Home Sweet Scroll: How Social Media Impacts Our Life at Home

Social media, cost of living and inflation. What do all of these things have in common? They greatly influenced the way people approached their lives at home this year. 

To see the full picture of how people are approaching life at home in 2022 and beyond, we analyzed 3.9 million Taskrabbit bookings from the last 12 months to gain insight into trending tasks, and conducted a global survey to dive deeper into the impetus and impact of social media zeitgeists.

We also looked at social media platforms and trending hashtags to understand the popularity of specific home and interior trends as these platforms have become the go-to way for consumers to research home decor ideas. 

If yesterday’s trends all fit nicely into a box called minimalism, this year we’re throwing that box out the window — a curved, stained-glass window. Today, interiors are as unique as the people who live in them — from living walls to statement ceilings and clashing colors, textures and patterns — with every room presenting an opportunity to express a different dimension of your personality.

Let’s dive in!

We found that 54% of people care about having a home that will look good on their social media platforms. Although each country finds inspiration from a range of different resources, 26% of the world turns to TikTok for their style guidance, and we expect the influence of this newer-kid-on-the-block to keep growing into 2023.

2022: The Year In Review

Wellness Interiors

The world outside our homes has felt overwhelming at times. This has influenced our interior decisions, with people reporting that the most important thing about their home is that it is cozy and welcoming (94%). An environment geared to facilitate healthy living can make a huge difference to mental well-being. Booking requests mentioning the word “wellness” were up by just shy of 200% globally, with specific booking requests including music rooms, meditation spaces, libraries and home gyms. Book handyperson help.

Keeping it Curvaceous 

Experts believe that including curves and round shapes in our interiors could improve well-being. This is because rounded, smooth shapes are pleasing to look at, evoking emotional responses such as calmness and contentness. Who doesn’t want to feel that way in their own home?! This trend can be brought to life by installing archways or curved windows, or in a more simple way with rounded furniture pieces or curvaceous mirrors as a statement. On TikTok, creating a statement arched paint feature was ‘in vogue’ this year – a fifth (23%) of TikTok users tried this in their own homes last year. Book painting help.

You Are What You Hang On Your Walls 

There is a growing trend for filling the walls of our homes with art and shelving, demonstrating your personality by putting your paintings and paperbacks on display. Globally, we are moving away from sleek, minimalistic interiors, with this falling to the bottom of the list of factors people care about when designing their home. As part of this shift, we observed a 25% uplift in mounting requests year-over-year. Book mounting help.

Homemade art always adds a personal touch to any room but people are getting more creative with this by using textures such as plaster. Take a large canvas, a tub of plaster and a scraper and you’ve got yourself a DIY work of art. These textured canvases are popping up all over social media, with tutorials showing you how to get the look at home. Those inspired may need some help hanging them on the wall, which is where Taskers can lend their expertise. Book mounting help.

Statement Ceilings

White ceilings are so 2021. A growing number of people opted to paint or wallpaper their ceilings this year – with more than a fifth of survey respondents saying they have tried this trend in the last 12 months. This is a great way to create a really interesting space, especially when people play with texture too. Whether that’s via paneling, beams, plaster or statement lighting, ceilings are finally getting the love that walls have seen for years. Book decorating help.

Homes That Spark Joy

Another huge TikTok trend in 2022 was focused on getting organized, whether that’s sorting out closets or filling fridges and pantries with immaculate storage containers. General requests for organization help rose 37% year-over-year and cleaning bookings spiked by 55%. Mentions of the word “restock” soared by 165% thanks to the endlessly satisfying social craze. Book organizing help.

Taskrabbit’s Trend Predictions for 2023

Cluttercore

An anti-minimalism movement is sweeping through our homes, with #cluttercore racking up 74 million views on TikTok and 22% of users saying they want to bring this trend to life in their home. We forecast that the maximalism zeitgeist will play out via statement flooring, decorative accents, clashing colors, textures and patterns. Kitsch is the new black.

Wrap, don’t scrap

With budgets looking tighter for the year ahead, larger scale home renovation projects are likely going on the backburner. But there are still ways to refresh a room without needing to start from scratch. People will be updating their interiors in savvy, scrappy ways — with trends already emerging on the platform for using tile stickers to refresh backsplashes (+112%), wrapping kitchen cabinets instead of replacing them (+250%), and replacing cupboard handles to give the space a fresh look (+63%).

Energy-efficient interiors 

With the cost of living crisis front of mind, and energy bills soaring this winter, people are taking steps to reduce energy bills. We forecast this influencing interior design choices in the months ahead, with 98% of those surveyed stating they plan to make changes to their home to help reduce energy bills. 

Smart home installations are already on the rise! Taskrabbit bookings are up 45%, while requests for putting up wall paneling are up 83%. Not only does this add character and personality to walls, but it’s also a great way to insulate the home, so this interior statement is expected to be all the rage in 2023.

Biophilic Design

Bringing the outside in isn’t a new concept, but it’s getting an all-new, dramatic makeover in 2023. While interest in indoor plants is waning (-4% requests mentioning houseplants), requests for living walls have surged by 76%.

As part of our desire to connect with nature, there will be a surge in indoor water fountains being installed, along with an increased demand for natural materials in the home, such as hemp, bamboo and rattan. Book yard work help.

Cozy Aesthetics 

Taking inspiration from the Japanese concept of ‘momijigari’, celebrating all things autumnal and cozy, we are predicting a rise in warmer tones throughout our homes in 2023. Grey and white interiors will start to take a backseat as people shift towards a desire to introduce warmth.

Bookings for indoor painting that mention warm colors such as terracotta, sunset and burnt orange are already trending up, with 38% of those surveyed saying they plan to introduce these shades to their walls next year. 

The Way We Task

Amid inflation and looming news of a recession, the concept of a side hustle is going from buzzword to reality. Our global community of Taskers grew by a whopping 4x year-over-year in 2022, with big growth forecasted in the year ahead too, as 36% of respondents shared that the cost of living crisis has made them consider taking up a side hustle.

Young adults also aren’t going to let financial woes get in their way. We saw a 48% rise in active Taskers between the ages of 20-29 on our platform, showing that young people are prioritizing their financial freedom like never before. 

And which metros show the most appreciation to Taskers for a job well done? Below are the US cities with the most generous tippers:

  • Des Moines
  • Wichita
  • Albuquerque
  • Oklahoma City
  • San Antonio

We’re all in this together: Become a Tasker or book your first Task today! 

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