“Home is more than just relationships & interior” – IKEA study suggests

IKEA research, conducted on the basis of a market analysis and visits to homes, including those of Poles, to find out what is important to them in their home life, proved that today the word “home” has gained in importance in recent years. According to the company, we understand this term as something more than just our relationships and interiors. Today we also look at it through the prism of our immediate surroundings – the community and the planet.

“Crises and human tragedies, such as the COVID pandemic and the war just outside our borders, made us open to our neighbors. In small spaces we seek solutions that allow us to live both together and separately, while having a place to work, study and create bonds. Due to the need for multi-functionality, we clearly see the separation of the productive zone and the relaxation zone in our homes, “comments Aneta Gill, IKEA External Communication Leader.

The beginning of the new year at IKEA has always been a unique occasion. For 70 years, the brand celebrated it every year with the release of another copy of the iconic Catalog. For several years, IKEA has been writing a new chapter in which the most important thing is to live at home and respond to the real needs of people. Therefore, on September 13 at Reduta Bank Polski in Warsaw, IKEA held a debate titled: “Houses of the future – relations and innovations”.

During the meeting experts discussed, amongst others how the house will change and how it is influenced by current social, economic and geopolitical changes. The panellists discussed their approach to home in the context of their own living spaces, their neighborhood and in the context of the planet. Among them was prof. Radosław Markowski – Professor of social sciences, Natalia Olszewska – Co-founder of Impronta, Specialist in the application of neurosciences in architecture, Anna Cybulska – Director of Interior Design and Interior Market Development at IKEA, Katarzyna Piwowarczyk – Marketing Director at IKEA, and Agata Czachórska – Director of Sustainable Development at IKEA.

IKEA believes that the way we live affects our well-being, and 34% of Poles in the IKEA Report “Living at Home 2021” agreed with this statement. Therefore, the brand is constantly working on functional, well-designed solutions to make the lives of many people in the world better. At the same time, it remembers about the environment and affordability, inscribing each of its products in the principles of Democratic Design. It creates products with beautiful design, functionality – those that are sustainable, of good quality and at an affordable price, because everyone should have access to good home furnishings.

“The world is constantly changing, so we have to adapt our reality, home and habits. We are looking more and more closely at how we live, wanting to do it in a more planet-friendly way. IKEA would like to facilitate making wiser and healthier choices by showing how you can easily change. IKEA wants to inspire and enable over a billion people a better everyday life within the planet’s limits by 2030. In addition, in 2030, IKEA wants to achieve climate neutrality and become a fully circular business. ” – comments Agata Czachórska, Director of Sustainable Development at IKEA.