How the Global Pandemic Has Made Us Rethink Every Room in Our Homes

“I’ve been living in a small two-bedroom rental with my husband and daughter during COVID. It’s a bit cramped, but it has an incredible amount of sunlight. It made me realize that one of the most important parts of a living space is natural light – it seems to add metres of space!” – Frank P., producer, HGTV Canada

Related: 12 Ways to Brighten a Kitchen When It’s Starved of Natural Light

“My living room has become my office and my gym. I set up during the work day on my couch, dragging my coffee table towards the edge, where I hunch over my computer. Then when I’m hankering for some physical activity, I push the table across the room and sprawl out on a yoga mat in the middle of my pseudo-office! I’ve grown to love it and have zero plans to return to the gym (or the office – until they make me).” – Alexa K., manager, social – lifestyle

Related: How to Make Any Room Double as a Home Office (Yes, Even the Bathroom!)

“I’ve been freelancing from home for nearly a decade, so I thought I was a small-space WFH master – but there’s definitely more to navigate with my husband suddenly setting up his own office two feet away in our one-bedroom apartment. What’s worked for us is taking advantage of our building’s shared spaces (which we barely ever used before) during busy times. I try to work from the rooftop garden when he’s on video calls, so we each have space to focus on work – and I get the bonus of a bit of a view.” – Sharon M., writer and freelance editor, HGTV Canada

“Coincidentally, the week we went into lockdown in March was the week I started my new gig as editor of Food Network Canada. And what does copious amounts of time at home + working with food content everyday amount to? Lots of cooking! My kitchen has been used much more since COVID started: from chocolate chip cookies to slow cooker shawarma and beyond.” – Jen F., editor, Food Network Canada

“My kitchen island has essentially become my home office. Not ideal, but it’s in a bright, sunny spot and ideal for when I have to shift gears at the end of the day and prep dinner. The island runs the entire length of our kitchen, so I’m able to spread out and set up shop for the day. My husband, who is also an editor currently working from home, sets up in the den – so we each have our own little nook. We’ve both tried to avoid doing any work in the living room, as that’s where we unwind at the end of the day.” – Laura G., assistant editor, HGTV Canada and Food Network Canada

“When you move in with someone – whether it’s a friend, family member, lover or random – you tend to recognize there will be an adjustment period to lifestyles and routines. But never do you think you’ll be locked in that limited space with them 24/7. Welcome to 2020 – the year no one signed up for. For me, it was the year I scrambled to find a home during a global pandemic and officially launched my spinster life and took advantage of rent prices going down – and ran away from the roommate I never asked to spend every waking moment of every day with.” – Chloe T., editor, Slice

“The pandemic has changed me from a shower person to a bath person. We recently renovated our bathroom to have a roomy walk-in shower and included the tub more for resale down the road. The pandemic has changed that! I now take baths daily (it was strictly showers before) – I find soaking very soothing and tranquil.” – Christy W., writer, HGTV Canada

Related: I Bought a Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic – Here’s What I Learned

“I’m thankful for two floors so my husband and I can have separate areas to work from home… except that we’re without an actual office or a desk. And after five months, my “couch office” wasn’t really serving me. So, I ordered a desk that now lives in our spare bedroom. I’m realizing how important it is to carve out specific areas for certain tasks… and to stick to it. Life feels more manageable this way.” – Brittany D., digital strategist, HGTV Canada and Food Network Canada

“Living in a 1,200-square-foot bungalow with my husband and two kids during a global pandemic has been interesting and insightful. We used to treat the kids’ rooms as places where we kept their stuff and they slept, but now we have really reconsidered their rooms to be multi-functional spaces. While I would love to say that mom and two kids can all share the dining table to work from home and participate in distance learning, the reality is there were way too many distractions associated with all of us being together all the time. Now my kids use their own rooms much more than before – and if they are not exactly doing their assignment (and instead making a fort of pillows), I’m totally OK with them using their imaginations and exercising independent play time.” – Heather M., producer, History

“Our bathrooms don’t get enough love: they’re a place for unsavoury business to be promptly flushed from sight. Spending more time at home made me want to upgrade my bathroom, so I started with installing a bidet in my toilet. It’s the little things that count – a fresh little spritz of water goes a long way to making me feel well looked after between back-to-back Zoom calls.” – Akeena L., writer, HGTV Canada

“I currently live in a two-bedroom 1,000-square-foot open-concept loft-style apartment with my girlfriend and one other person. Pre-COVID, my favourite thing about the apartment was how open and airy it is, but that’s all changed. Now, with the three of us WFH, the lack of defined space has made it challenging for us all to work comfortably. For example, when one of us is on a work call, another is blending a smoothie and the third is trying to take a break and watch something on Netflix – and it can be pretty hectic. We’ve adjusted and now each bedroom has a small desk/office space and the third person floats and works from the dining room or the couch. Whenever we need a change of scenery, we rotate.” – Wylder R., social strategist, HGTV Canada and Food Network Canada