Last April, a new meeting of the Exploring the Blue Oceans cycle was held at the offices of ATREVIA Madrid, where we discussed new trends in the home and how it is increasingly important to turn our homes into more customised and more spaces.
The meeting, moderated by María Sánchez, account director at ATREVIA, began with a presentation by Rebecca Rico, Director of Advanced Social Listening at ATREVIA, who took the opportunity to highlight how social listening can help us find out what's on the minds of consumers. She also stressed the importance of listening and analysing what our audiences need so we can engage with them and offer them what they are demanding. "Understanding the consumer, anticipating their searches and interpreting what interests them is essential", said Rico.
The participants then transitioned to a roundtable titled "Rethinking the architecture of spaces: new trends in the home", which featured Laura Ruiz de Galarreta, Director of Communication and Institutional Relations at IKEA Spain; Eva Blanco, Global Chief Marketing Officer at the Levantina Group; and Álvaro Toledo, content creator and founder of Plan C Home.
Laura Ruiz de Galarreta noted how the way we view our homes has been transformed in recent times, due primarily to two factors: the lockdown and the current inflationary context. As a result, we are spending more time at home and doing activities that we used to do outside before, such as teleworking, leisure and exercise, among others. "The concept of home has changed significantly, since it's not just the place where we sleep or eat, it's the place we want to go to at the end of the day. We need multipurpose, tidy, pleasant spaces that reflect our personality and values such as sustainability, that bring about well-being and enjoyment", said Ruiz de Galarreta.
She added that “at IKEA, we try to respond to these new trends with sustainable options at affordable prices, with furniture with a high display capacity that allows us to showcase our memories and identity, while also offering storage and organisation solutions, so the house can turn into that versatile space that we need".
Álvaro Toledo, who creates his own content on social media by showing step by step the upgrades he makes in his home, as well as the design and decoration process of spaces, said that "what people like to see most is how spaces are transformed". In line with what Ruiz de Galarreta said about making homes unique and personalised, Álvaro noted that "the most important thing when designing rooms, the essential thing is that they reflect who you are and your tastes, while also providing for your needs". For Toledo, the most important thing is "not setting limits", and he explained that it's important to know that "your home is your space, your castle, and you can do with it what you want". The content creator also discussed how shifting towards increasingly sustainable practices is essential and, to this end, he identified the purchase of second-hand furniture and articles as the main trend that will be with us in coming months: "Young people seek sustainability and good prices".
Eva Blanco, during her speech, stressed the importance of advanced listening as an essential tool for the durability of companies; this also allows them to adapt to new trends and demands, of both consumers and society as a whole, and to become increasingly responsible towards people and the environment. "Listening constantly, without turning our backs to reality, is no longer an option, but an obligation", she noted. From the point of view of innovation, Blanco indicated that "today, spaces need to be beautiful, but also functional and sustainable, because these days, not being sustainable is more expensive than being sustainable", she concluded.