2022 Home and Family Trends: A Year in Review

Available when you register for free membership to our Basics subscription, our 2022 Home and Family Trends report, reflects on twelve of the most important catalysts of this year, exploring what this means for the future of home, celebration and family life.

The ripple effects of these behaviours and events are set to shape a number of trends over the coming years. Here we show a short extract from the full 2022 Home and Family Trends report, outlining 3 important themes.

2022: The Year of the ‘Permacrisis’

From rising financial insecurity, and the invasion of Ukraine to mass protests, civil unrest and political instability, 2022 has rightly earned its title of the year of the ‘permacrisis.’ Add to this ongoing climate change and environmental degradation, it has once again been a year of major disruption, challenge and change.
But amidst the extended period of instability and insecurity, also came a more hopeful outlook. A return to celebration brought a record year for reconnection, the Inclusive Revolution continued to build momentum and a new era of resistance empowered burnout individuals to reassess their priorities and regain balance.

Changing Household Dynamics

The cost of living crisis is shifting the way we think about home. An uncertain financial landscape and rising inflation have seen 70% of first-time buyers delay buying a house, while a heightened demand and rocketing prices also saw renters struggle to move homes.
These hard-to-navigate realities have led to householders re-evaluating their living situations. Young people have already begun to opt to live with parents or guardians for longer, grandparents moved in, and this year also saw a sharp rise in householders taking in lodgers and tenants to help cover rising bills. SpareRoom said July 2022 was the highest month on record for new people signing up to look for a room on its website.

A Need For Escapism

With burnout and anxiety at an all-time high, this year saw people revolt against the cult of busy. With an uncertain political landscape, financial pressures, and a struggle to navigate a healthy work-life balance, people searched for new ways to escape and find calm. First forecast in our 2022 Future of Celebration forecast, finding time for introspection, facilitating focus, and being in tune with your mind, body and soul became the ultimate priority. This year, technology used to aid wellness and escapism began to build momentum. Doctors prescribed video games to soothe anxiety or ADHD, while restorative gadgets designed to support mental wellbeing emerged.

The Rise of Rental

As consumers looked for more sustainable, ethical and cost-effective ways to shop, models such as product rentals, resale and subscription services became an increasingly popular solution. Having made their mark in the fashion industry, these services began to make their mark in the home and interiors and baby and kids markets, offering rental options for toys, household appliances and furniture.
In 2022, Vinted overtook Ebay as the number one second-hand marketplace in the EU and the UK, TULU raised $20M to offer home product rentals to apartment dwellers and toy rental startup Tiny Earth announced growth trajectory plans.

Get to know your future consumer

During a time of mass disruption, never before has it been more essential to understand the underlying motivations of the future consumer. If you are a designer working up to 2 years ahead or a brand marketer working on your annual communications strategy, our trend platform ‘My TrendBible’ offers exclusive insight into the shifts in householder and changing family dynamics with design translation and messaging applications. Our 2022 home and family trends report is available when you register for our free Basics membership.