If you’re thinking about relocating your cash to a place that feels safer than your local bank, you’re not alone. A luxury bed is now available that lets you literally safekeep money under your mattress. Hollandia, a luxury bed manufacturer has introduced a SAFE-T Bed that features a heavy-duty safe located in a built-in vault underneath the pillow. But at $20,400, you may just use up the cash you wanted to stash to buy it.

Sadly, cash under the bed isn’t insured to theft and fire. All the same, safety vaults built into furniture is something we should see more of.

In 2007, U.S. physicians wrote a total of 65 million prescriptions for sleeping pills, at an estimated value of $2.7 billion (U.S. Sleep Market, MarketData Enterprises).

Events in the stock market and banking industry aren’t helping us sleep any better in 2008.

While a better mattress won’t help us focus on the positive things in our future, it will help us relax and sleep better. If you’re still sleeping on a poor mattress, you’ll get a higher return on your money with a new mattress than at the bank. Mattress technology has come a long way in engineering ways to help us relax, fall asleep faster and reduce aches and pains, and many bedding retailers and furniture stores are offering aggressive offers on new mattresses to maintain sales in this tough economy. 

Despite spending on remodeling expected to be down 4.8% for 2008, researchers have found 3 groups of consumers who are more than twice as likely as other groups to undertake remodeling projects even in a slumping economy. Acxiom Corp researchers have identified 13% of the U.S. population - almost 17 million households - that are willing to spend at least $7,500 per year on home improvements, broken down into 3 groups:

1. Starter Homeowners - those in their homes less than 5 years, aged 30-45 years old, childless or with young children. This group of consumers focuses on quick turn-around projects that add upsell potential. Money is spent on cosmetic changes - new light fixtures, faucets and cabinets.

2. Settled In Homeowners - those in their homes for 6-14 years, aged 36-55 years old, with preteen or children teen and involved in a lot of sporting activities and the Internet. This group likes to tackle larger projects and upgrade home for more comfort and accomodation of their family’s lifestyle. Money is spent on things like hardwood or ceramic floors, remodeling bathroom or kitchen, family and entertainment areas, and outdoor entertaining.

3. In for the Long Haul homeowners - those in their homes for 15 years or more, aged 45-65 years old, savvy investors that enjoy boating and gardening, business and civic clubs. This group takes on more expensive maintenance projects as their home is aging. Money is spent on gutters and roofing, as well as both indoor and outdoor living enhancements. 

Source: Qualified Remodeler, Aug ‘08

If you believe there’s not much new product to invent.. that product trends are hard to pinpoint and even harder to rely on, you’re not alone. That’s what makes today’s biggest trend so powerful.    Consumers want to create their own style (or at least feel like they did) rather than strictly following trends. They want a home that looks personal and customized. Being ‘on trend’ for them is less important than creating a home that looks individual, unique and unexpected.

Above, Martha Stewart’s current ad campaign features different ’self portraits’…. or rooms that reflect a very personalized style rather than a room full of matching furniture.  

Or consider how women are thinking differently about their clothing. From an article in Vogue Magazine (Mar ‘07)…

“The new suit is a calculated medley of separates, harmonously combined… if its pieces are meant for one another, it’s not because they match per se, but because their fabrics and prints… play off one another in brave and gratifying ways that would be a shame to break up… if the suit of the 80s said a woman had a job and the suit of the 90s said she had a life… then the new Millanium suit speaks volumes about a woman’s individuality.”

“It’s a paradox, a game of opposites. This new illogical order breaks all the rules.” Donatella Versace, designer

“What’s changed is that the entire look is designed. It’s no longer just a blazer and the same pant. It works together, but it can be taken apart. That’s dressing in modern times.” Doo-Ri Chung, designer

Today’s  over-arching and newest trend requires a new kind of thinking. In many ways it’s the opposite of trend thinking, and an exciting opportunity for manufacturers, retailers and consumers! My newest report, “Style by the Aisle” reports on this trend, including how we can create more eclectic-looking products and product combinations without custom orders. More information at www.roomplanners.com/order.

With more consumers turning to their homes rather than to travel, outdoor installations of everything from outdoor furniture to kitchens to electronic equipment are on the increase.

According to a recent study by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), 31% of remodeling/builders say that their outdoor work increased either “significantly” or “somewhat” in 2007.

Source: NAHB / CE Pro (Sept ‘08)

When asked what’s happening in dining room purchases these days, here’s what furniture retailers said matters most to their customers:

1. Practicality… better use of space and easy-use. Self-storing table leaves are growing in popularity, as are buffet-style servers rather than china cabinets. Younger consumers are less likely to buy formal china, and more dishes are stored in glass-front cabinets in larger kitchens making large, formal china cabinets less necessary. Buffet style meals are also popular and a server is ideal for storing trays of food or drinks. Losing favor are fully skirted chairs and fully upholstered chairs (top to bottom)… likely tougher to clean under or keep clean.

2. Entertaining… more time and energy is spent cooking and spending time with family and friends. Again, the buffet-style server is ideal, along with longer tables (extendable to 84″ or more), and wine storage features continue strong.

3. Comfort… consumers want to linger around the dining table. Chairs with upholstered seat and/or back are growing in popularity for their comfort quotient. Carved chair backs are less popular than they used to be, especially in casual dining sets.

4. Contemporary styling… updated looks that suggest updated, contemporary elements. A favorite way to do this is with nickel or pewter hardware. Losing favor is brass hardware in both formal and casual dining.

Source: Furniture Today/2008 Wood Style Survey

While the home construction and remodeling market is far from recovered in the U.S., some areas are ‘mending’, according to stats from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a Harvard research center. Here are some of their projections:

* remodeling volume fell 4% in 2007, with a further 7% decline expected for 2008

* improvements to ‘owner-occupied’ housing, particularly big jobs, are the most sensitive, with a 13% decline expected for 2008

* mid-range improvements and replacements are getting better payback for consumers than upscale projects

* recovery is expected more quickly in the Northeast, including New England, New York, New Jersey and Maryland (they avoided the over-builidng that accompanied price escalation in other markets, and have lower unsold home inventories), followed by the South (with the exception of Florida), including Texas, Atlanta and parts of the Carolinas

* among the top 50 U.S. cities expected to do the best this year:

Columbus, Ohio
Cleveland
Indianapolis
Milwakee
Boston
Buffalo, NY
New York City
Oklahoma City
Seattle
Portland, Oregon
Nashville
Charlotte, NC
Virginia Beach, VA
Pittsburg
Dallas
Houston
San Antonio
Austin

Source: National Association of Home Builders / Remodeling Futures Project at Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies / Home Lighting & Accessories (Jun ‘08)