THE POWER OF MEANINGFUL PRODUCT CURATION

The best things are not things; it’s how we feel in our home that matters. However things carry meaning and meaning can evoke a feeling.

How can we match how the customer wants to feel, with the object, furniture or décor piece for the home? How can our offering stand out to them?

Firstly, we must think about how we want to feel in our homes.

It’s different for everyone and we change how we want to feel depending on the season of life. However there are four key emotions and drivers; status, connection, peace of mind and belonging.

STATUS
The customer that is seeking status in their home wants to impress friends and family with how they have curated their space. They feel validated in their selections when others also enjoy their space and they are known for having good taste. The status customer enjoys entertaining and it’s fulfilling for them to see others interact in their home.

They are seeking the ‘wow factor’ pieces, which aren’t about having a lot of things, but they must be the RIGHT thing. They carefully edit their space for a curated look as their home in ‘on show’.

They will put aesthetics before function because it’s important that the space feels and looks amazing.

The Status customer appreciates one-of-a-kind pieces that their friends and family covet. Handmade is important to them as the scarcity factor means that their friends and family haven’t seen these pieces before. 

CONNECTION
The customer seeking connection finds comfort in sentimentality and nostalgia. Their home feels familiar only to them and they create their own pocket of uniqueness. It doesn’t matter that not everything matches because their space evolves over time.

Personal pieces are collected and they enjoy combining family heirloom antiques with contemporary pieces. The space feels dynamic when pieces from different eras mingle together in unexpected ways.

They look for quality pieces because they value longevity and integrity. The Connection customer appreciates pieces with a story, where was it made, who made it and why. 

PEACE OF MIND
A space that is ordered, logical and practical appeals to the Peace of Mind customer. They feel calm when their home is organized so thoughtful design that looks good, but above all, is practical appeals. They need order in their space, which means they look for clever storage and functionality. They put comfort first and aesthetics second, they will choose the most incredibly comfortable sofa over the stylish one.

This customer is looking for convenience and a solution to problems around the home for storage, organization, cleaning and keeping a tidy home. They love newness and trying innovative ways to keep their home organized and making home life easier. They like pieces that are practical yet also add to the aesthetics of the space such as artful wall hooks, quality baskets for storage and versatile shelving. They are early adopters of smart home technology and they love feeling like they have found the latest life hack.

BELONGING
The customer that loves to follow interior trends for their home feels secure in belonging to the tribe. This customer isn’t an early adopter; rather they like to feel safe in their selections for their home knowing that the look is popular and already ‘approved’ by others.

The Belonging customer likes the familiar feeling in their home and they have seen images of spaces on pinterest and social media many times before they are ready to commit to purchasing pieces for their home. They are looking for a formula that they can easily apply to their home that fits with the masses, they don’t need to search too hard to find solutions for their home as this look is abundant. At this point in the trend cycle, they are late to adopt and they are able to get the look at the best price.

They aren’t looking to stand out because it feels safe that their home looks like the images of popular interiors that they’ve seen so that they belong to that group too.

The way people want to feel in their homes ultimately drives the selections they make. 

Lauren Li is an interior designer, author and mentor. Sign up to the sisalla newsletter for interior design enthusiasts or The Design Society for business advice.