Following the lockdowns and subsequent consumer focus on home improvements, Hafele UK revealed the results of its research to gain a deeper understanding of how people now use their kitchens.

As part of its Functional Spaces: Kitchens for Living campaign, the company questioned 2,009 homeowners to find out their biggest pain points.

This included limited, inadequate and difficult to access storage.

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Head of marketing at Hafele UK Natalie Davenport pointed to the impact of COVID lockdowns had on home design, commenting people in homes were sharing the same spaces for a long time.

She explained multiple generations, sharing the footprint of a home, meant smaller living areas and the difficulties of people trying to work, live, home school and entertain in one space.

Davenport stated a poorly designed space, including inadequate storage, can impact on mental health: “The usefulness and thoughtful design of those spaces affect how we work and operate.”

She continued stating from the research: “At least 20% of consumers are demanding functional spaces, and with this research it’s about what can we try and do to educate and help retailers.”

It was the overarching theme of its stand at Kbb Birmingham which was based on “more life per square metre” and featured latest additions to the company’s portfolio including tambour and sliding doors, Loox lighting and additional Alusplash colours.

Davenport said: “We know that offices within living spaces and lighting, to change a space, is crucial.

“The use of products we [already] do and the combination of those can help the industry get that 20% of business.”

In a bid to combat supply chain issues, Hafele also explained it had sourced some of its products from alternative manufacturers, such as a door range from the UK.

“We’re thinking around the box”, exclaimed Natalie Davenport to help support its retailer customers.