Our new found love for home

If lockdown has taught us anything, it's the importance of home

Who would have predicted that our home would become our greatest protector and that staying home would save millions of lives? We resisted at first, we felt captive, viewing our homes as prisons, but as the weeks rolled on, we felt differently. We fell in love with our homes once more as they became our sanctuary, our safe place.

Within our homes we’ve worked, we’ve played, we’ve become teachers, reconnected with our friends and family in new ways, embraced technology and learned new skills, a new way to live.

But as we enter a new phase of managing a Pandemic, it’s important that we don’t lose sight of the things that we learned and our new insight into what became important to us.

In times of darkness we look for light

The last few weeks has taught us to truly appreciate the need for natural light and fresh air. We’ve set up home offices in sunny locations, we’ve thrown open our windows and if you’re lucky enough to own them, slide open our bi-fold doors too. We have become acutely aware of the gloomy spots in our houses, often moving to make the most of the light as the day passes. Let’s learn from this and look at how we can make our homes brighter and airier.

We connected through our windows

Through the safety of glass, grandparents could see grandchildren when they received their weekly grocery delivery, delivery drivers would give us the thumbs up and point to the place they’d left our parcels. Rainbow pictures painted by our children were proudly displayed in windows across the nation and every Thursday people would stand on balconies and at their doors to clap and bang pots and pans for carers. Although we connected through screens on devices, nothing could beat the feeling of even a momentary connection with a real person on the other side of the glass.

The rise of the staycation

For most of us we won’t have a summer holiday away from our homes this year. Even if travel returns to normal there is a nervousness about crowded public spaces and the potential of getting stranded in another country if we were to experience a second wave of infection. Sales of hot tubs, garden furniture and camping equipment have gone through the roof and the queues for the re-opening of Ikea stores reached miles. The clues are telling us that people are using the money they would normally spend on a summer holiday on their homes and outdoor spaces instead. Will we see the rise of the ‘Staycation’, where glamping in the garden and eating alfresco on your own patio become a preferred choice? People may prefer not to endure the stress or airports, packing, tired children and exhausting heat. They may choose a simpler way to relax, recharge and reconnect at home.

Giving our home the love, it deserves

A lot of us have had plenty of time to look at our homes and dream about redesigning and renovating. Some of us will need to create new home offices or think how we’ll entertain our children over the summer holidays. Most of us will choose to improve over move and now’s the time to put our plans in to place as we’ll spend more time at home in the months ahead of us. We should prioritise the improvements that will make the most impact on our lives, all year round. Anything that improves our mood, wellbeing and the way we interact as a family should be top of the agenda.

Choosing the right project partner

We’re in uncertain times so now more than ever it’s important to have confidence in the people we invite into our homes and trust with our money. If you choose to invest in new windows, or an extension or to connect your home and garden with new doors, choose a local installer that is a Which? Trusted Trader and has deposit protection and an insurance backed guarantee offered by a trusted systems company. Which is why we're the only organisation to offer all these things.

Don't forget about our visualiser tool where you can play and plan with colour and style in the comfort of your own home.

Get Involved

Head over to our social channels to get involved in our #ConnectingTheNation campaign where you get to share your lockdown stories to be in with the chance of winning a £100 voucher of your choice. Think back to what you would have done without your windows and doors which connected you with the ones you love the most.

Did your husband propose to you through your window?

Did your son serenade you with music in the garden?

We can't wait to hear what you've been up to! Don't forget to tag us in your photographs along with your stories. The winners have the choice between a voucher that they can either redeem or they can donate their winnings to the NHS Together charity.