the growing importance of a human-first approach to property design & development.

In a year where a global pandemic dominated our lives and left many of us locked inside our homes week after week, there’s never been a more important time to step back and re-evaluate the spaces that we occupy and how we connect to them. And, as property developers, it’s now as pressing and as vital as ever that we step up our brands and provide products that we’re proud of, in order to benefit the lives of those who reside within our walls.

➕ A SHIFT IN THE WAY WE USE OUR HOMES.

Back in March, at the beginning of the UK lockdown, we witnessed how homeowners scrambled to purchase paints and gardening supplies, and saw huge surges in the sales of indoor plants, storage solutions, and office furniture. Our relationships with our homes changed rapidly as we were forced to bunker down within them, challenging the way that we work, live, and play in our spaces. Despite all the fears and unknowns of the outside world, people looked to their homes to find comfort, creativity, and a slice of peace amidst the chaos. They started to love their homes a little more, to consider how to make them more functional and practical, and made efforts to improve them in order to improve their mental well-being.

As a property designer and developer, and as someone who has designed and built their family home from the ground up, taking the time and effort to carefully consider the functionality and livability of a space is second-nature to me, and the concept of creating beautiful yet practical spaces is, and always will be, something I emphasise with my work and my message. So, on a personal level, it has been really positive to see this shift in behavior and to watch as others begin to really value well-designed spaces. 

This excerpt from Mary Portas really resonated with me and this particular topic, and rang true to the values I have held for my own BEESPACE business and brand from the very beginning:

“For years, the space we live in became another status symbol, an acquisition to show off our good taste. A veneer. However, over the past few months, we’ve all connected with our homes so much more. We’ve realised that the spaces we take up should feed our souls and give us a safe haven for many aspects of our living day. That’s the key word here. Living. 

Covid has prompted us to renew our relationships with our homes, based on how we are now living and how they make us feel, not how they appear. Instead of passively consuming designer furniture and ‘getting the look’, today we’re looking for ways to bring status sentience – respect and care – into our homes. Just like the fashion industry, we are moving from the vacuous world of status symbols to the deeper world of status sentience. 

But how many businesses in this space are really keying into this idea? Are they really giving us the guidance and care to nurture homes that will anchor us and awaken us to our inner stability?

I want you to move on from a mindset of upgrading, optimising and becoming more efficient. Instead, think about how you can help your customers access the power within themselves to create a strong foundation, to be their own lighthouse and act as a lighthouse for others. How can your brand hold emotional space, as well as physical and digital?”

➕ highlighting the issues of HMO’s.

“How many businesses in this space are really keying into this idea?” Mary asks. Because, whilst this experience may have been positive for homeowners and their spaces, we mustn’t forget about those who aren’t so lucky. What about the tenants currently renting substandard and overpriced properties from faceless landlords? What about the university students entrapped within their tiny unclean flats during long periods of self-isolation? I think a lot about the negative impacts that their living environments must have upon them at this time, both practically and mentally.

Of course, the problems and controversy surrounding low-quality HMO’s existed long before any pandemic. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have even seen this heated discussion on the topic of ‘Say No to HMO’, following a local petition against HMOs in the Nottingham area. It’s fair to say that the industry has been in need of a good shake-up for a while now, but I firmly believe that the experiences of this year have highlighted just how valuable and sought-after well-designed and thoughtful properties are, as well as shining a light on the importance of a lettings management that truly puts their customers at the heart of everything they do.

I believe that as property developers we are incredibly privileged to be able to provide people with fantastic places to live, so why would we ever provide them with any less? Income, quick-wins, corner-cutting, or popularity-chasing should never be an excuse for providing a poor service and an inadequate product. We should always prioritise the people who live within our spaces, no questions. Regular cleaning procedures, considered storage solutions, a cohesive property design, personal communications, are just a handful of examples of how we put our BEESPACE tenants first. We’re humans designing for other humans, it’s as simple as that. 

➕ be the change.

And why do we think BEESPACE is leading the way with this approach? As Mary Portas said in the above, you need a brand that is strong, and that holds emotional space in order to offer your customer a worthwhile product. We pride ourselves on this ethos, and each property we design and develop holds true to these values. By following our hearts over our pockets, we have grown a sizable and successful portfolio and have continual happy tenants who absolutely love living within our spaces. Can you say the same?

Whilst it may be true that the industry at large is inundated with substandard properties and is negatively perceived by others, all the hard work that ourselves and our friends on Instagram are doing, every consultation that we have with another passionate property developer, every time someone decides to prioritise this human-first approach, we move one step closer to fixing this industry together, one ugly property at a time! 

If you want in too, I would be more than happy to book you in for a 1-2-1 Consultancy Session, or onto the Branding & Design Discovery Program, to talk about stepping up your brand or to talk through any HMO questions and advice in order to improve your business and your products.

Let’s #bedifferent, #beoriginal, #bethechange.