Shanghai decoration industry recovery seen from the consumption capacity of the people

By Longer

Every industry has its own reason for existence, just as people need to eat to work. People are iron, and food is steel; without the support of steel, how can one talk about working? The development of Shanghai's decoration industry from its rise to decline, and then the change in decoration concepts brought about by the emergence of imported design styles, has made people constantly focus on one question: how to design a house suitable for oneself. Today, Shanghai Decoration Network will take everyone to review the changes in our country's decoration design in recent years, appreciate the charm of several generations of masters' decoration designs, and discuss the problems faced by the decoration industry and how to get out of the误区of decoration design. And our starting point is the consumption ability of ordinary people.

The Reason for the Existence of the Decoration Industry

Like all industries, decorative design also has its own reasons for existence. The reason why the decoration industry appeared was due to the improvement of people's consumption level. After the reform and opening up, more people owned their own enterprises and companies, and had personal space that they could freely create in their favorite style. This was particularly prominent after the 1990s. The appearance of commercial housing changed the fixed rigidity of collective housing in the past. It was precisely because of this that the decoration industry truly entered the Chinese market in the 1990s. As an economic metropolis in our country, Shanghai undoubtedly played the role of a trendsetter during this period.

Why the Decoration Industry Experienced Various Problems from Its Rise to Being Cold-Shouldered

In fact, we can understand it as the impact of China's decoration market being influenced by foreign markets. From China's accession to the WTO to today, many of the problems we face involve the balance of trade imports and exports. As a trade import and export and economic center, Shanghai naturally also suffered related impacts. For example, the start-up and prosperity of Shanghai's decoration industry from the reform and opening up to the early 1990s, and then its subsequent decline, were all influenced by foreign markets.

Entering the 21st century, with the improvement of people's material living standards, there also arose a pursuit of high-end decoration and renovation materials from abroad. For a time, Korean style, European and American styles, Japanese styles, Mediterranean-style decorations, etc., spread in Shanghai and some coastal cities with faster economic development.

The domestic decoration materials market faced severe challenges, which led to a period when the decoration industry in high-consumption big cities represented by Shanghai experienced a state of being neglected. In fact, survival of the fittest, most of those eliminated were local interior design and decoration companies. On the other hand, those who relied on imported materials from abroad for decoration design gained a large market share. This also led to the current situation where large design companies in big cities (such as Shanghai decoration companies) have established themselves or even monopolized the industry.

The Transformation of People's Consumption Concepts

From the perspective of people's consumption concepts, we can see that from the earliest self-decorating houses and offices, to later electricians and plumbers doing renovations, then pursuing decoration and renovation based on interior design, and finally pursuing foreign-style renovations, the Chinese people have been changing all the time. From an appreciation standpoint: many wealthy people's villa renovations have chosen European styles, showcasing wealth and grandeur. More apartment residents have used local interior design company model rooms as references. With the transformation of people's concepts, personalized theme decoration methods have emerged again, and at this time, so-called retro schools have appeared.

Important Factors Restricting the Development of Shanghai's Decoration Industry:

1. Actual Consumption Ability of the Common People

Everyone wants to use the best decoration materials for their homes, with the most beautiful decorative materials. But we all know that environmentally friendly, energy-saving, and exquisite materials often cost 2-5 times more than ordinary materials, or even more. Therefore, the actual consumption ability of ordinary people directly restricts the mid-to-high-end development of the decoration industry. Relatively speaking, low-end products do not experience large fluctuations in price, so the decoration industries in some medium and small cities depend on small shops and can survive. However, Shanghai's decoration design has higher requirements.

2. People's Aesthetic Concepts Require the Decoration Industry to Have Diversity

Different people have different requirements for decoration design, and their considerations for materials are also different. While chasing trends, choosing decoration design and interior design companies usually involves visiting multiple places and comparing them before making a decision. One very critical point for standing firm in the interior decoration design industry is whether the design works created by the company’s designers have mass appeal while still keeping up with the times. There are many decoration design companies in Shanghai, but there are not many designers who can achieve unique styles and maintain the design standards of masters. Therefore, designers who can keep up with the times and progress have greater competitiveness and larger market shares.

3. Malicious Competition in the Decoration Industry

Just like decoration materials, the decoration design industry also has the phenomenon of malicious competition. These phenomena often lead to designers neglecting the feelings of customers and instead focusing more on their own styles, damaging the overall reputation of the design industry. People are increasingly concerned about their own designs while ignoring the existence of the "decoration design" industry.

Overall, as a member of the world's major cities, Shanghai has many design elites and many classic works of decoration design, but whether ordinary people can accept the decoration industry in Shanghai still depends on economic growth. After all, rich people are few. Only those who can afford to buy houses would also buy the inspiration of decorators.