What Are Our Current Needs for Our Homes?

There’s no place like home—even as it continues to evolve. The residences we inhabit in 2026 are strikingly different from those of just a few decades ago in terms of style, technology, appliances, and even the methods of insuring against natural disasters.

The external influences that shape our daily lives today will ultimately define what makes a home both appealing and secure in the future. To assist readers in navigating these changes, Architectural Digest and WIRED have collaborated on a series of articles exploring what the future of “home” may entail. Here, AD’s and WIRED’s global editorial directors, Amy Astley and Katie Drummond, discuss the insights that shaped this special issue.

AMY ASTLEY: Katie, I’m thrilled to unveil our first joint digital issue. When we began discussing this collaboration, we consistently returned to a pivotal question: What do we truly desire from our homes, and what do we require from them? At AD, we believe that our living spaces should embody beauty and comfort. However, it seems that the notion of home has grown increasingly complex. People are contending with a myriad of concerns—climate change, material expenses, advancing technology—that extend far beyond mere choices of paint color for their living rooms.

KATIE DRUMMOND: I concur. This dynamic is particularly relevant given the swift progress and integration of AI. At WIRED, we invest considerable time contemplating how technology pervades our daily existence. The real question isn’t whether your home will be smart—it unquestionably will—but rather how you will engage with that technology. Crucially, where will it prove beneficial, and when will it operate seamlessly? The vision of a smart home, where you arrive and everything adjusts automatically to your preferences, remains an aspirational goal.

ASTLEY: We all desire technology that enhances our lives, but smarter homes must also consider present-day realities. Fred Bernstein details Olson Kundig’s Shearwater house, perched on steel columns 23 feet above the ground (“above even the mosquitos,” quips AD100 architect and Olson Kundig founder Tom Kundig), which is visually striking yet designed to address the pressing issue of rising water levels. Resilient design has transitioned from being merely innovative to absolutely vital. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Fazzare notes that architects worldwide are increasingly opting for accessible, low-tech materials like compressed earth, bamboo, and fire-resistant timber. For them, the future may lie in reimagining established solutions.

DRUMMOND: This concept is echoed in our profile of Stewart Brand, a countercultural pioneer and the mind behind The Whole Earth Catalog. Now 87, he has created a cutting-edge eco-home tailored for his current stage of life on the land he shares with his wife in Petaluma, California. As life expectancies rise, the ways people age within their homes and the technology that supports them must adapt as well. Steven Blum poignantly discussed this in his reflective essay about monitoring his aging father with a constant microphone, reflecting on the intricate and potentially intrusive nature of such assistance.

ASTLEY: I’ve encountered other discussions surrounding the use of technology to assist loved ones, often focusing on robotic companions or smart trackers. Steven’s distinctive perspective was incredibly touching, especially as he contemplates how this technology can help bridge the loneliness gap.

This story is part of The Future of Home, a collaboration between the editors of WIRED and Architectural Digest to help you understand what “home” will look like tomorrow and beyond.