How lockdown has changed people’s views of their homes

The need to remain at home during the pandemic has resulted in a shift of opinion about what is needed from interiors. In a recent survey* by estate agents Savills, 49% of respondents expected increased home working to continue post lockdown, and 39% of the under 50s said they wanted a bigger home.

The survey also found that for 44% of respondents a separate work space was now more important, with that proportion rising to 61% among the under 40s.

‘Greater space has become a prerequisite for those anticipating increased home working and those with children,’ says analyst at Savills Frances Clacy. 

Effects on furniture sales

The need to re-think current interiors is also reflected in the sales made by furniture retailers during this period. Sam Hood, Co-Founder and Creative Director of BIID industry partner Amara, says, ’Our sales have been strong from the second week of lockdown and have continued that way especially in all areas of home comfort-type categories as well as everything and anything for the garden.’ 

‘We generally see specific products and categories uplift in sales based on seasonality – for example throws in the autumn. But compared to last year these have all done unseasonably well: desks and chairs, stationery, and anything work from home related.’

Sam also notes some amazing spikes in demand compared to last year with serveware up 1,405%, pots and pans up 420%, barware up 3,436%, bathroom accessories up 1,558% and pyjamas up 12,160%.

Requests to interior designers

An urgent need to make substantial changes has also been noted by interior designers as potential clients have made contact during the lockdown. ‘We have received quite a few project enquiries, which surprised me at the beginning,’ says BIID registered interior designer Cinzia Moretti of Moretti Interior Design. ‘But if you think about it, it makes perfect sense as people have been spending so much time at home and evaluating how important home is and what works and doesn’t.’

Cinzia notes the change in priorities the pandemic has initiated. ‘The first thing they all mentioned was, “I am not happy inside my home and I do not have a private space,”’ she says. ‘Before, what we heard was more about the style and look they wanted to achieve.’

The needs that emerged in the survey by Savills have been echoed by those getting in touch with Cinzia. ‘All the enquiries have mentioned having a proper office space and a playroom, too,’ she says. ‘Also, many mentioned storage problems and about having a big kitchen. People are cooking more and found they spent most of the time in the kitchen, where they end up working, too. Another issue that came out was about the garden, and how to make this a more valuable space for their home.’

Cinzia also notes that enquirers may now be committed to a major change in their day to day lives. ‘Some of our clients have told me that they have already decided to work at least two days a week from home and a couple of them have already asked us to extend the design in their home and create some office spaces, or said that they want to move and find a bigger space to accommodate more rooms,’ she says.

Whether homeowners need to rethink or extend their existing space, or up sticks to a new house, interior designers are perfectly placed to help their clients realise the transformation of home they are seeking. ‘I think that for interior designers this will be a new opportunity with new clients but also with old clients where they might find they need to adapt to their new lifestyle,’ says Cinzia.

Strategies to respond to client demand

While it’s apparent that both returning and potential clients are spontaneously getting in touch with BIID designers to help them make the alterations they want to their homes, it’s worth being aware of the needs the pandemic has produced.

At this time, social media posts, website features, newsletters and client communications offer a window for explaining how interior design projects can dramatically alter homes to fit clients’ changed requirements from them.

For more advice on using social channels, take a look at our resource on how to use social media to win clients.

*Savills surveyed almost 700 of its registered buyers and sellers between 21 and 27 April 2020