LSN : News : Ikea designs homes with the elderly in mind

Musée forefronts the stories behind its resale accessories

Musée, Beijing

Beijing – The new accessory consignment store employs a cohort of professional consultants to educate customers on the individual items for sale.

Designed by Studio8, the Musée flagship is an open platform for luxury accessories in Beijing. The store assistants are focused on enriching customers’ in-store experience by offering them in-depth insight into the items on sale.

‘Every accessory that people possess is an abstract object that serves a certain function or purpose,’ says Studio8’s principal designer Shirley Dong. ‘This changes when people place more importance and value on the object, whether through the brand, colour, material, or handcrafting process. Luxury goods then become time travellers, with an ever-increasing value and preciousness.’ The studio has adopted a ’soft boundary’ approach to its design in order to better facilitate unstructured way-finding and encourage item discovery.

The resale market is booming. With consumers looking for more ethical, sustainable, and circular ways to obtain luxury good it is currently growing 24 times faster than traditional retail. In response to this shift in mindset we are now seeing a host of new brands creating innovative resale platforms.

Ikea designs homes with the elderly in mind

SilviaBo, Ikea, Sweden

Sweden – The Swedish retailer has partnered with the construction company Skansa and the Queen of Sweden’s Silviahemmet foundation to offer housing that is adapted to the needs of elderly people with disabilities and dementia.

Part of Ikea’s BoKlok project, which promises low cost sustainable homes for everyone, the SilviaBO homes provide dementia-friendly layouts and design features. These include ramp entrances and colour-coded way finding, as well as secure gardens and clubhouses to encourage socialising between residents. The design-led homes have been developed to offer an aesthetic that is not defined by their functionality.

According to BoKlok’s website a fifth of the Swedish population is now over 65, a figure that will increase to around a quarter by 2050. ‘To take care of elderly people, that cost is exploding,’ Jonas Spangenberg, BoKlok’s CEO told CNN Business. ‘It’s much cheaper for society and the public to give them service back home.’ For more on how brands can empower ageing populations through design, read our opinion piece from Future Facility’s Kim Colin.

KitKat gets creative with sustainable origami packaging

Japan – In Japan, KitKat Mini’s plastic packaging has been swapped for recyclable origami paper.

The move comes as Nestlé aims to reduce its plastic waste by an estimated 380 tonnes per year. The initiative is part of the brand’s commitment to making all of its packaging 100% recyclable or reusable by 2025. Nestlé encourages consumers to get creative, and use the packaging to make origami paper cranes that contain well wishes for friends and family.

Ubiquitous within Japanese culture, the origami cranes are therefore both a culturally significant gift and a way for the brand to help its customers become more sustainable. ‘Plastic waste is one of the biggest sustainability issues the world is facing today. Tackling it requires a collective approach. We are committed to finding improved solutions to reduce, reuse and recycle,’ says Mark Schneider, Nestlé’s CEO.

As consumer concern around the environmental impact of plastic packaging grows it is inspiring new packaging concepts and driving growth within Re-usable Packaging Market.

Nestlé Japan’s KitKat packaging

Stat: Australia’s men are diversifying their beauty routines

A new report by Nielsen has found that Australian men are taking more care over their appearance than ever before. Some 69% of the country’s men now use at least one male grooming product, such as beard oil or facial cleanser. Men aged 25 to 54 are increasingly subscribing to new product categories like facial cleansers and moisturisers, while the use of traditional bathroom products like hair care, deodorants and aftershave are decreasing. Usage of deodorant and aftershave, for example, has fallen by 5% and 8%, respectively. To better understand the global nuances around men’s beauty, read our dedicated Market.