When it comes to selecting accessories for their homes, consumers aren’t all that confident. According to a published study by Home Furnishing Business magazine (Mar ‘08),

 * 40% of consumers said they’re either very uneasy or not confident at all about choosing the right products

* 34% said it depends on what they see, or how it’s presented

*  only 9% said they’re very confident, another 17% said they’re somewhat confident.

Consumers will buy more if they’re confident about what to buy. Insecurity about their own style of decor, uncertainty about what goes with what, and a lack of concrete ways to gauge quality are some of the key reasons consumers don’t buy. Retail displays, packaging, photography, sales staff and web sites all need to work together to offer ideas and information that help consumers feel confident about pulling together the right look in their home.   

With more attention on natural, textured finishes that ‘look’ green… “brushed” hardware for cabinets and faucets are a popular consumer choice. It’s likely the finish’s popularity is in the blend - a slightly aged-looking texture on metal makes it neither too modern (bright chrome) or too traditional (brass). Stainless steel was the second most popular pick, a reflection of the trend to stainless steel as more than just an appliance color, but also a fashionable accent (think I-pod).

Here are the consumer rankings, according to a survey by Qualified Remodeler magazine (Apr 08):

22.2% “brushed”

20.0% “stainless steel”

7.7% “chrome”

4.4% “polished”

3.8% “antique brass”

1.4% “brass”

1.2% “copper”

Some consumers cast their vote for style, rather than finish - 6.1% choosing “contemporary”, 5.2% choosing “tradtional”.

New York Magazine (Jan 21) featured a cover story on finding calm, particularly in urban centers. The article is enlightening and even frightening, and offers a picture into the life of millions of urban dwellers who can’t find silence, and who feel a growing anger and resentment to days of ‘clamour and stress … to mention nothing of the noise and anxiety we carry around in our heads”.

The article recommends ways to add sanity to workspaces (cubicles), using noise-blocking earphones, and where to go in NYC for a little tranquility. The article doesn’t suggest ways to find calm at home, but that’s something furniture merchants, designers and architects also need to  consider. With larger kitchens adjoining living and dining rooms, more windows and the growing use of tile, stone and hardwood floors, concerns about noise are beginning to surface even outside noisy cities.

The growing use of white, neutral colors, ‘zen-like’ contemporary interiors, and natural materials are early solutions to suggest serenity. But what can we do to add real noise reducation, not just suggest it? Acoustic wall panels, artwork that integrates  noise-blocking acoustics, upholstered beds, rugs and noise-blocking wall insulation, are just a few examples…

At the Consumer Electronics Show this week - Lutron showed some impressive stats on a simple dimmer switch.

Turning your lights down:

15%  = 15% in energy savings, and 3x longer bulb life

35% = 28% in energy savings, and 10x longer bulb life

50% = 40% in energy savings, and 20x longer bulb life

75% = 60% energy savings, and 20x longer bulb life

We don’t need to live in fully lit rooms all the time, and for those who still prefer incandescent bulbs to compact fluourescents, a dimmer switch is a green alternative.

Sales of LED lights this holiday season increased to 10.5% of holiday light sales, up from 3.5% just two years ago.

The bulbs cost more, and a recent test by Consumer Reports found that though they’re more energy efficient and durable, it could take several years to recoup the energy savings vs. the higher cost (from a few dollars more to twice as much as regular bulbs).

But consumers are giving them thumbs up… LED lights run on 10% or less of the electricity of regular bulbs, and with no glass bulb, they’re almost indestructable.

So do consumers notice a difference in the quality of the lighting? “While energy efficiency is the reason most costumers originally consider LEDs, they soon realize that the new lights look and ‘act’ differently,” says Mike Streb of ChristmasLightsEtc in a USA Today article. “LEDs don’t burn out, but they do fade over time, and you get very vibrant, cool colors. If you prefer a softer glow, you may not like that.”

It seems that, at least for outdoor use, many consumers don’t mind.

Source:  USA Today, Dec 20, 2007

A growing number of consumers are considering compact fluourescent light bulbs (CFLs) in place of traditional incandescent bulgs, due to their impressive energy savings. But many consumers aren’t convinced.

The conflict can be seen first hand in the Fall ‘07 issue of Oprah’s O at Home Magazine.  In a makeover article titled A Brighter Future, the project designer is quoted:  “you should never, under penalty of death, have fluourescent bulbs in your home”.  In the same issue, 26 pages later, in an Energy Smart article by Suze Orman, consumers are advised:  “if every U.S. houshold replaced one traditional lightbulb with an energy-efficient compact fluourescent lamp (CFL) we would  save $600 million in utility bills and enough energy to light 3 million homes each year”.

The consumer (and designer) resistance is due to the CFL’s cool light (rather than the softer, warmer light of incandescent bulbs). For some, the light also seems less bright. But CFLs save some serious energy, which begs the question - What can lighting manfacturers do to help consumers make the change? Lamp shades that filter a warmer light? Slightly higher wattage lamps that create a brighter light? Replacing light bulbs in furniture and lighting showrooms so consumers can see them in action (and the showroom can save money)? Or something else? 

In a recent Home World Business Magazine Lamp Survey, consumers were asked how much more they’d pay (in dollars) for an ‘energy efficient’ lamp. A percentage was difficult to determine because a reference price point wasn’t included with the question, but the combined survey data appears to indicate consumers would pay about 1/3 more for an energy efficient lamp (ex, $10 more based on a $30 price point). 10.5% of consumers said they’d pay nothing more.

For more information, see HomeWorld Business magazine’s Sept 24th issue.

Results of a consumer survey published by HomeWorld Business Magazine recently indicated that:

Over half (56.3%) of consumers said they’ll buy their next lamp based on the need for additional lighting in a particular area, versus the need to to update old lamps (18.4%), the need to replace a non-working lamp (16.1%), or the need to match lamps to new remodeled homes or furniture (9.2%).

Consumers don’t purchase new lamps frequently - almost 1 in 5 (18.4%) can’t remember when they last purchased a lamp. Another 1 in 5 (20.9)% said it’s been as much as 5 years since their last lamp purchase. 

Many more survey responses are available in the Sept 24th issue of the magazine.