technology does not only help us doing chores – it also keeps our house safe when we’re away. In our article on home security, we shared five tips to prevent burglary. Worried about unwanted visitors during the holidays?

There are many smart functions you can use to keep intruders away – from keyless locks to motion sensors and automated presence simulation. While home security was among the trending topics of 2021, it will only become more important in the future. We look forward to seeing how modern technology can make our lives even safer next year.

That was the full recap of our highlights in 2021 – a colourful mix of inspirations. As the year comes to an end, we want to thank you again for reading our content and joining the conversation on our blog and social media channels.

Wondering what 2022 has in store? Of course, we’ll keep on sharing more useful ideas and interesting trends from the world of interior design, architecture, building, and smart tech. Until then, we wish you a very happy and healthy new year.