Lilliput chic! Why our furniture is shrinking
As newly-built homes get smaller, so do beds and sofas
SALES of 4ft-wide double beds, shrunken ‘snuggler’ sofas and skinny tallboy storage units are soaring because newly-built homes are getting smaller.
As well as buying mini-furniture, owners now want quieter household appliances to keep the noise down in their small, open-plan properties.
The trend has been highlighted by John Lewis in its annual How We Shop, Live And Look report, which tracks everything from furnishings and fashion to home technology and beauty. It THE tablecloth is becoming obsolete, with John Lewis listing it among the products customers stopped buying in 2016.
With most modern homes not having a dining room, and many families now eating in the kitchen, there is no place for it.
At the same time, restaurants have done away with pressed heavy white tablecloths.
Christa Quarles, of booking website OpenTable, said: ‘There has been a shift away from formalities like tablecloths and waiters wearing white gloves, which some now view as a bit stuffy.’ highlights how power dressers such as Theresa May and Kim Kardashian’s model sister Kendall Jenner set fashion trends.
The research identifies the products which joined the list of ‘must haves’ – along with those that are been dumped.
The store’s research found that the old ‘box room’, once used to store junk and household papers, is now considered crucial living space.
John Lewis said: ‘Today, Britain’s homes are the smallest in Europe, with the average new UK home only 92 per cent of the recommended size.
‘As homes get smaller and space gets tighter, UK shoppers began investing in multi-purpose storage, compact furniture and practical features.
‘We have seen a 53 per cent increase in 4ft-wide beds and a 12 per cent increase in “snugglers” – miniature two-man sofas.’
It said bulky furniture is a no-no in small houses with the result that its 4ft-wide Daisy Bed Frame is a best seller, along with the minimalist Airframe White Desk and Croft Collection Blakeney Bathroom Tallboy. The department store’s collection of small sofas includes a ‘Design Project by John Lewis’ leather snuggler at a not-so-small £1,799. It will also sell a hallway mirror that doubles as a coat rack.
The firm said the fact homes are small and open plan means sales of appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines that carry the Noise Abatement Society’s ‘Quiet Mark’ are up by 10 per cent. Products which bear the mark include dishwashers from John Lewis itself, along with LG, AEG and Panasonic, fans from Dyson, a kettle from Dualit, and even a quiet toilet system from Grohe.
The lack of space in modern homes means the occupants are constantly looking to declutter. Products that have fallen out of favour include CD and DVD storage racks, selfie sticks, big hats, alarm clocks, and bulky laptops with disc drives.
Anna Barry, one of John Lewis’s head buyers, said: ‘Customers are looking to adapt to a smaller home without compromising on the quality of the things that surround them. Space-saving furniture, smaller versions of household items, and products that serve dual purposes have become firm favourites. We’ve seen a particular interest in clever storage solutions as our customers look for creative ways to keep clutter at bay.
‘Customers can build a modular sofa with built-in storage solutions as part of our House collection, or purchase a bathroom mirror that doubles as a storage unit for £35.’