What Ikea is trying to tell us about 21st century living

2018-10-18T15:11:00-04:00

Two years ago, the company asked thousands of people about where they felt “most at home.” At the time, 20% of subjects said it wasn’t the space in which they lived. Two years later, they asked again, and found the number has risen by 15% among people who live in cities. In other words, 35% of people who live in cities don’t feel at home in their house or apartment.

Ikea, the largest furniture company in the world, may know a thing or two when it comes to styling a home. However, what many Ikea consumers may not know is that alongside its holding company INGKA Holding a yearly research report is conducted studying and identifying how people live. Since 2014, the "Life at Home" report consisted of data associated with kitchen routines, morning regiments, and overall interaction within living spaces. However, both companies decided to shift from their typical report guidelines and take a more reflective, existential approach.

Image from 2018 Life at Home Report © Ikea

Instead of focusing on relationships between consumers and products, the yearly report focused on topics such as belonging, loneliness, and what it's like living in a large city. The report indicated that in order for individuals to feel "at home", these five emotional needs must be met: privacy, security, comfort, ownership, belonging. After surveying over 22,000 people living in 2...

Designers want to transform elevators into "fashionable and functional room(s)"

2017-01-05T20:25:00-05:00

Forget climbing stars, or even walking laterally--in the increasingly dense and rapid reality of urban life, elevators have become a major part of daily living. According to The Guardian, major elevator designers like Otis are considering re-designing the elevator to become a more comfortable and friendly space. Precisely what form this will take is a bit unclear, but it may involve more stylish decor, and perhaps even a change in elevator culture itself (the reason most elevators have the floor number display up so high is to give people an excuse not to have to make eye contact with each other).

Elevators, making news:

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What Ikea is trying to tell us about 21st century living

Designers want to transform elevators into "fashionable and functional room(s)"