WELCOME TO THE FUTURE
A (W.T².F.) Sunday Series

–Short Story Time–

Andy arrives home after another rewarding day at work. He places his outdoor VARless set on the smooth cherry wood table and for a second, admires his new home. His new job more than provides for this modest space, but in his line of work he understands the potential to use space effectively- as VARspace.* He only needs one room really, but this home is divided into four separate areas to accommodate others who are still transitioning to this way of living.

The first part, is where he stands now. His home enters into the main living space that can be used for entertainment, relaxing, dining and exercising. The room is large with high ceilings and a very minimalist approach to furnishings. After all, he has several extra sets of VARless for guests who do not have their own. This way, they can experience the true beauty of his home’s design.

At the back of the first space, is a set of large double glass doors that open to the second space, outside of the house. There’s a generous veranda with an awning for shade, a BBQ pit, a pool that he just had to have after his first dive with VR, and finally a modest garden planted with all sorts of indigenous California flpra.

Back inside are the final two areas. First, is the kitchen that opens onto the main living space. Open space is key for a VAR environment so Andy has minimized the amount of counter space other than for a sleek bar and beautiful wooden kitchen island with a rustic sink and cook-top. Storage units are all neatly disguised in a back wall. Gently pressing on the surfaces of certain areas smoothly click opens the ‘cabinet’ doors.

Then, last but not least, is Andy’s personal area that is separate from the rest of the house. It comprises his bed, a desk and chair and a few lighting fixtures. He also has a collection of his favorite art pieces in this room- the rest of the art installations are digital copies that he takes out from the digital art library membership program. There is still an appreciation for physical art and design that he doesn’t think will ever be lost.

He lets out a breath and kicks off his shoes. VARtime. He activates his VARless set and steps into a new world. This room can be anywhere at anytime. He can make it night, or day, the walls can become endless landscape of his choosing- today he’s settled for the Andes Mountains. Yesterday were the endless treetops of the Amazon basin. Now, walking outside, he can choose if he wants to BBQ in Greece or France, maybe Belize or Japan? And does he want to invite one of his friends to his VARscape? He’s been meaning to catch up with one of his buddies in Australia. The possibilities are endless. It’s not the world he thought he’d live in growing up, it’s a new world with multiple realities made possible through VARdesign.

A (W.T².F.) Series

by @scifi.anne.marie

*VARless- Virtual and augmented reality glasses

*VARspace- virtual and augmented reality space