For all of the change that’s going on in the world around us, at least one thing remains fairly confident: we’d all like our interiors to look as nice as possible. In fact, given that we’re all spending a great deal more of our time indoors, home improvement has become more pressing than ever!

We can glean a fairly clear image of these trends thanks to surveys conducted by two organisations. Rated People is an organisation which unites homeowners with the tradespeople they need to get work done, while Barbour ABI provides data for the construction industry.

So what does the research reveal?

Open-plan may be on the way out

According to the Rated People survey, there’s been a marked uptick in the number of jobs involving the creation of dividing walls. 350% more jobs were sought in 2020, compared with the same period the previous year. It could be that we’re finally learning to appreciate the benefits of partitioning space, and putting the dirty dishes out of sight and mind.

Renovation

Millennials are more than twice as likely than the average homebuyer to want to put their own personal stamp on their property. As such, there’s been a trend toward home improvement conducted on behalf of the people who’ll actually be living in the home. This might be a consequence of the difficulty of actually getting on the ladder: over the past two decades, the length of time it takes to buy the first home has increased by eight years. This is reflected by buying habits, with more young homeowners investing in power tools from high-quality brands like SGS engineering.

Environmental Concerns

Homeowners are more aware than ever of the impact of their lifestyle decisions on the natural environment. As such, steps that can be taken to improve a home’s energy efficiency and reduce its carbon emissions aren’t just being taken for financial reasons, but for ethical ones.

Security

The technology is now available for affordable cctv in the home, and at minimal cost, thanks to wireless broadcasting and encrypted cloud storage. Fire alarm and CCTV population have seen an uptick of 178% and 134%, respectively, according to the Rated People survey.

Hard Times Ahead

While most of the findings concern trends that are already midway through unfolding, but the more significant one could have more to do with events that are yet to come. According to the chancellor, the lockdown measures will be followed by a recession ‘the likes of which we have not seen’. The Barbour research demonstrates how closely interest in home improvement ties with broader economic trends – and should give us reason to suspect that the home-improvement industry is in for a rocky period.