HOME - Sustainability, renewal, affordability, re-sorting

(observe)

According to Pew Research, one in five Americans has either moved due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic or knows someone who has. USPS data indicates that 16 million Americans have already moved this year. These mini-migrations are having the greatest impact in the 18-29 age group, with 9% reporting that they moved for various pandemic-related reasons, including campus closures,  job losses and the need for more personal space. The second-largest group of movers, aged 30-45, represent 3% of those who have relocated since the beginning of the pandemic. Of all groups reporting, 28% cited safety concerns as the most compelling reason for their move.

Zillow’s data on recent home buying trends indicate Millennials- those in the 20-38 age group, were already moving to smaller cities like St. Louis, Kansas City, Cleveland and Columbus in the Pre-Pandemic Era; the pandemic has just accelerated and ossified these shifts.  Affordability, jobs and amenities such as a variety in dining options, outdoor activities and cultural institutions have put smaller cities and suburbs on par with larger more densely populated cities that, pre-covid, seemed more attractive. This heralds a shift  in desirability factors like less congestion, larger living / working spaces, and personal environments that can be “grown into” over time: a sustainable more manageable way of life now and after the pandemic.

(interpret)

Working parents faced with the new demands of working and teaching from home need more space for the time being for at-home offices, and until schools reopen, at-home classrooms.  As of June, 42% of Americans were working from home, according to Stanford University economist Nicholas Bloom. Over half of respondents, surveyed collectively by Stanford, the University of Chicago and the Atlanta Federal Reserve, said that their new at-home offices were in bedrooms or shared rooms. This need for additional space is fueling relocation to suburbs and smaller cities across the country with more affordable and larger housing.

An added factor to the need for space and distancing, social bubbles- our new micro-communities- emphasize the importance of family, close friends and trusted neighbors. Interaction with these close-knit networks places greater emphasis on our values, what we want around us, and who we want to have in our lives. The daily risk and decision making presented by the pandemic demands a re-evaluation of the order and cadence of our existence. New habits formed by life in the pandemic will likely stay with us for a while after a vaccine is developed, at home and in the traditional workspace.

(activate)

Before we were all sheltering in place, Kansas City native and home renovator Tamara Day had tapped into the affordability and sustainability vortex by refurbishing local mansions and homes that had fallen into disrepair and diminished market value. Her business model of snapping up these reduced properties, then revitalizing and reselling them has manifested into her popular HGTV show Bargain Mansions, currently in its third season. Day’s philosophy of repairing and reimagining what is already in existence in her hometown resonates with  viewers watching nationwide. Viewers see the before and after effects as walls are torn down, spaces redesigned and charming historic elements preserved and given new life. After the structural changes are complete, Day finishes the home with décor in her signature optimistic style, using statement colors and texture to define the new spaces created within the home.  These values- optimism, preservation, and renewal- embrace the investment in our future by reclaiming what we already have in existence. Day has enhanced her Bargain Mansions brand by opening a brick-and-mortar home boutique in Prairie Village, a suburb of Kansas City. The cheerful Growing Days home store offers affordable, no-tech décor including textural paintings, colorful barware, fluffy throw  pillows, and faux plants.

About the Growing Days store:

A burst of colorful optimism and holiday cheer greet you at  Growing Days, the brick and mortar boutique owned by home renovator Tamara Day of Bargain Mansions. The HGTV show’s focus is on Day’s redesign and renewal of neglected mansions in the Kansas City metro area. The store and Day’s design studio, located in the same building, feature a large  hand-painted motto declaring “NO ART, NO HEART”  on the North wall of the store. Growing Days features affordable, no-tech home decor including textural paintings, barware in mood-boosting colors, fluffy throw pillows, faux plants, tactile fiber animals, logo-ed Tshirts, and Day’s signature scented candles. The store is currently merchandised for the Holidays with candy-hued ornaments and warm gold-toned curios.

As Day has found success in revitalizing overlooked mansions and houses by reimagining and saving them from a future at the landfill, this larger act of sustainability is repeated in the usage of colorful accent pieces and textural artwork to transform and reimagine home living spaces.