Could you live here?

Ikea and Shelter have launched 4 new room sets that are very different to the ones we are used to seeing. These room sets are 'Real Life Roomsets' highlighting the UK's housing crisis.

The room sets have been set up in four Ikea stores Bristol, Birmingham, Warrington and Hammersmith.

I visited the Birmingham store which highlighted Claire's story. Claire's story is heartbreaking, as a mother myself I can't begin to imagine being in these circumstances.

This is a 'real life' story!

Claire's story is not an isolated case though, one in 208 people in the UK are currently dealing with homelessness, with thousands more expected to lose their homes by the end of 2023 . The cost of living is rising and people are struggling to pay their bills. The four locations were chosen as these cities have some of the highest number of homelessness in the UK.

According to research commissioned by IKEA, one in five (21%) people in the UK are worried about losing their home, with half (49%) saying if they lost their current home, they would struggle to find somewhere else to live. In the past year in order to keep up with their housing costs, 18% of people in the UK say they have taken on additional work, 17% have skipped meals and a further quarter (25%) would consider it. 

Ikea and Shelter have joined forces to campaign for 90,000 social homes to be built by 2030. Since the beginning of 2023 they have been training workers to become 'At Home Experts' helping people know their rights and help them before they reach crisis point. Ikea is funding workers to be based at Shelter hubs. And will launch a three year focus group following families in social housing.

Last week I volunteered at House Of Bread in Stafford, as part of my research into homelessness. For my mini major assignment I'm focusing on issues in my own home town of Stafford, using HOB as my focus.

I'll be researching how design can help connect people to places and make them feel part of a community, finding challenges and making the design adaptable to suit all the users needs.

Interior design isn't always about pretty cushions with lovely wallpaper. Although I hope to design something that whilst being beautiful meets the needs of people feeling safe, welcomed and most importantly part of a community that cares.