It certainly goes without saying that 2020 has been a year of unprecedented disruption, change, and challenges for all of us.
The vast majority of New Zealanders have collectively placed their health at the top of their priorities – and rightly so. They’ve also been mindful of keeping those with whom they make contact including our most vulnerable, protected.
The overwhelming majority of us observed the required protocols with regard to social distancing and use of protective masks when out and about and we’ve now become quite accustomed to it. In fact, it’s quite probable that once the world is eventually Covid-free, mask wearing to protect our at-risk people will remain quite a normal part of life.
We do have a massive advantage over many countries in that we are a small island nation situated remotely at the bottom of the planet and therefore it was relatively easy to insulate ourselves from Covid.
In the face of the global pandemic life has had to go on and people have had to earn a living wherever possible. Many businesses have been hit hard whether they be larger organizations or the many small-medium sized businesses which dominate the commercial landscape in New Zealand.
Many businesses made rapid and imaginative adjustments to their operational style as soon as the first Covid-related lockdown period was initiated. Whilst the majority of manufacturing and installation functions had to be placed on hold, those in clerical as well as some sales roles were able to operate remotely from home offices. Indeed, there has consequently been an unsurprising spike in demand for cleverly designed functional workspaces from which such folk can operate from their homes.
This increased trend towards people spending more of their time working from home (both by necessity during the lockdown periods and subsequently by choice), has not only generated this greater demand for bespoke home office fit-outs but has also put the focus of homeowners on ways to enhance and improve other areas of their homes. This has created high demand for custom designed wardrobes and other storage facilities to improve a home’s functionality.