Customers prefer bigger dining tables as they work from home

The furniture customers have changed the most during the COVID-19 pandemic were dining tables. According to The Dong-A Ilbo’s research of furniture sales growth by item three years before and after the outbreak of COVID-19, the growth of dining tables both in sales and size was noticeable.

According to the analysis of Hanssem’s furniture sales by item from 2020 when COVID-19 broke out in South Korea to the first half of 2021, the sales of dining tables grew 53 percent in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year, followed by furniture for study (40 percent), mattress (20 percent), and sofa (12 percent).

The survey of Hyundai Livart’s sales by item from January 2020 to June 2021 also had similar results. Kitchen furniture, including dining tables, grew 36 percent on average every quarter since the outbreak of COVID-19, recording the highest growth rate among all categories.

In particular, customers’ preference for bigger dining tables is noticeable. According to Hyundai Livart, six-person dining tables grew the most at 25 percent compared to the pre-COVID-19 period in the kitchen furniture category. An employee at the company said it is unprecedented that six-person dining tables are gaining popularity as the item was previously less sought after. The employee added that single and two-person households seek four-seat dining tables and four-person households look for six-seat ones, showing customers’ preference for bigger dining tables.

Experts say that such a trend reflects an indoor lifestyle that has completely changed since COVID-19. “The rest function, which was served by a living room equipped with TV and sofa, moved to bedrooms,” said Professor Lee Eun-hee of Department of Consumer Science at Inha University. “Now a living room has become a multi-purpose space where people work, study, and do hobbies at a dining table.” “As the home has become a multi-faceted space where people spend time with family and friends, key pieces of furniture will continue to become larger,” said Professor Lee Jun-young of the Department of Economics and Finance at Sangmyung University.


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