{"id":254313,"date":"2026-05-24T12:48:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T16:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/24\/in-1989-the-bbc-predicted-what-homes-would-be-like-in-2020-heres-what-they-got-right-and-wrong\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T15:50:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T19:50:39","slug":"in-1989-the-bbc-predicted-what-homes-would-be-like-in-2020-heres-what-they-got-right-and-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/24\/in-1989-the-bbc-predicted-what-homes-would-be-like-in-2020-heres-what-they-got-right-and-wrong\/","title":{"rendered":"In 1989, the BBC predicted what homes would be like in 2020. Here’s what they got right and wrong."},"content":{"rendered":"

In 1989, the BBC predicted what homes would be like in 2020. Here’s what they got right and wrong.<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.upworthy.com\/in-1989-the-bbc-predicted-what-homes-would-be-like-in-2020-heres-what-they-got-right-and-wrong\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Publish Date: 2026-05-24 12:48:00<\/a><\/p>\n

Source Domain: www.upworthy.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Predicting the future has never been possible, but that hasn\u2019t stopped people from trying. It\u2019s also always fun to see how predictions about the future from the past actually pan out.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, the BBC Archive holds videos from the 1980s in which experts tried to predict what life would be like decades into the future\u2014in other words, now.<\/p>\n

In 1989, the Tomorrow\u2019s World series imagined what homes would be like in 2020. It\u2019s fascinating to see what it predicted accurately and what never materialized.<\/p>\n

What they got right and wrong about today\u2019s homes<\/h2>\n

Futurist Christine MacNulty shared insights from her \u201cHome of the Future\u201d project, explaining what people in the future (us) would want from their homes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll want all the benefits of modern technology but without all this cluttered and complex gadgetry that we have today,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019ll want homes that work for them. By 2020, all of this will be possible. We\u2019ll have things under control without all of these knobs and buttons. And what\u2019s more, the technology itself will be embedded in the very fabric of the house and its furnishings.\u201d <\/p>\n

The video shows people walking through a set that represents a future home but looks hilariously retro-1990s to the modern eye.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo the idea is once all the clutter of technology has gone, you\u2019ll be able to furnish your rooms in any style you like,\u201d a woman said.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, tech clutter is still a thing. Photo credit: Canva<\/p>\n

Looking at the number of cord organizers on the market, I\u2019m not sure we\u2019ve quite tackled technology clutter. But with the ubiquity of digital displays, they were right about the knobs-and-buttons part. As for technology being embedded in the fabric of the house? Well, yes and no.<\/p>\n

They basically predicted the \u201csmart home,\u201d but went a bit too far<\/h2>\n

\u201cYou won\u2019t actually be able to see the technology, but it will be there doing its job without getting in your way,\u201d the…<\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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