1. Look & Feel: Livable Spaces
Today's consumers want to envision their own lives within the spaces they see in ads. The trend of showcasing livable spaces—aspirational homes that feel realistic and attainable—continues to resonate. Instead of high-end penthouses with city skyline views, think cozy living rooms, well-appointed kitchens, and inviting bedrooms. These settings should strike a balance: while they’re tastefully styled and curated, they should feel like someone could actually live there.
In recent years, there has been a noticeable shift towards darker, moodier interiors that blend modern furniture with traditional elements. Incorporate this aesthetic into your ads to align with current design trends. Use rich color palettes—deep greens, navy blues, and charcoal grays—and pair them with natural textures like wood, leather, and linen. These choices create depth and warmth, making spaces feel inviting and lived-in.
2. People, Pets, and Plants
Including people, pets, and plants in your ads adds visual interest and provides additional context. For example, a person sitting in a chair or a pet lounging on a sofa gives a sense of scale, helping potential customers visualize how these items might fit into their own homes. Moreover, kids and pets subtly convey the durability and quality of the furniture, suggesting that these pieces are robust enough to withstand daily life.
Plants bring a sense of freshness and vitality to a room, further humanizing the space and making it feel more realistic. Incorporating greenery is a simple way to enhance the overall look while keeping the focus on the furniture.
3. Accessorize with Desired Objects
Accessorizing furniture with carefully chosen objects can elevate the appeal of your ads. Think about elements that not only complete the scene but also add a layer of aspirational desirability. Examples include luxurious bedding on a bed, marble trays and chic drinkware on coffee tables, or stylish lotion bottles and jewelry on nightstands. These details help create a lifestyle around the furniture, suggesting to consumers that by purchasing these pieces, they're buying into a certain aesthetic and way of life.
4. Room Shots vs. Detail Shots
A well-rounded advertising campaign should include both room shots and detail shots. Room shots provide a holistic view, showcasing furniture in context and how different pieces can be styled together. They help customers visualize the entire scene and get a sense of how a particular sofa, table, or chair fits into a room.
Detail shots, on the other hand, zoom in on specific angles, textures, or unique features of a product. They’re essential for highlighting craftsmanship and material quality. Combining both types of shots gives consumers a comprehensive understanding of the product, catering to those who want to see the bigger picture as well as those interested in finer details.
5. Stop Motion for a Playful Touch
Adding a touch of playfulness to your ads can be achieved through stop motion. This technique involves shooting a scene with one element that changes position, adding movement to otherwise static visuals. Stop motion consistently delivers strong performance because it captures attention and conveys a story in a concise and engaging way. Imagine a table setting that changes from breakfast to dinner or a series of pillows that rearrange themselves on a sofa. These small animations bring your products to life and create a more dynamic ad experience.
6. People Going About Their Day
Feature people interacting with your furniture in everyday scenarios. This isn't about the classic "assembly video" often seen in influencer content; rather, it's about portraying the lifestyle your products facilitate. Show individuals relaxing on a sofa with a book, working at a stylish desk, or gathering around a dining table with friends. These scenarios paint a picture of an aspirational lifestyle, helping consumers envision how their lives could look with your furniture.
7. Short & Sweet Video Content
Short videos—ranging from 5 to 10 seconds—are highly effective in capturing attention, especially on social media platforms where users are accustomed to quick, engaging content. These videos can play with lighting, focus on a single angle or aspect of a product, or highlight a detail like the texture of fabric or the smoothness of a table’s surface. Pairing these quick clips with still photography can create a more immersive ad experience.
8. Whitespace and Room to Crop
Incorporating whitespace and leaving room for cropping in your images is crucial for flexible ad design. Whitespace allows for text overlays, essential for promotional messaging, and ensures that images can be adapted to different ad formats (square, horizontal, vertical) without losing key visual elements. This flexibility ensures that your ads are versatile and can be used across various platforms and formats.
9. Film All Room Scenes
Whenever you are photographing a room, consider filming it as well. Even a simple sweeping motion across a product or focusing on a specific angle can add value. These video snippets can be delivered unedited and woven into other marketing materials, providing a richer storytelling experience when combined with still photography and other video content.
As Q4 approaches, the competition for consumer attention will intensify. By adopting these creative ad recommendations, furniture and design brands can differentiate themselves and create a memorable impact. It's about showcasing products within a lifestyle context, emphasizing quality and durability, and capturing the essence of real, livable spaces. Whether through room shots, detail shots, or dynamic stop motion, the key is to tell a compelling story that resonates with your audience and inspires them to envision your furniture as part of their everyday lives.
