A home to be myself

Life at Home Report 2022

“Life at Home Report” is one of the biggest and most distinctive global researches that we conduct to find out what life at home means today – and how we can help make it better. Last year we spoke to 37,000 people living in homes of all shapes and sizes across 37 countries, including 1008 in Latvia.

What makes us feel at home?

We found that no matter where or how we live, it comes down to the same 7 essential ingredients: security, comfort, belonging, ownership, privacy, enjoyment and accomplishment.

If our home reflects us, we’re
almost twice as likely
to believe it’s a source of
mental wellbeing.

But only about
6 in 10
feel our home reflects who we are.
We don’t think that’s good enough.

“Creating a home that reflects us is not that difficult. It doesn‘t necessarily require renovation or buying new furniture. One can simply bring in more colours and add a personal style by using textiles (cushions, curtains, rugs) and other accessories.”

Darius Rimkus, IKEA interior designer

Top 3 concerns in Latvia

#1 Household finances (97%)
#2 Personal health & wellbeing (96%)
#3 The standard of living (95%)

As belts tighten around the world...

It’s a fair bet that we’ll spend more time at home to save on expenses. If the cost of living significantly increases in the near future, people expect that these areas will be negatively impacted:

47%

say they’ll save on hobbies
and interests outside the home.

1 in 10

believe it will stop them from
starting or planning family life.

16%

expect negative impact on relationships
with the people they live with.

During times of deep uncertainty, we continue to turn to our home as a place of comfort and security. 4 in 10 of us in Latvia feel more positive about our home compared to this time last year.

Things that matter, matter

At its best, home acts like a mirror to our identity. In practice, this means that when we look around our home, we see our unique personality reflected back. Whether it’s through photos of past adventures or personal space for hobbies.

Things related with our memories are among the most important aspects letting us feel at home. From furniture to fridge magnets, all our possessions become memory-filled scrap books, celebrating our unique sense of self and serving a higher purpose than that for which they were designed.

Tips for personalizing your space

Our interior designer shares ideas on how to bring more personality into your home.

When asked what makes their home feel like a reflection of who they are, here’s what people say:

37%

say it’s having space for needs
and interests.

39%

say it’s things that help remember
past memories and experiences.

40%

say it’s people they live with.

Possessions can be a source of tension

We base our identity on different things, but we don’t always see our home possessions through rose-tinted glasses. Sometimes, they become a source of household tension. Too much stuff and clutter prevents our true identity from breaking through into our home.

Endless household chores make you feel frustrated?

Psychotherapist Arthur Mixon shares tips on how to divide responsibilities at home so that no one feels upset.

How to make household chores easier?

Dana Gulbe, a home organising consultant, shares tips on how to make your daily work easier and use less time to clean your home.

IKEA interior designer Darius Rimkus shares his tips on how to display your beloved items neatly without cluttering all surfaces:

Display your treasured memorabilia and souvenirs from trips on a wall shelf with additional lighting.
Pebbles brought back from the seaside can be put in vases or deep picture frames.
Use a magnetic board instead of placing souvenir magnets on the fridge door.

Main frustrations about our homes are:

Not having space to put our things.
Put your things into boxes. They allow you to organise things on shelves, inside the drawers or kitchen cabinets, take up less space and make all items easier to find.

Having too many things without a designated place.

“Go through all your belongings and decide what you really need and which of them you haven’t been using for a while or no longer have fond memories of. Then, sort all that’s left by rooms or activities.”

Darius Rimkus, IKEA interior designer

Not knowing how to make renovations or repairs to our home.
If there’s no option of replacing existing furniture or renovating the apartment, you can easily change the interior with accessories. Give your space a distinctive and cosy feel by choosing rugs, cushions, curtains or bed linen in your favourite colours and matching them together.

Home remains a gendered space

When it comes to scrubbing sinks and mopping floors, there’s still a clear gender gap in our homes.

Women are more likely than men to feel represented within the home – but are also more likely to get saddled with maintaining the places we live in.

19% of women in Latvia are frustrated about having to do household chores, such as laundry, cleaning, cooking, compared to just 15% of men.

"Try sharing the responsibility for household chores with all family members, including the kids. The most important thing is to talk about it - and not expect the other person will guess which duties are his or her responsibility. If one family member has undertaken to cook, the others can help to tidy the kitchen and wash the dishes afterwards. If someone vacuums, the other can do the laundry. etc. Most of us have our own preferences when it comes to household chores, and we can help each other by drawing attention to which chores each of us in the family enjoys less or more. Thus the primary thing is to listen to each other and discuss the tasks to be done, creating a routine and a system that works for all family members."

Artūrs Miksons, Psychotherapist

How to minimize a gender gap when it comes to chores?

The Virsnīši family opened up about sharing household chores at their home. They have some tips on how to divide responsibilities so that no one feels upset.

What makes an ideal home?

When we look to the future and think about our ideal home, we often picture a place where we can cast off our shoes, wipe the stresses from our minds and zero in on the things that bring us joy and satisfaction.

54% believe the most important aspect in an ideal home is the ability to unwind and relax.
38% say an ideal home should help to nurture connections with people they live with.
29% say an ideal home should allow connecting with nature.

Is your home a place where you can be yourself?

Psychotherapist Arthur Mixon and IKEA interior designer recommend how to make living space a reflection of our identity.

Home is a place where we can be our weird and wonderful selves.

16%

of Latvians have talked
to their plants in the
last 12 months.

1 in 5

of us have faked plans so we
can stay at home.

Only 11%

care what other people
think about how we live
our lives at home.