Home Interior Advocates: home is where the heart is

Blog, Influencers

In every local home interior market, there are a select few whose attention and reach are more crucial for your brand’s success than others. Our research team curates relevant press lists each week and saw an increased need for a list that selectively showcased these specific personas; Top 10 Home Interior Advocates.

The advocates we have chosen are continuously updated to reflect the markets’ climate, they are influencers and industry insiders – it’s not just about how many followers they have, it’s about who follows them and why. Read on to learn more about them and their importance.

Stuck at home?

Us too! The past several months have been full of lockdowns and stay-at-home orders all over the world, and although it’s been hard to see one another, we have all experienced living, working, and socializing in the same place – at home. Our homes have been on constant show. Whether it be on show to our bosses and colleagues, or to our friends we haven’t seen for a while, we’ve all welcomed various social circles into the corners of our homes that we’re happy to show off.

Home renovations and redecorating have been mass trends on social media recently, and why wouldn’t you want to renovate and decorate your frequently used daily spaces? (Let’s be honest, lockdown projects have been essential morale boosters.) The pandemic has actually created new, specific home interior trends:

multi-functional spaces, smart homes, white rooms with bright finishings and nature-inspired palettes are some of the top trends forecasted for 2021 by Homes & Property.

Our top home interior advocates have been some of the pioneers of not only setting these trends and promoting brands but also engaging their audiences during the difficult lockdown days. A personal connection, like the ones these advocates have created with their followers, is a marketing tool that is crucial to help you reach a broader audience of customers in markets all around Europe and the world.

It’s about being digitally active

The home interior industry has long been filled with lively events and shows, from design weeks and fairs to awards ceremonies and building openings. In lockdown or not, the industry thrives on sharing and celebrating design and artistry with the press and consumers. From a digital perspective, there are many exciting opportunities that brands can actively reach until the world goes back to normal. With more time spent at home and online, the average consumer is spending more time than ever online.

In July 2020 social media usage went up by 10.5% compared to July 2019, according to business.com.

This mass surge in SoMe use has created a boom in influencer marketing which brands should make the utmost use of – anything from brand collabs like hauls and live Q&A’s, to allowing influencers access to their assets, much like they would the press, would let these home interior advocates and influencers do the job only they can do.

SoMe advocates

Being an advocate on social media isn’t just about the number of followers you have, it’s about your engagement, your reputation, and your relationship with your audience. Home interior advocates, like fashion advocates, reflect their market in the current climate. These influencers have earned the respect of their followers in their respective markets by partnering with brands that speak to their creative style and moral values – and with social media usage climbing, these followers also consist of new and curious home interior consumers. So our advice to you is to get partnering with these top advocates.

Our Top Home Interior Advocates Picks

In the slides below you can see an example from each market, hand-curated by our research team. (1-Denmark, 2-Sweden, 3-The UK, 4-Germany, 5-France, 6-Italy, 7-The Netherlands, 8-Belgium).

DENMARK - Cathrine de Lichtenberg

Cathrine inspires her followers from her villa apartment at Frederiksberg. Her eclectic style shines through in everything she does. The apartment is a pastel dream, and white is not an option. Cathrine’s aesthetics and way of combining colors have definitely made her a Home Interior Advocate.

Sarah Friis – Danish Lifestyle Researcher

cathdelichtenberg

SWEDEN - Elsa Billgren

There is a new type of Swedish interior influencer where sustainability, DIY, and vintage are three driving forces. Elsa Billgren is a vintage lover that guides her followers through flea markets, gorgeous decorated table settings, and rooms styled with historical findings with modern elements. Elsa co-hosts the podcast ‘Billgren and Wood’ and blogs for Elle.se making her one of the top interior influencers in Sweden.

Josefine Forslund – Swedish Lifestyle Researcher

elsabillgren

THE UK - Medina Grillo

Medina is an award-winning home interior blogger, author, and content creator who focuses especially on DIY. She is behind the blog Grillo Designs where she shares tutorials on DIY, upcycling, and home improvements. She is known for her warm, eclectic style and has been featured in some of the UK’s most prominent home interior publications such as House & Home and House Beautiful.

Georgina Juel – UK Market Coordinator

grillodesigns

GERMANY - Pau

Pau, who runs the Instagram and blog boho and nordic, is one of the largest interior influencers in Germany. She focusses on Scandinavian inspired home interior and is known for her clean, yet cozy home. Pau’s followed by various German brands and magazines and has an over average engagement rate of 4,72%.

Isabelle Kube – German Lifestyle Researcher

bohoandnordic

FRANCE - Romain Costa

Romain Costa is an architect, interior designer, fashion blogger, and LGBTQ+ advocate based in Paris. He is one of the most influential interior design influencers and has collaborated with brands such as Carl Hansen & Søn, Made in Design, and Tip Toe – often showcasing his favorite furniture pieces from various designers. His Parisian apartment has been featured in many home interior publications, such as ELLE décoration and Hellø Blogzine.

Ines Boubazine – Research & Marketing Coordinator

romaincosta_

ITALY- Laura Montemurro

Most likely Italy’s largest interior design influencer, Laura Montemurro focuses on interior design and lifestyle. Based in Naples, Italy, she creates content related to interior design, home accessories, and gastronomy and her main focus is the refurbishing project of her exquisite soon-to-be bed & breakfast!

Olivia Mariani – Customer Success Consultant

laura19_11

THE NETHERLANDS - Maartje Diepstraten

Maartje Diepstraten is a Dutch interior blogger and influencer who gets her inspiration from her travels. Her style is eclectic and versatile and she shares all kinds of tips and stories on her popular blogs under the Barts Boekje umbrella. Her hone was featured on Nouveau and RTL Nieuws among others.

Wided Bouchrika – Lifestyle Researcher for Belgium and the Netherlands

bartsboekje

BELGIUM - Patricia Goijens

Patricia is an interior photographer and stylist from Antwerp and very influential in the Belgian interior design scene. She works on projects with her husband, the renowned architect Dieter Vander Velpen and with local as well as global brands like Nespresso and Bru. Both her home and her work have been featured in Belgian magazines like Flair, Knack Weekend, and Nieuwsblad Magazine, and in international online publications like MADE.com and A Beautiful Mess.

Wided Bouchrika – Lifestyle Researcher for Belgium and the Netherlands

Patriciagoijens

References: Homes & Properties: Interiors trends that will be big in 2021, business.com. What Marketers Need to Know About People’s Social Media Patterns During the Pandemic – Images: cathdelichtenberg, elsabillgren, grillodesigns, bohoandnordic, romaincosta_, laura19_11, bartsboekje, patriciagoijens

Georgina is the UK Market Coordinator at VOCAST, responsible for British fashion and lifestyle research. Along with her work at VOCAST and studies at Copenhagen Business School, she is passionate about conscious fashion reform in the industry.

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