With more people working remotely, our homes have become multifunctional spaces – places where we live, work, and relax. Utilising useful accessories to create inviting, inspiring spaces can make life easier and improve personal wellbeing.
There are a plethora of new cleaning, organising, work-related and home-comfort related gadgets on the market, available to purchase on online marketplace platforms such as Temu, which are rapidly gaining popularity among consumers for the ease with which they allow consumers to buy items to improve their home living.
- Smart wireless homes
Household technology tools have become an integral part of our lives because of their practical and functional uses in the home. For example, smart speakers can connect wirelessly to mobile phones or laptops for excellent sound for virtual meetings, or be used to listen to music while relaxing. Smart bulbs, like LED Wi-Fi bulbs, allow you to connect wirelessly, change the colour of the room lighting, or stream via their Bluetooth function.
- The home as a spa and self-care zone
Making a home space, a spa or pamper zone and a place to escape rather than spending money going to a salon is a new trend brought about by the affordability of self-massagers, steamers and self care gadgets via online marketplace platforms. As consumers bring R&R (rest and relaxation) into their homes, we can expect to see purchases for items such as luxurious-looking plush furnishings like plush pillows in complementary fabrics and colours to the furniture in a room, and scented candles that create a warm ambience and trigger feelings of ease through olfactory association.
- Less is more – minimalism is back
The trend of minimalism has long been popular, with homeowners clearing out the clutter in favour of more open and organised spaces.
According to one Instagrammer, Chrisne Cable, there are a number of new tools that can be used to simplify re-organising rooms in your home, such as the kitchen. For example, Chrisne smartly demonstrates how you can neatly store and access black bags by clipping bag holders into a utility cupboard. These cupboard accessories can be purchased on the Temu online marketplace in various colours, according to your preference. And to hide cables, velcro cable wires are a seamless hack for tying wayward wires together so that they are less visible, giving the home a less cluttered look.
And lack of clutter doesn’t only make a room look neater and more spacious; research has shown that de-cluttering in itself creates feelings of ease, and frees mental space in the mind.
And minimalism can be applied to any room in your home. For the bedroom, look for bed frames that include storage drawers, or see where organisers can be added into cupboards or drawers so that they are present, but invisible unless you open them. Other great gadgets include stackable shoe organisers or closet bag storage dividers that are practical and functional.
- Blending indoor and outdoor spaces
Biophilic design is the incorporation of natural elements into our homes to bring nature closer to us while we are indoors.
Natural textures like wood, stone, and potted plants are a great way to bring a touch of nature into your home. Wooden soap holders and pots for your plants add this element to your bathroom, while wooden hanging shelves can be attached to any wall in your home. Natural stone coasters and tea light holders for your coffee table add a lovely natural touch to your living room.
This trend is very popular, as it not only enhances the visual appeal of spaces in your home, but also brings a feeling of well-being and balance.
- Unusual but useful kitchen items
The kitchen is often where you spend most of your time, so having items and gadgets that make it easier for you to make a meal, a cup of tea or coffee, or clean the dishes is essential.
Johns Paul, a South African TiKTokker, cleverly used see-through storage boxes in his kitchen. John’s clever kitchen organising idea uses see-through boxes, affordably purchased on the Temu online marketplace for storage, to ensure that while items are packed away neatly, you don’t have the issue of clashing colours and the storage boxes blend into where they are placed, therefore having the look of not really being present.
Some unusual but practical gadgets could include a tomato slicer for perfectly shaped tomato slices for family burger night, or a nifty storage box for all your taco ingredients to keep them separate and fresh. Soup is very popular in SA in winter, but chopping vegetables can be laborious and time-consuming – a very useful product is a multifunctional vegetable chopper to quickly chop up all types of veggies for that hearty winter soup.
- Reuse to reduce waste
Consumers are looking for products that can be reused to reduce waste, conserve water and energy, and limit the amount of chemicals found in soaps, dishwashing liquids, and other washing powders that leave the home once used. So instead of using single-use paper towels in the kitchen for example, use reusable microfibre towels. And try plastic-free, hypoallergenic liquid-less laundry sheets to help wash your clothing, instead of chemical-heavy washing powders. Other great products that help reduce waste are reusable silicone food storage bags instead of plastic ones; and reusable silicone stretch lids to cover food or fruit instead of cling wrap.
There are so many accessories for the home that make life easier. Many South Africans are enjoying using the Temu online marketplace, because of the breadth of goods available to purchase in the household, furniture, appliance, clothing, and beauty categories, to name a few. After all, a home is your sanctuary, and its style should be uniquely yours.
