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28th January 2021
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Kitchen TVs make handy save as World Cup kicks off
Love it or loathe it, for the next couple of months there'll be no escaping it; the 2018 World Cup is here, ready to polarise the nation's TV opinions once again.
More than 20 million UK viewers tuned in at home four years ago and there's no doubt that the tournament will be dominating the airwaves again this year. While that may be great news for football fans, it's likely to lead to disagreements in households where not everyone's as passionate about the beautiful game.
The good news is that arguments over who watches the TV are less likely to kick-off in homes across the nation during this year's tournament. That's because nearly a fifth of homeowners are using their kitchen as a second TV room, giving both fans and non-fans the chance to relax in front of a good-sized screen. In fact, research by furniture fittings and architectural hardware specialist Häfele, reveals that 18% of respondents watch the spare TV in the kitchen at least three times a week - because they don't want to watch what's on the main screen.
For those choosing to settle down in front of the kitchen TV there is no longer a sense of this being the second-best option. Today's kitchens have a very different feel, with homeowners looking for sociability and comfort rather than just a functional space for cooking and eating meals. Indeed, the Häfele survey reveals that, for many households, the kitchen is now a space that enjoys a wide variety of uses:
- Three in 10 respondents use it to do household admin at least three times a week
- A quarter consider it as the perfect place to catch up on some reading
- Just over one in 10 (13%) use it as a space to exercise.
"The kitchen has always played an important role in family life," notes Chloe Thacker, marketing director, Häfele UK. "But our survey shows that it is becoming seen as the true heart of the home, a multifunctional space for cooking, eating, working, socialising and more.
"This is welcome news for kitchen designers and retailers who have been integrating space-saving solutions for home entertainment into living spaces for a while. We've experienced increased demand for solutions, such as Häfele TV wall mounts and RingO tablet holders, that reinforce the room's multifunctional potential.
"The increasing versatility of kitchens means they now have the potential to be all things to all people. And with the World Cup kicking off, they're the perfect space for homeowners to either catch - or avoid - the big match."
15th June 2018