File this under: Things We Didn’t See Coming but Oddly Make Sense in the Dystopian Hellscape We’ve Found Ourselves In. OK, OK, perhaps that’s a touch dramatic, but as we mark the second year of the pandemic—amid an Omicron surge, with headlines declaring another variant discovered in France (though WHO says it isn’t a concern, thankfully)—it’s understandable that one of the top emerging home trends is creating a “emotional escape room” within your house.
Coined by Pinterest, the term denotes half a dozen ways people are searching to make better use of their now-not-so-used guest rooms, be it converting them into little libraries, massage rooms, music dens or crystal caverns. In fact, when the brand analyzed its global data from October 2019 to September 2021, it found searches for music-themed rooms and home massage parlors had essentially doubled, while crystal rooms had octupled. And, while we may not have the means to create a Beauty and the Beast-caliber library at home, a great deal of us dream of a reading nook to call our own: Searches for ideas to create a “tiny library room” are 12 times what they were pre-pandemic. So, what does it all mean? We’re all looking for a private sanctuary—and adding a rainfall showerhead and wine tray to our bathrooms just isn’t cutting it anymore.
Pinterest found that these searches span all age groups, noting that it points to a larger trend of creating “safe spaces for feels.”