Vital Statistics

10 December, 2009

All too often, when a magazine or newspaper reports on a lifestyle survey, it is apparent which company is behind the research. In September, for example, Dresdner- Cetelem Kreditbank published its European Consumption Barometer 2009, revealing that German households spend the most in Europe on furnishing (an average of €680 per household in 2008),while Britons came second (€663). Surprisingly, the design-savvy Italians trailed behind, spending only €559 per household. Germany is also Europe’s largest submarket for the furniture industry with an estimated market volume of €27bn in 2008.All this is hardly surprising, given that the Dresdner-Cetelem Kreditbank survey was commissioned by IMM Cologne, Germany’s top international furniture fair.

So designers may be excused for being a little circumspect when reading surveys on interior and design trends undertaken by companies and industry bodies. In Britain, we have no independent research consultancies that compare with the French organisation VIA or Makno Consulting of Milan, although some industry bodies such as the BMA (Bathroom Manufacturers Association) carry out credible objective research.

But when an academic institution is commissioned by an industry partner, is it similarly leaned upon to come up with the findings the partner desires? Rama Gheerawo is a research fellow and leader of the research associates programme at the Royal College of Art’s Helen Hamlyn Centre, which carried out the Indulgent Bathing: Beauty and Ageing in the Bathroom research for Ideal Standard (see box on page 51). He says Ideal Standard had ‘very little control’ over the outcome.

‘The brief was for a vision of the future of the bathroom, not tainted by the deadlines and the restrictions of the commercial development project,’ he explains. ‘They wanted research that looked at the aspirations of older people — not simply safety and nonslip issues. We’d seen a report that showed the over-55s have up to four times more disposable income than the under-35s to spend on such things as upgrading their bathrooms.

‘The commercial relevance of this project was that it was qualitative rather than market research, that is, it was not about what people were prepared to spend but about the “triggers” for luxury. How did older people think it was relevant to them, what were the benefits, was a little luxury appropriate during the recession and what counted as everyday luxury? What emerged very strongly was that the bathroom is seen as a living space — it’s the only place where you can be honest about your body, your weight and your appearance.’

Gheerawo continues: ‘There are two very interesting sides to the research work we do with commercial companies. First is the energy that can result from an academic/corporate collaboration and the value that the collaboration brings to the company. Second, all our research with this age group has revealed new attitudes: its members don’t aspire to something different from younger people. They don’t want to be singled out but to be part of the mainstream market. The over-50s have shown they have the money and inclination to change things and embrace modern design.’

Unlike the Ideal Standard project, Space in New Homes: What Residents Think (see box on page 52) had no commercial sponsor and could be truly objective. ‘We wanted to get away from the idea of luxury and focus on basic functions and how a living space works to understand what people need in terms of storage, cooking facilities and so on,’ says Tom Bolton, joint head of research and futures at CABE (the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment).

‘Changes in our lifestyles and what we own mean that people need more space for entertaining, storage and technology. And we found that 72 per cent of people don’t have enough space for three small recycling bins in their kitchens. The main message of the research was the disproportionate degree to which lack of space affected lower-income households — 72 per cent said they had insufficient space.

‘Another key finding was that local council planning authorities have policies on minimum room standards but don’t apply them or, in some cases, don’t know about them. London councils take this more seriously than provincial councils, though. The UK’s room-size standards are lower than those anywhere else in Europe. Good design includes sufficient room space and councils should pay heed to this.’

The Indulgent Bathing project ran for three years and the steering group met every three months. ‘In the first year, we explored the design concepts that Ideal Standard wanted, such as soft, sculptured surfaces,’ says Gheerawo. ‘Ideal Standard took a year to digest that. Then we went back to the 11 participants to speak to them again and, at the end of the second year, the first prototype sculptural basin was launched at 100% Design.

‘In the third year, we developed the design, incorporating three mirrors, appropriate lighting, seating and storage. It takes one to two years from specification to manufacture and getting a range to market.’

To many people, this might sound like a very long time scale for such an innovative, design-led research project. Gheerawo thinks not. ‘I would turn that around and say: “Why is commercial research so short?” We work with 75 companies including Ideal Standard. They come to us because commercial life is driven by time — there’s no time to go into detail. We didn’t ask 500 people five quick questions in a vox pop; we spoke to 11 individuals and went deep, challenging their beliefs. Our interviewees contradicted each other but this is that kind of questioning that gets you the truth, what they really think. And that takes time.’

Another good reason for the corporate world to commission academic research, Gheerawo thinks, is that ‘it changes the company — the way it conducts and uses design. That was one thing the design director of Ideal Standard was really looking for — it employs a lot of designers and is a very design-savvy company. It is looking for ways to add value and we are one of those ways.’

What research should be planned for in the field of interior design and housing? Bolton believes there is ‘a clear remit for work to be done to examine how much space people need and what is being built. Information on that is not actually available,’ he says.

‘Currently, people don’t have much choice. Until recently, when the property market collapsed, builders could pretty much put up what they liked. That may change because it’s not so easy to sell all the one- and two bedroom flats that were built during the boom. It’s now pretty clear that a lot of small units were built that were not needed. Developers have to listen to consumers. They have said they won’t provide more space because people can’t afford it. But you’ve got to give customers what they want. And I think what is needed is a more detailed survey into the use of technology. This would match what people would like and how they use the space in their homes with what is feasible.’

Designer Peter Christian recently joined Kingston University to help develop enterprise and research links with business. He thinks a range of issues should be investigated, such as what is being spent on homes and particular rooms, the frequency of redecoration and trends (are dining rooms dying out, is there a preference for the kitchen to be integrated into the living room as one large open-plan entertaining/living space and are kitchens and bathrooms becoming larger or smaller?). He says researchers should examine how residents use the space in their homes, how increasing life expectancy and obesity are affecting furniture design and how the rise in the number of single-person households affects trends in interiors.

‘For example, we now live in our kitchens more and we don’t tend to sit in our living rooms,’ says Christian. ‘Food is becoming more important to us so this has changed the layout of our homes. A friend of my son’s has a kitchen with three sofas, a sound system, PC and a TV because they live in that room. The kitchen used to be the woman’s domain but now it’s the family room. TV cookery shows are changing our attitudes and we are reconfiguring our living spaces.’

He believes that commercial research is needed to stay ahead of the competition. ‘Any company developing products needs very current research because anything done on attitudes and aspirations will date quickly,’ says Christian. ‘The difference between commercial and academic research is that university research is normally funded by a government agency, such as the Arts and Humanities Research Council. You have to bid for the funding, wait a year for the result and take two to three years to carry out and write up the research, so the project can take four years from start to finish. The commercial world just can’t work like that. Kingston University has some research partnerships with industry — for example, with British Furniture Manufacturers — but industry should be come to us more.

‘My aim is to involve industry, to encourage them to come to us and try us out. Some PhDs have been done at Kingston in collaboration with external partners, so it can be done. We also have a team that places graduates in companies through the Knowledge Transfer Partnership scheme. We just need businesses to tell us what relevant research they need.’

Fair Shares
Research commissioned by IMM Cologne revealed that, among Europeans, Germans spend the most on home furnishings

New Standards
The Helen Hamlyn Research Centre’s research helped Ideal Standard create a bathroom range that caters to the needs of the over-50s

Watching Trends
Peter Christian from Kingston University wants to investigate the way that people use the rooms in their homes, for example, the way that kitchens are taking over from living rooms as the hub of the home