Carpeted garages, hardworking entryways and side hustles – IKEA reveals how New Zealand homes differ from the rest of the world

13 August 2024: Ahead of its arrival in late 2025, the furniture giant has undertaken extensive research to understand what life at home is like for everyday New Zealanders, well before any products hit the shelves, and has discovered that the way New Zealanders live is unlike anywhere else in the world.

IKEA has found that some of the most defining characteristics of the Kiwi home include carpeted garages, cluttered entryways, sentimental items on display and space for side hustles. In addition to big dreams for kitchens with better storage and renovations that embrace the Kiwi love of the outdoors. 

Knocking on the front door of 500 homes across Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington over three weeks, IKEA learnt first-hand about what life at home in New Zealand is really like by peeking into cupboards, opening drawers and looking under beds. IKEA spoke with Kiwi families, share houses, singles and couples to understand how people feel about their homes, including what their needs, dreams and frustrations are.  

IKEA visits tens of thousands of real homes every year to discover how people live in what is known as ‘Home Visits’, with findings published in the IKEA Life at Home Report. The first ever New Zealand edition is based on a first-hand Home Visits study of 500 New Zealand homes, together with quantitative research involving over 37,000 participants worldwide, including 506 New Zealanders.  

The top insights from the IKEA New Zealand Life at Home Report reveal:   

• 93% of garages aren’t for cars but are instead carpeted and repurposed as an extension of the home for storage, laundry, work, exercise, hobbies, children’s play and more. 

• 88% of homes struggle with crowded entryways with no solutions for shoes, bags, coats, hats, prams, keys and more that are taken off at the door.  

• 48% of homes encounter challenges with kitchen storage. This, as well as the love for cooking at home, puts kitchen renovations at the top of the dream to do list for Kiwis.  

• 43% of New Zealanders want their ideal home to help them save or earn money, so side hustles are common, with spare rooms and granny flats commonly converted into rental spaces. 

• 35% of New Zealanders are growing their own fruit and veggie gardens outside as the shift towards sustainable living grows and many look to tackle expensive grocery bills. 

• 31% of New Zealanders say displaying their personality at home is a top contributor to their sense of belonging, so showcasing personal and sentimental items in open areas of the home like the living room is common. 

• 56% of Kiwis prefer to air dry their clothes.  

• 45% of Kiwis find cooking and eating homemade meals makes them feel the most content and at ease at home, and our home visits revealed this is more common than having takeout.   

• 44% of Kiwi pet owners spend time with their pets as a main source of enjoyment and 29% of pet owners say their pets rule their homes. 15% also admit to enjoying watching their pets sleep.   

• 36% of Kiwis sometimes dance or sing when no one is around, higher than the global average of 30%. 

• 30% of New Zealanders say having their favourite pillow is key in getting a good night’s sleep. 

Mirja Viinanen, CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer for IKEA Australia and New Zealand says, "We want to enter the New Zealand market in the best way possible and so our first step is to deeply understand life at home here. Our IKEA product range maybe the same all over the world, but the insights we have discovered from the very first New Zealand Life At Home Report help us create solutions tailored specifically for New Zealand homes, so that when people step into our showroom, visit us online, or shop remotely, they will they see themselves with our range, in what feels like home.”

Christine Gough, Home Furnishing & Retail Design Leader for IKEA Australia and New Zealand who led the study says Kiwi homes are some of the most unique in the world. "IKEA has been visiting real people in real homes since the 1970s, and we’re incredibly proud to be the only home furnishing retailer in the world to do this.  “What we discover when we do Home Visits is that people all over the world do similar things in their home, but the way they do them is vastly different. One of the best examples of this that surprised us is how we kept seeing carpeted garages. For New Zealanders, the garage is considered an extension of the home where many activities happen, and this is different to the way the garage is other countries as just a car parking space.”  

The IKEA New Zealand Life at Home Report is available to explore and download from 13 August 2024 at https://www.ikea.com/nz/en/life-at-home/