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#NEWDIMENSION HOME ACCORDING TO HOMI

Loved, celebrated and rediscovered: home is the stage for this period in our shared history. HOMI offers suggestions on how best to experience it and transform it with your creativity

Milan, 16 April 2020. Rediscovered, re-adapted, lived in now more than ever: our homes are at the centre of our attention, both as refuge and response to our current situation.

HOMI, the lifestyle exhibition which returns to Fiera Milano on 19 to 22 September 2020 with HOMI Outdoor HOME&DEHORS, invites to play with staying at home and transform the spaces and objects that give life to the home, inspired by pleasure and creativity.

Just a few changes are enough to avoid the boredom of routine without the need to escape the kitchen, living room or balcony. Home can find new life, new dimensions, many of them completely new and never before experienced, and staying at home can turn out to be an enjoyable and unexpected opportunity.

Combining the experience of these weeks with the know-how of industry experts, HOMI recounts the stay-at-home experience and offer suggestions on how to make the most of your time at home.

THE HOME OF CREATIVITY AND DIY

Equipped kitchens and much more: staying at home allows us to discover a whole range of opportunities for trying out old and new skills. From your favourite dishes to drawings, artefacts to small inventions, the time we spend at home can be an opportunity for creativity. For lovers of the kitchen, HOMI suggests focussing on table settings and being creative with table fabrics and accessories.

In linen and cotton, plain or decorative, table cloths, together with napkins and runners, can stimulate your creativity in setting the table, combined with plates, glasses and cutlery. A play of colours, an unusual combination makes sitting at table a new experience every day.

The final touch is candles: small and soft for a romantic evening, large and colourful for lighting the terrace or garden after dinner. And don’t forget home fragrances: now available in sophisticated vessels with innovative forms and materials, they can be fully-fledged home decorations capable of evoking the atmospheres we long for during lockdown – a walk in the country, a day at the beach, or a fruit tree in flower. Such sensations are very important – recent studies have shown that the sense of smell is linked directly to the unconscious, and can even change our mood.

THE HOME WORKPLACE

Working from home is certainly convenient and uncomplicated, but it can still be very stressful. Dedicating a corner of the house to work and making it comfortable and pleasant helps us to face our work with greater tranquillity. Even if a fixed area is not available, it is best not to limit the workplace to just the computer: a small index card box or stationary area enables us to focus and concentrate better on our work, wherever we are. Ergonomics is essential: it is important to have a comfortable chair and a work surface at the right height, especially during long periods of work.

THE HOUSE OF KNOWLEDGE

Online lessons are changing the way our children interact with their schools. Whenever possible, it is best to set up a proper study area: identifying a place with school and studies allows students to unplug at the end of their lessons and return to their private lives without stress.

Along with silence and proper lighting, the study area should also offer the student everything they need for their work, including teaching materials. The essential ingredients of a study area include an adjustable desk lamp, and a bookshelf or storage containers for school equipment and books. Old encyclopaedias, brought down from the top shelves where no-one ever uses them, can also be a discovery at this time, offering unexpected opportunities for study as an alternative to the now ubiquitous digital world.   

THE HOME AS STAGE

In this period, many artists are enhancing their social profiles and TV connection to show that home can be a stage for music, song, display and fun, with a direct connection to the online world. HOMI recommends a well-lit stage, with natural lighting, if at all possible, if you want to imitate your influencers. Musicians should have the closest wall at their back and not facing them, to avoid disturbing echo when using their smartphone or tablet microphone. Use furnishings and backdrops to decorate your stage.

THE HOME OF AWARENESS

We’ll get our lives back. Families and individuals will soon return to their everyday lives, both at home and outside. For the moment, HOMI invites you all to obey the rules and make every day at home a new experience.

When it’s all over, we’ll look with gratitude at the rooms that housed us – and our many moods – so well. And maybe we’ll reward them with some new furnishings and accessories, inspired by a new awareness of how important they are to us.

When you’re ready, we’ll be here. We look forward to seeing you at HOMI, 19 to 22 September 202