When the recession first began to bite last year it was as if people thought the world was about to stop. They were caught like rabbits in the headlights of the abyss. As it has turned out the world did not stop turning, the stars did not go out, and not everyone went out of business. Instead, since then there have been subtle shifts and changes, more emotional than physical, whose waves have resonated and rippled through all areas of our lives, including that of design. Affecting consumers, manufacturers and designers.
Until this moment the phenomenal popularity of makeover shows and the focus on celebrity lifestyles managed to produce an anxiety in people who thought their existence would be validated if they bought the right "stuff". Magazines encouraged people to "get the look for less", and this all fed in to people's insecurity. They hoovered up anything that glittered, and the trend became that people were happy to pay £500 for a "classic design" copy which had no intrinsic value, rather than spend £1,000 on an original which might actually be worth £1,000. Manufacturers were ready to feed this appetite by rushing to China and the Far East where they could churn out the numbers and maximise their margins, without a thought for the more emotional/cerebral part of the consumer experience. It was money for old rope, leaving the consumers with possessions that were often of no real value - without any originality, or integrity in either design or manufacturing.
But since the new dawn of the recession we have started to enter an era of what one might call "considered consumption". One where people are not rushing out to buy the latest this or that because they have read about it or because someone else has got it. They are looking inwardly and discovering the confidence to buy what they want for themselves, and to live the life that they want to live rather than the life they should live. This is evidenced by the new trend for kitchen designs, and a realisation that people actually want to live in their kitchens. We are starting to see a move away from the architect designed spaces look like science laboratories (or mortuaries?) to kitchens that are spaces to live in - somewhere that is the heart of the home - with warmth and comfort, a place to spend time, rather than money.
They are trying to find things for their home that are of real value and have real integrity. They do not want to be smothered by the spreading wings of global companies - they want to get in touch with the story behind the products and the narrative of the brands they are investing in. It is as much an emotional investment as much as a financial one, and consumers are looking for something new, some less tangible value than pounds shillings and pence, their desires are for items of beauty and intrigue, pieces made with love, passion and care. Purchasing for the home has gone beyond being a purely commercial transaction.
And the idea of "Buying British" (or UK) is suddenly something that is chiming with the spirit of the times. Consumers are feeling they can "do their bit" for the wider economy by investing in local. "Made in England" has not had so much marketing clout (in England) since 1974.
A definite trend we noticed early on in the recession was not an increase in sales of our less expensive pieces, but more an increase in sales of bespoke pieces or a rise in people asking for modifications on existing pieces, special finishes, and different materials.
With the growing consumer self confidence, designers are going to have to come up with more exuberant, more colourful, less conservative offerings. Consumer confidence in their own judgement is making them more discerning, and therefore more demanding. Designers and manufacturers will have to keep up and interior designers will have to watch out.
Until this moment the phenomenal popularity of makeover shows and the focus on celebrity lifestyles managed to produce an anxiety in people who thought their existence would be validated if they bought the right "stuff". Magazines encouraged people to "get the look for less", and this all fed in to people's insecurity. They hoovered up anything that glittered, and the trend became that people were happy to pay £500 for a "classic design" copy which had no intrinsic value, rather than spend £1,000 on an original which might actually be worth £1,000. Manufacturers were ready to feed this appetite by rushing to China and the Far East where they could churn out the numbers and maximise their margins, without a thought for the more emotional/cerebral part of the consumer experience. It was money for old rope, leaving the consumers with possessions that were often of no real value - without any originality, or integrity in either design or manufacturing.
But since the new dawn of the recession we have started to enter an era of what one might call "considered consumption". One where people are not rushing out to buy the latest this or that because they have read about it or because someone else has got it. They are looking inwardly and discovering the confidence to buy what they want for themselves, and to live the life that they want to live rather than the life they should live. This is evidenced by the new trend for kitchen designs, and a realisation that people actually want to live in their kitchens. We are starting to see a move away from the architect designed spaces look like science laboratories (or mortuaries?) to kitchens that are spaces to live in - somewhere that is the heart of the home - with warmth and comfort, a place to spend time, rather than money.
They are trying to find things for their home that are of real value and have real integrity. They do not want to be smothered by the spreading wings of global companies - they want to get in touch with the story behind the products and the narrative of the brands they are investing in. It is as much an emotional investment as much as a financial one, and consumers are looking for something new, some less tangible value than pounds shillings and pence, their desires are for items of beauty and intrigue, pieces made with love, passion and care. Purchasing for the home has gone beyond being a purely commercial transaction.
And the idea of "Buying British" (or UK) is suddenly something that is chiming with the spirit of the times. Consumers are feeling they can "do their bit" for the wider economy by investing in local. "Made in England" has not had so much marketing clout (in England) since 1974.
A definite trend we noticed early on in the recession was not an increase in sales of our less expensive pieces, but more an increase in sales of bespoke pieces or a rise in people asking for modifications on existing pieces, special finishes, and different materials.
With the growing consumer self confidence, designers are going to have to come up with more exuberant, more colourful, less conservative offerings. Consumer confidence in their own judgement is making them more discerning, and therefore more demanding. Designers and manufacturers will have to keep up and interior designers will have to watch out.
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michal_Kanon
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