A New Age of Nesting During Covid

鈥淭he Age of Nesting鈥, a new report released today by Beko, Europe鈥檚 leading home appliance brand, in collaboration with The Future Laboratory, explores the long-term impact of Covid-19 on the home. Pre-pandemic, we existed in an era of Hyper Visibility, where presenteeism, non-stop scrolling and a focus on the 鈥榚xperience economy鈥 dominated our attention and our eyelines. The report found:

  • Months of 24/7 occupation have fundamentally transformed the role of the home
  • Consumers鈥 collective concerns about hygiene, wellbeing and immunity will continue to influence how we live
  • Homes will adapt to become ‘blended spaces鈥, able to fluidly facilitate different kinds of work, rest, recuperation and play

Under lockdown our attention turned inwards. The home became a workspace, school, gym, restaurant, hospital and even holiday home; forcing people to undertake all areas of their once external lives within the home space. The report forecasts that this shift towards a more local, internally focused mindset is set to remain, heralding a new聽Age of Nesting.

A shift to homeworking, a boom in at home entertainment and domestic wellness are just three emergent trends that have been realised overnight; and by 2030, the Age of Nesting will be in full flow. The legacy of lockdown, combined with new behavioural shifts, will have fundamentally transformed where we live, how we live, and the homes we live in:

Urban Revolution 鈥 An increased focus on health, hygiene and recuperative living will lead to an urban exodus that will reboot the suburbs, exurbs and rural areas, while providing cities with an opportunity to become more human-centric. Young people who were previously drawn to cities are finding that high rents, relatively low salaries and the impact of city life is having a detrimental effect on health, leading to Millennial and Generation Z Nesters looking to rural and city-adjacent areas for better physical and emotional wellbeing.

Multi-Modal Properties 鈥 The home will adapt to become a 鈥榖lended space鈥, able to fluidly facilitate different kinds of work, rest, recuperation and play. Whether in re-imagined mega-cities or urban hubs, Generation Nesters鈥 reliance on the home will lead to space utilisation and functionality placed at the top of the agenda

Pandemic-Proof Living 鈥 Consumers鈥 collective concerns about hygiene, wellbeing and immunity will persist and shape the younger generation, with the home of the future viewed as a pandemic-proof space and hyper-hygienic, super-sustainable innovations coming to the fore. Home innovations are being designed to reduce exposure to viruses and pollutants and to maximise personal hygiene. Just like the vanity room, a place to wash your hands when entering the home which developed in the wake of the Spanish flu, houses will have entrances where decontamination can take place as you move from the outside world to your inner sanctuary

Hakan Bulgurlu, CEO of Ar莽elik, Beko鈥檚 parent company, said:聽鈥淭he聽past nine months have changed our lives聽forever, and businesses and governments have an important role to play to help us adapt to this new world order.聽The home in particular will undergo a radical shift, as we rethink where and how we live and look for solutions that reflect increasing concerns over hygiene, sustainability and wellness. This report outlines the trends we can expect to see over the next ten years, and some of the innovations that will help us tackle today鈥檚 biggest problems.鈥

Chris Sanderson, co-founder of The Future Laboratory said:聽鈥淣ow, more than ever, brands and organisations must be prepared for a future in which they help humankind to feel secure, supported and inspired. If businesses aren鈥檛 prepared for this, in many ways they deserve to become the casualties of a new paradigm shift in how we broker the way we live, work and play.鈥