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Viewpoint #17
House: Community, living and the art of the 21st-century home
Despite competition from the workplace, the gym, globalisation and increased travel, home is still where the heart is. But it’s changed in the past half-century. Having debunked community as anachronistic, prejudiced and gossip-ridden, we’re now busy rebuilding the concept and ready to pay to fight off anonymous, white-box retailers and keep local suppliers in business. We might think global, but we certainly live local, using the internet to stay in touch with family and build or strengthen community infrastructures.
The whole issue of home and community is just beginning. As we tire of rootless lives and the minority rebellion against the mass-produced and manipulated continues to gather pace, the demand for products and brands rooted geographically or out of a very local reality will grow.
The demand for furniture and furnishings will continue to escalate, as more mass-market customers seek to trade up and the singleton market continues to have an impact on homes and housing. Above all, there’s a whole world waiting to latch onto better home surroundings’ - the fledgling desire economies of India and China are waiting in the wings.