House that?

BENGALURU: Home is no more where one goes back after a tired day at work. Thanks to the Covid-19 outbreak, it is now a multi-functional space, where office work, house chores and hobbies are all managed in one place. With many facing space constraints and with all family members staying together, the home decor and furnishing sector has seen an even greater demand for multi-functional designs.

According to Hussaine Kesury, chief category officer, Pepperfry, as businesses and individuals continue to adjust to the new normal, the home-office furniture category has witnessed increased demand both during the lockdown and post it being eased. “Demand for study tables and ergonomic office chairs grew by 185 per cent and 175 per cent, respectively, in June, in comparison to pre-Covid times,” he says. Post lockdown, the most popular categories – study tables and office chairs, and bean-bags – used to contribute to only 18 per cent of the quantity sold in the pre-pandemic period.

“Currently they account for almost 40 per cent of the quantity sold,” Kesury says.  As people are trying their hand at cooking like never before, Srikanth Iyer, CEO and co-founder, HomeLane.com, sees that the spend on modular kitchens has increased by 30 per cent. Agrees Shezan Bhojani, CEO and co-founder, Design Cafe, who adds that modular kitchens (given its space-saving attribute, ease of installation and minimal contact during delivery); yoga and fitness corners; and hobby spaces are seeing an increased demand. “Safety is an aspect that people are highly critical of, which has given more importance to factory finished or modular designs where carpentry is done beforehand and only final units are assembled at site,” Bhojani says. 

In the last few months, Bhojani explains that working professionals have understood the importance of having an indoor office that doubles as a guest bedroom or a living room that can be turned into a small office. “WFH has put pressure on future homes to deliver a space to conduct both personal and professional interactions,” he says, adding that they have witnessed a 35-45 per cent increase in demand for such designs and furniture compared to last year. “Customers were adopting multi-functional designs earlier too, but with office footprint expected to reduce by almost 33 per cent after the pandemic, there will be a further rise in the demand for such items,” he says.  

While WFH as a category did not exist last year, the increase in spending on kitchens and other storage and appliances has increased by about 30 per cent when compared to last year per household. “Impulse purchases have dropped  during the pandemic, which means more money for home improvement. Earlier more than 90 per cent of our customers would prefer to meet the designer face to face to discuss and finalise the design. But now, more than 90 per cent would prefer meeting the designer virtually and finalise orders.

The same is true even with installation – they prefer companies which offer quick installation with minimal contact,” says Iyer, who expecting a baby boom in January 2021, is offering lots of furniture for infants and kids in the next few months.  Blogger Babita Pandey, who will move into a new home shortly, has been working on a study-cum-library, and one that will also double as an extra bedroom. “With work from home having become the new normal, we have to plan houses around that. That is going to be the future,” she says.