Mr Ginesta, how has the demand for living space developed?
Compared to the past, we are taking up much more living space - an average of 41 square meters per resident. With the economic upswing of the 1970s, the living space became larger. Higher wages, rising divorce rates and self-employed women became a new trend: more and more people wanted and were able to live alone in an apartment and took up more and more space the longer they lived there. In the past, some families were satisfied with a three-room apartment, but today it is said to be four rooms and more. The times when all children slept in one room together are over. But the children still had fun with it.

Even terraces and balconies seem to be getting bigger and bigger?
Definitely. In the 1950s, the small balconies were only suitable for smoking cigarettes or hanging out military clothing. Today, people ask for large terraces where you can eat, chill out and sunbathe.

The importance of the kitchen room has also changed dramatically.
Yes, enormously. In villas on the Zurichberg, the kitchens used to be found in the basement. By this way, the servants were kept at a distance. The food was pulled up on the rope in the goods lift - the intimacy of family and guests remained undisturbed. When domestic servants could no longer be afforded and the women began to cook for themselves, the kitchen was moved upstairs and initially furnished closed on the north side of the house. One should neither look into the pans of the housekeeper nor see the mess in the kitchen.

Today open kitchens are standard. How did it come to this?
Over time, the women wanted better locations, if possible with light and visibility, the kitchen became more and more important and was moved to the south side. When men discovered the joy of cooking in the 1990s, the walls were torn out. The open kitchen became a trend. We men love an audience and don't want to miss any of the entertainment.

Bathrooms are becoming more and more luxurious. Have they become common rooms?
Nowadays, the bathroom is an expression of exclusivity. Whereas in the 1960s there was one bathroom for a family with two or three children, today in luxurious properties there is one per child's room. Bathtubs are stubbornly persistent - from the tub to the footsli bathtub, which you can still see standing here and there in an apartment, to the whirlpools. Even though the last 20 years have seen practically no more than showers, the bathtub seems to be an indispensable part of most bathrooms, despite the water and space it takes up.

And what trends can be identified in floor coverings?
Floors used to be wooden board constructions on which parquet strips were laid. With the new concrete floors this was no longer possible - now cube parquet was glued to underlays. In the 1960s, when cube parquet was no longer en vogue, fitted carpets, which were often glued to the cube parquet, became fashionable. The rapid breakthrough of underfloor heating led to the stone floor trend in the 1970s: Now everything from ceramic tiles to slate and marble was laid. After 2000, the trend returned to wood, as long belts could now be laid on cement screed; simpler apartments were fitted with artificial parquet flooring. Currently, cast iron floors are the must-have for trendsetters - the industry feeling is back!

Ownership or rent: Which residential properties are in demand today?
For years, low mortgage interest rates have ensured that the housing costs of owners are lower than those of tenants. It is also a trend to acquire residential property, preferably a house. According to the Immo-Barometer 2018 of the NZZ, about one-fifth of those willing to move have been looking for a house for 20 years; 18 percent would like to buy an apartment. However, the most sought-after property is still a rental property (44 percent), as this is not dependent on capital.

Is the search based only on financial possibilities or are there other criteria?
Of course, financial possibilities play a major role, but age, phase of life, family circumstances and other practical considerations also determine how and where you live. Home ownership is and will remain a privilege: even if interest rates are at an all-time low, anyone wishing to obtain a mortgage needs a certain amount of assets and a secure income.

And which location is preferred?
Even if, according to property expert Wüest & Partner, the number of newly built single-family homes fell between 2000 and 2018, the single-family home remains the most desirable form of housing, preferably quiet and with a view of the countryside. Even though cities have done much to make urban living more family-friendly, and more and more streets are being pacified with speed limits of 30 km/h, according to the real estate barometer, 20% of tenants and 10% of homeowners prefer to move to the countryside or to suburban agglomerations with good transport links. The older generation is increasingly demanding a lift and short distances to grocery stores and public transport. Peace and quiet and visibility are then still popular, but no longer as important as in the past.

The meublement of the last 100 years

Building material determines the style of living
In the course of time, the style of living has always been influenced by architectural style and building materials. The sober and reduced Bauhaus style of the 1920s with flat roofs was one of the most influential aesthetic currents of the 20th century and could only be realised thanks to the invention of concrete. The new building material led to a departure from the old architecture with symmetrically placed windows, ornate decorations and homage to the golden section. Of course, the historical building fabric lost none of its charm, and old building material was given a new charm in modern form: In the 1940s, lofts were created from industrial buildings in derelict London and New York factory buildings - a trend that has remained unbroken to this day.

From reduction to provocation
Thus the ornate forms and feudal decorations changed to pureness and simplicity. The furniture of the Bauhaus era, which was to be mass-produced for a world in which workers could also live more beautifully, is today a status symbol and no longer affordable for everyone. Starting in the 1960s, American architects were the first to question the cool sobriety of contemporary architecture. Roberto Venturi, American architect and one of the leading theoreticians of postmodern architecture, contrasted Mies van der Rohe's "Less is more" with a polemical "Less is a bore". The postmodernism of the 1970s and 1980s presented witty objects that were no longer primarily functional, but rather colorful, sensual, provocative, and designed by designers against the dogma of "good form.

Current: Heterogeneity and trend towards sustainability
The interior design of the 21st century shows the most diverse characteristics. Designers and producers stress that clear ideas are needed for a clean style. Innumerable glossy interior design and living magazines, living blogs and catalogues of furniture stores are dedicated to living dreams. They praise purism and individualism, sustainability, green living, ethno and folklore, vintage, shabby chic, loft style and more. Despite the individual diversity of styles and preferences, a general tendency is discernible: the need for responsible, sustainable living - whether in the use of the living space or in the design of the style of living. A trend that should not be a short-term phenomenon, but will become a matter of course for contemporary living in the long term.