HomeTrend Forecast
Important Trends, Relevant news, Useful Tools and Interesting Facts
about the World of Housewares and Home Goods Marketing
From A.J. Riedel, Sr. Partner, Riedel Marketing Group

IMPORTANT TREND
Outdoor Spaces That Are as Nice as the Indoor Spaces

Upgrading the outdoor living space is a trend that has been gathering steam over the past couple of years and shows no sign of abating.

In a survey by the Michael Cohen Group, a New York-based research firm, about half of the 600 people surveyed said the outdoor space was as important as other rooms. About two-thirds – 65% – said the outdoor space was a major factor in the purchase of their home. Respondents viewed the outdoor room as a place to unwind and socialize.

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A growing number of Americans are making the “outdoor room” -- which has been characterized by home and design experts as a defined outdoor area with a cooking, eating, and sitting space -- an integral part of their home, according to the Weber Outdoor Room Tracking Study which tracks how consumers define, plan, and use their homes' outdoor space. Over one-third of outdoor room owners surveyed say that the design of this area is equally as important as the design of their homes' interior spaces. Nearly half of those surveyed who do not own an outdoor room say they are interested in having one (44%) and of those, 28% say that they are at least somewhat likely to create an outdoor room. Importantly, over a third of outdoor room owners say that this space adds to their quality of life.

HIPsters, as usual, are at the forefront of the trend: The vast majority of HIPsters already have a back patio or deck and those who don’t are planning to add a back patio or deck. 65% of the HIPsters have made improvements to their back patios or decks or are planning back patio or deck improvement projects in the next year.

Not surprisingly, with these fancy new patios and decks, Americans are grilling more. According to the NPD Group’s annual Eating Patterns in America report, outdoor grill usage has steadily climbed over the past 20 years. According to the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association, a record 17.2 million grills were shipped in 2006, a 15% increase compared to 2005. It is the fastest year-to-year growth since the HPBA began measuring grill shipments back in 1985.