ELFA INSIGHTS

Major renaissance for the home

The pandemic has certainly sparked something of a renaissance for the home. People’s homes have become increasingly important to them during these times of uncertainty in the world. We need a haven where we can focus on our wellbeing. Our home has become the centre of our lives. It’s where we work, spend time with the family, exercise, eat our meals and relax – multifunctional, 24/7 spaces, quite simply.

I pandemins efterdyningar börjar vi nu även se en hybridtillvaro växa fram där många av våra temporära lösningar blir permanenta. Tydligast ser vi detta på arbetsfronten, men även inom utbildning.

New needs place new requirements on storage

The pandemic has had an impact on our lives, how we view our homes and the way we feel in them. When you turn a home into a multifunctional hub, you usually acquire more things. When that happens, you need more space, preferably flexible solutions that can easily be adapted and reconfigured to suit the situation. Space for working and workouts, more storage, better connectivity, larger areas and more rooms…the list is long. Monitors, tablets, chargers and charging stations all take up space. As do all the bits and pieces that are part of the new hobbies we’ve adopted over the last year or so. In Scandinavia, for example, there is greater interest in outdoor activities, self-actualisation has gained importance, and the popularity of hobbies like cooking, baking and growing vegetables has soared.

Christian von Essen, futurist, podcaster and member of Elfa Insights shares his thoughts on the new, hybrid era, ways of living and demands on our homes. "I believe that in the future we’ll see increased interest and passion in spending a bit more time and energy on our homes.”

More people are restyling their homes

Jannice Wistrand, interior designer and Feng Sui consultant, has seen a sharp rise in demand for interior design help over the past year. Here she lists three main reasons for this. My clients have: 1. been able to save money that they would normally have spent on holidays. 2. had more time to reflect and plan. They now see what their home looks like during the day – putting greater demands on the designer and the room. 3. made investments and want help setting up a home office now that it’s clear that we’ll partly be working from home in the future too.

Elfa Insights 2021

Elfa Insights is Elfa’s think tank where we investigate trends, needs and challenges related to storage. We do so by conducting consumer surveys and collecting views and insights from leading experts in the fields of architecture, sustainability, fashion, interior design and future predictions. This gives us the opportunity to delve deep into our favourite subject, storage, and inspire others to bring order, structure and harmony to their home and thus create space for important everyday things.

Jannice Wistrand

Feng Shui consultant and certified interior designer. She is the founder of the consulting company Add Simplicity and her blog addsimplicity is one of the Nordic region's largest in interior design.

Christian von Essen

Writer, podcaster and future trend spotter. Runs a podcast called “Heja Framtiden” in which he takes a look at the future. Author of a book about the future of Sweden after Corona.

Emma Elwin

AD, fashion stylist and sustainability consultant. Founder of Make it last, a creative duo specialising in style and sustainability.

Christine Dalman

Elfa’s Senior PR Specialist and Storage Expert for the past 30 years.

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