IKEA PH Visits Homes to Learn More About Pinoy Family Culture

The opening of IKEA’s first branch in the Philippines continues to be a much-anticipated event, but did you know that the brand has long been looking into the home culture of Filipinos to be able to streamline their offers in the country?

Since 2016, IKEA has been visiting barangays and homes not only to partner with local industries, but also to take a peek into the everyday lives of Pinoys, and learn more about familial customs and traditions.

“We’ve always been fascinated about people’s lives at home. So we ask how they live their life at home. This helps us do what we do—create modern furniture design that helps people to not just survive at home, but thrive,” says Store Manager of IKEA Pasay City Georg Platzer in a recent release. “This fascination helps us to better understand people’s needs, dreams, and challenges, especially for the new markets we enter.”

One of the homes that the IKEA team visited is Renen’s:

Another is Joseph and Kel’s family home:

From visiting different homes, Georg and his team learned that despite spaces becoming smaller and smaller for many Filipinos, family is still at their center. “The four dimensions that help us define home are: the people we live with, the things, we own, the amount of space we have, and the place we live in,” says Georg. “Home is a feeling.”

As everyone continues to cocoon in their own spaces, the home becomes a hub of work and play—which means that it also has to meet all the unique needs that comes with these. Here are a few easy tweaks you can try to make your home more efficient:

1. Look for storage options. As with Joseph and Kel’s video, storage is so important especially in small spaces. Read more about simple but functional storage and organizing tools here: 7 Nifty Storage and Organization Solutions You Didn’t Know You Needed.
2. Organize by zones. Zoning not only gives your home a proper flow, but also underlines the purpose of each space, helping you mentally set yourself for work or relaxation. Professional organizer Mica Santayana-Canto shares how you can achieve this: Doing These 2 Things First Can Make Reorganizing Your Home Easier, Says Expert.
3. Regularly declutter. It can be difficult to be productive in a space which has a lot of unnecessary items that keep good energies from coming in. Decluttering often can help keep your mind clear and spaces more conducive to their purpose. Here are a few tips to help you achieve a clean home: Here’s How to Declutter Every Room in Your Home.
   

IKEA Philippines is set to open its first local branch in Pasay this 2021. For more details, visit their website.

* * *

Have you recently spruced up your room or renovated your home? We'd definitely love to see the result! Send clear photos (with your full name, city address, and accompanying kuwento) to [email protected] with the subject "DIY Makeover" and we may just feature your DIY project!