A guide to building the perfect self-isolation home space

With an emphasis on wellbeing and mental health during isolation amid the outbreak of COVID-19, it’s crucial retailers stocking homewares take this time to inspire consumers to create a safe space where they can be productive for work as well as enjoy their downtime.

We unlock the key messages retailers are communicating to refresh home and workspaces, creating a positive environment during this time of uncertainty.

Reach out to a EDITED Retail Expert to get real-time insight into the homeware market and the most commercially viable homeware trends.

Balancing social & privacy

As countless people worldwide are confined to their homes, creating a safe and comfortable atmosphere to live and work has become even more essential. These spaces are now acting as offices and schools, as well as the venue of everyone’s relaxation and entertainment for the foreseeable future.

Consumers will be looking to maintain a balance between social connection and ‘me time’. There will be a greater need for privacy, which can be especially hard to achieve for those with families or apartment sharing.

According to an IKEA study, 76% of people globally agree that privacy is important to wellbeing and beneficial for relaxation, recovery, focus and play. Look to Urban Outfitters Home, which has taken to Instagram to inspire creating privacy in a small space with bed canopies and room dividers.

Home offices, schools & nurseries

In addition to comfy clothing to work-from-home in, there has been an influx of communications surrounding home office setups. Recently, Anthropologie sent a ‘staycation meets getaway’ email, which included a ‘desk to destination’ section inspiring escapism in the home with bold colors and exotic prints.

Outside of office productivity, use this time to communicate innovative space solutions for families without access to school or childcare for their kids. IKEA Instagrammed tips on finding room to study in a busy home, perfect to help motivate the teen demographic. For younger kids, The Tot has merchandised products such as arts and crafts, backyard adventure explorer kits and an indoor swing alongside an article listing ’10 Activities to Keep Your Kids Sane While Social Distancing’.

Kitchen & dining upgrades

To encourage consumers to stick to a daily routine, homeware retailers have been communicating kitchen and dining inspiration with a focus on family and ‘coming together’, as well as creating a similar experience to their favorite cafe, restaurants or bars.

Cooking and baking continues to crop up on lists of activities to alleviate stress. Look to include recipes and meal prep tips within your kitchen messaging.

Sleep wellness

It’s essential to communicate rest and relaxation, particularly with the stress and uncertainty your consumers are feeling during this time. Weighted blankets, cozy throws and fresh linen have emerged as key products in retailers messaging, tying in with the overall theme of making your bedroom a sanctuary.

Declutter & tidying inspo

The success of Tidying Up With Marie Kondo doesn’t look to be dying down anytime soon. Consumers will look at decluttering methods to tackle jobs they are usually too busy to do. Suggest storage solutions, keeping smaller spaces in mind, as well as weave in tidying up tips with WFH communications to assist consumers with building a productive workspace.

Some recent examples include Urban Outfitters Home email, which was divided by furniture products to ‘clear spaces’, ‘get tidy’, ‘arrange your stuff’ and ‘relax’. H&M got its community involved by celebrating National Organize Your Home Office Day, engaging with Instagram followers to share results of their decluttered spaces.

Virtual services

Utilizing digital services is a great way to keep consumers connected and open channels of communication and support. Design Within Reach offers live video, text and chat for complementary design services, home renderings and space planning. The Home Edit is providing its virtual DIY service at a discounted rate to help consumers stuck at home with organization.

Home refresh

On the eve of a new season, H&M, Fashion World and M&Co are among the retailers communicating the message of a home refresh. After temporarily closing its stores on March 23rd, John Lewis sent out a homewares email including a shopping edit linked to the overarching theme of ’10 ways to rediscover life’s simple pleasures at home.’ With the current events, this is a timely way to promote an aura of newness and rejuvenate consumers’ spaces.

As we all continue to persevere through this time together, you can stay up-to-date on the latest industry trends and analysis by signing up to our weekly Insider Briefing.