Ikea has revealed its trend predictions for 2022, tipping decluttering will continue to be a priority for Australians this year as the pandemic forces them to spend large amounts of time at home.
Ikea Australia home furnishing direction leader Christine Gough said Aussies had been adapting their living spaces to cater to more activities as they spent more time at home, and this would continue.
“With this shift in home life, we are seeing a need to maximise under-utilised spaces in the home and move from single to multi-function rooms,” Ms Gough said on Tuesday.
“In 2022, we will see this trend of hybrid homes continuing to grow, with the concept of multipurpose living embedded in new home designs.”
Facilitating this trend was multipurpose furniture that was easy to move around the home, such as using kitchen trolleys instead of fixed benches.
The trend of decluttering has been around for many years, but most people never quite got around to it until lockdowns.
That became immediately evident in 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic took hold and forced us into our dwellings, with Japanese organising consultant Marie Kondo becoming a streaming hit.
“People are taking control of their homes back as their safe space from the uxjmtzywncertainties of the outside world,” Ms Gough said.
“Also, due to the shift in multipurpose living, people have had to reorganise their homes to do the activities they want or need to do.”
She also predicted natural fibre, tactile textures and items with recycled and sustainable materials would be trending this year.
The Swedish furniture giant launched its buyback program in Australia in November, upgrading its in-store “Bargain Corner” section to “Circular Hub” featuring used furniture.
It’s playing into a move towards preloved items, which London-based market research company Euromonitor said was among solutions being found by shoppers faced with global product supply shortages.
Pre-loved goods were also increasingly being sought for sustainability, affordability and uniqueness reasons, Euromonitor said in its just-released Top Ten Global Consumer Trends 2022 report.
“Pursuit of preloved has been prevalent in the apparel industry for years but is expanding into other fast-moving consumer goods,” the report read.
Ikea is also going hard on gaming furniture and accessories to capitalise on another stuck-at-home trend, saying the 30 product-strong range was its top launch last year.
“With an ever-increasing number of gamers, around 2.5 billion worldwide and a rapidly growing market, getting into gaming was a natural step for Ikea,” the company said.
Ms Gough said changing to home smart solutions would also be a priority for Australians in 2022 to make dwellings more connected.
“Smart lighting and sound integration will be top of mind, as it helps transform a space with the touch of a button,” she said.
And as togetherness had grown, so had the need for private spaces, peace and relaxation, so screening with plants and trees – particularly on balconies – would be another trend.
