Suzann Bozorgi discusses the furniture pack and buyers’ increasing interest in interior design.
Furniture packs are a great industry-wide incentive, spanning both ends of the sector in very different ways. At the first time buyer end of the market, they are ideal for those who are moving into their first home – perhaps from their parents’, or rental accommodation without any furniture at all – and who have often invested the majority of their cash into their new home, and the associated fees that come alongside it. At the very top end of the market are those looking for the perfect luxury home, which often includes the ‘interior designed’ look. The Telegraph reports that this is often why showhomes are often the first units to be reserved – a turnkey solution is a popular one for time poor purchasers.
In our experience, furniture ‘packs’ are generally a tick box of essential, big ticket items – a sofa, bed, dining table and chairs, coffee/bedside tables, wardrobes and perhaps an armchair, and generally, buyers are offered a range of colours in one particular style. In some cases, they may be able to choose cabinet handles or styles of bedheads, but for the most part they are classic designs that aim to appeal to the majority of people.
While this is something that will continue to work on the most basic level, it certainly won’t appeal to all. The design industry is something that is changing daily – now, more than ever, people have unlimited access to the world of interior design through the likes of Pinterest and Instagram, and if they aren’t developing their ‘personal’ style, they are aware of what they do and do not like. A staggering 85% of Pinterest users use their account when starting a new project, and 84% use the platform to decide what to buy. At the time of writing this, the #HomeInspo hashtag on Instagram has 4.7m posts, with new images from around the world appearing every few seconds. Customers are becoming more and more style savvy, and other industries are taking note. Sketch London, a restaurant in Mayfair, is as popular for its decor as it is for its food and drink. The bathrooms in nearby Annabel’s private member’s club have had almost as much press as the reopening of the club itself. Retailers are also cashing in – fashion stores such as Zara and H&M are now almost as popular for their homeware lines as they are for their clothes, and are continually developing product lines that are as ‘Instagrammable’ as they are functional, to appeal to the tech savvy, design savvy consumers.
There is a case for the ‘voucher pack’ – whereby a buyer is offered a sum of money in voucher form, for a leading department store. While this may delight some purchasers, from running an online interior design service, the biggest wall we find our consumer clients come up against – and one of the main reasons they consider hiring an interior designer in the first place – is the ability to bring a scheme together. They don’t have a ‘designer’s eye’.
So while they can pick and choose certain items they like, or save images of other peoples’ homes as inspiration, combining and creating that space in their own home proves a lot more difficult. The need for lifestyle-driven solutions that are quick, affordable and above all, personal, is huge. We need to be harnessing the interest buyers have in interior design, speaking to them about their likes, dislikes and overall style, and transforming it into a scheme that is going to work for them, their families and their everyday lives – in a quick, affordable and hassle free way.
It’s time a ‘furniture pack’ overhaul – and RoomLab are ready to lead the way!
Suzann Bozorgi, CEO & Founder of RoomLab, has over 10 years of experience in the interior design industry. She began RoomLab in 2017, initially working directly with consumers, before launching the RoomLab Pro sector this year. Along with creating bespoke furniture packages for housebuilder clients, RoomLab also offers a showhouse design service, delivering professional advice and exceptional creativity from trained industry experts for a fraction of the cost of a traditional interior designer.
Suzann Bozorgi, CEO & Founder, Roomlab
