A quarter of people feel that homeware trends are changing at an increasingly fast pace, with 62% admitting to throwing away items in good enough condition to donate to charity
The trend of ‘fast homeware’ has resulted in one in six people revamping their home decor annually, leading to millions of usable items being dumped in landfill. Research involving 2,000 adults disclosed that 62% have discarded homeware in a condition good enough to be donated to charity.
A quarter (26%) also feel that homeware trends are changing at an increasingly rapid pace. Over half (57%) regularly purchase new items with the main reasons being to keep styling fresh (38%), for a mood boost (23%) and trend driven purchases (13%).
Despite the rise in buying frequency, four in 10 adults surveyed in the British Heart Foundation poll, don’t consider the environmental impact when purchasing new homeware products. The study was conducted to promote ‘slow-ware’ – buying pre-loved homeware – before buying new and donating what you no longer use.
Allison Swaine-Hughes, from the charity, said: “Most of us are aware of the impact that fast fashion has on the environment, but don’t think about this when it comes to homeware. Items like mirrors and sideboards might fall out of favour in your home, but they’re that missing piece in someone else’s home. When refreshing your homeware, consider buying second hand first – our home stores are continually restocked and could have just what you’re looking for.”
The survey also revealed that 52% of people switch up their home decor depending on the season, leading to more purchases and discarding of unwanted items. Despite this, 27% confessed they’ve never bought a second-hand item, and 29% do so very infrequently.
However, among those who do buy second-hand, 56% do it to save money, while 37% believe they find more unique items. A third of those surveyed by OnePoll.com said they buy second-hand because it’s more sustainable.
As the cost-of-living crisis deepens, 60% of all respondents said price is the most important factor when buying homeware, followed by style (44%) and functionality (40%). There seems to be a desire to continue the trend of frequently changing home furnishings, with half wishing they did so more often.
The British Heart Foundation has released images of some of the products they currently sell to show how buying second-hand can be a great way to change up your home style without spending a fortune or contributing to landfill.
Allison Swaine-Hughes added: “We’ve made it easy to stop quality pieces from going into the bin. These days you can book home collections, post them to us or drop them into your local shop – and the best bit, you’ll be funding lifesaving research. And when considering your next purchase, always consider shopping second hand before buying new. It’s a better decision for your wallet and the environment.”
CASE STUDY
Sarah Cromwell, 51, a freelance art director from London, has filled her home with vibrant colours and pre-loved items she’s found in charity shops. She combines these second-hand treasures with new products from other stores and boot sales, and has even stumbled upon the occasional gem in a skip.
Sarah aims to create colour themes in each room at home, picking up interesting smaller homeware pieces, accessories and textiles to tell a specific colour story. Whether it’s a throw, a cushion or some vintage curtains, a picture frame or a quirky trinket, she’s always on the lookout for something unusual that catches her eye. And when she wants to give a room a makeover, there’s an endless array of items to choose from to do so in a new way.
Sarah said: “I used to have an all-yellow – very happy bedroom – that’s now changed to calming Mediterranean peachy plaster. With another neutral bedroom, I re-purposed my yellow accent pieces, lampshades, bowls and other trinkets with some bold vintage purple curtains, to create a whole new 60’s pop guest room.”
“My boho 70’s luxe living room is a blend of peach, cream and damson with a hint of whisky orange. It demonstrates how a unique colour palette can create a distinctive warm cosy space which is really brought together by the small items in the room.”
“One tip I’d give is to have an exact shade in mind, so ‘yellow’ could be mustard, or neon yellow, or pastel yellow. If you know the exact shade and only shop to that shade, you know things will go, regardless of what room you put them in. It’s a ready-made story ready to rewrite.”
TOP TIPS TO MIX UP YOUR HOME
1. Choose a colour, or combination of colours that you love and stick to it!
2. Draw colour inspiration from a painting, print, photograph, or piece of colourful textiles.
3. Paint swatches are excellent tools to experiment with colour combinations.
4. Incorporating trinkets and smaller items can provide those finishing touches.
5. Know the exact shade of colour to ensure everything matches… blue isn’t just blue, it could be navy or turquoise or teal or something else.
6. Don’t be afraid to shop ‘off-grid’ in charity shops, boot sales and jumble sales. You’ll be surprised to find the most unusual and unique pieces.
7. Stores like British Heart Foundation which sell homewares can be great treasure troves of pieces to love.
8. If you decide you don’t like the colour scheme anymore, either pack them away into storage or donate it all to your local charity shop. It will be a ready-made new look for someone else’s home.
