Living Room Dying Trend

Brandweek, Jan 24, 2000

Is the living room on its last handcrafted, tapered mahogany leg? This and other recent home and furniture trends from Young & Rubicam's Brand Futures Group, NewYork.

Going, going, gone: The traditional American living room is going the way of the parlor and the pantry a casualty of new styles of living. What's replacing it is a less formal space that accommodates daily activities rather than occasional events: a media room, library home office, exercise room or private dwelling for live-in parents. Living rooms are also blending into other areas of the home, as homeowners knock down walls to create more open, flowing spaces. Even though the size of the average single-family home increased from 1645 square feet in 1975 to 2,190 square feet in 1998, builders report that people are allocating room space differently. To gain square footage for walk-in closets, large bedroom suites, huge bathrooms and spacious kitchens with food-preparation islands and big breakfast nooks, many are willing to sacrifice the once-sacred living room.

* Comfy chairs: The stress of modern life and the pressure to do more with less are leaving people with little tolerance for anything uncomfortable, whether in fashion or furnishings. There's a growing craving for comfort, and furniture sales are reflecting it as much as fashion choices. Just as feel-good fabrics are flying off the racks in the clothing department, people are buying furniture covered in sensuous leathers, cottons and silks. They're also passing up formal, straight-backed shapes for overstuffed, melt-into-the-pillow options.

* Hammer & sickle & electric screwdriver: lkea is gearing up to enter the Russian market with two $40 million stores. The first store will become the centerpiece of a $100 million mall set to open in northern Moscow next March; the second will be built in the city's southern section. The world's largest retailer of home furnishings spent months convincing the government to reduce the high customs duties that would have made its simple, self-assembly furniture an option only for Russia's wealthy elite. The Swedish firm is looking to make its name in the country of 150 million by appealing to average Russians. It plans to increase its purchases of Russian furniture, which it has bought since 1997, and is also contemplating investing in local factories and building some of its own.

* Home, heat, home: For the most part, U.S. homeowners like where they live. Nearly 90% of those questioned for the Honeywell Home Survey agreed that their home reflects their personality, and three out of four said they plan to remain in their current home for at least the next five years. But that's boring news--for those of you drawn to the seedy underbelly here are the dissatisfactions lurking below their pristine, polished surfaces: 1) Inconsistent temperature (between rooms, levels or time of day); 2) Dust, pet hair and allergens; 3) High utility bills; 4) Dry air; 5) Window condensation; 6) Odors; 7) Outdated kitchen; 8) House not secure from break-ins; 9) Stuffy rooms/inefficient floor plan (tie).