IKEA Retail Releases Secrets to a Happy Home in Annual Report

January 10, 2024  by HFBusiness Staff in Business Strategy, Industry   

In this year’s report, IKEA has reflected on a decade of data collected from a total of more than 250,000 research participants around the world, to identify the eight essential needs for a better life at home – control, comfort, security, nurturing, belonging, enjoyment, accomplishment, and aspirations. The report finds that those who often feel their emotional needs are met are much more positive about the future.

“Now we have the formula for creating a better life at home, we want to help as many people as possible ease the big tensions that get in the way – whether it’s finding enough privacy or making more sustainable choices – and put home at the heart of living well. We’ve got the knowledge and the solutions to give everyone the opportunity to make a better life at home,” says Belén Frau, global communication manager, IKEA Retail (Ingka Group).

Other key highlights from this year’s report provide some insight into creating a happy home:

1. Pets boost at-home happiness: Half (52%) of those surveyed in this year’s 2023 report say that home is their favourite place in the world. This rises to 60% of people that have pets. Paws for thought indeed for households that didn’t adopt a furry friend in the pandemic puppy boom.
2. Dream homes equal a dream life: Almost three quarters (72%) say it’s important to have a home that helps them feel positive about the future, and sleep is the secret weapon for a better every day, with a third (33%) saying catching some much-needed Zs is essential for happier mental health. Time to start manifesting. And upgrade that mattress…
3. Tidy home, tidy mind: Two fifths (40%), say that a tidy and organized home makes them feel more content and relaxed. Luckily, IKEA has countless options for home storage units and cabinets that can stand up to anything life can throw at them.
4. Greener homes are happier homes. Sustainable living gives a boost of positivity – almost three quarters (72%) of people who think they live sustainably today also feel positive about their current life at home. By 2030, IKEA aims to inspire and enable a 1 billion people to live a better everyday life within the limits of the planet. Smart solutions include everything from IKEA’s Buy Back and resale circular services, to solar panels that can turn rooftops into power stations.
5. Love thy neighbor: Connecting with those around us is essential in creating a sense of home. A quarter (24%) of those living alone get a sense of belonging from chatting with a neighbor, which rises to 28% of those living in rural areas. It’s never too late to knock on the door and introduce yourself.
6. Contentment can be found behind closed doors. With the boom in renting, and rise of shared living spaces and multigenerational living, home isn’t always the private sanctuary that we need it to be. But privacy at home is a key for a happy home, with a third (33%) agreeing that privacy is one of the most important things for feeling content and at ease.
7. Multi-sensory spaces boost relaxation. Those polled perfect their spaces by setting the mood with music (19%), ensuring their home smells fresh (18%), and adjusting the temperate (14%) so it’s just right.

For the first time, this year’s report also looks ahead and imagines a variety of possible futures for life at home in 2030 and beyond, using foresight research to delve into how the shape of our homes and how we interact with it might change in the future.

The report imagines three different future scenarios, where distant family members join Sunday lunch in hologram form; bio-solar wallpaper uses algae to generate electricity from sunlight; and chairs are created by 3D printers using a mushroom compound. It also explores the new ways we live, looking at how community and our reliance on the land may change.

Katie McCrory, Global Leader for the IKEA Life at Home Report, adds: “Over the years, it’s become clear that the way we feel about home has a massive impact on how we feel about ourselves. Our research shows that by making positive changes to our home, we can create enormous impact in our lives and in the communities around us. A better life really does start at home!”