Reflexive renovation and the future of household sustainability: The role of media and imagination in household consumption

Abstract

AbstractRecent scholarship illustrates the significant role media content plays in shaping home renovation outcomes, suggesting additional focus on the media–renovation dynamic is warranted in the face of increasing household consumption. Examining the reflexive characteristics of media‐engaged practices in renovation reveals the ways in which future household consumption practices are imagined and materially scripted during the design and construction phases of home renovation. Understanding these activities has the potential to contribute to the environmental sustainability of homes. The prolific nature of Australian home renovation activity is evident in the AU$33.3 billion spent annually and the diverse and widespread engagement with renovation media by homeowners. Television programmes, magazine content, websites, and apps reflect socio‐cultural trends towards large floor areas and additional energy‐intensive devices. Based on in‐depth interviews with 22 home renovators across Victoria, Australia, this article examines how media script the spatial and material dimensions of homes during renovation. Drawing on a social practices understanding of social life in households, the article uses the concept of reflexivity in renovation practices to show how renovators engage with media when reimagining their homes during renovations, subsequently shaping future practices and sustainability outcomes. Analysis demonstrates that features such as butler's pantries, back decks, and upgrades in appliances are in part scripted by the imagination–media dynamic. An argument is made for renovation media content to include a sustainability dimension in keeping with the key aspirations of homeowners—socially acceptable, aesthetically pleasing, financially efficient, and thermally comfortable homes.