How to Turn a Cutting Board into a Best-Seller in a Few Steps?
Recently, the “Mickey Rubberwood Cutting Board,” newly launched at Sam’s Club, faced another wave of frantic buying. This collaborative home product from SUNDAY HOME and Mickey has generated a flood of comments on social media platforms like “It’s going to sell out” and “Get it now,” driving sales to soar to 40,000 units.
In fact, this isn’t the first time SUNDAY HOME has created a best-seller with its Mickey series at Sam’s Club. Before the “cutting board frenzy,” other Mickey series items from SUNDAY HOME, such as the Mickey Step Stool and the Mickey Hug Bucket, also experienced a “sold out upon restocking” phenomenon. In recent years, more and more artists and trendy brands have started “invading” the home goods industry. Trendy home lifestyle choices have become the fashion pick for many consumers. Evan Tse, the founder of the rapidly rising trendy art lifestyle home brand SUNDAY HOME, has a unique approach to integrating art and everyday life.
Part 01
Trends in Modern Home Living
Making Things “Interesting” is Crucial
The rise of the “pleasure economy” has brought trendy home decor into everyday life. When trends become a lifestyle, creating beautiful scenes that reflect contemporary aesthetic awareness is what the public seeks.
Q1: What inspired the creation of the SUNDAY HOME brand?
Evan: Since 2018, we began exploring consumer upgrades, aiming to make art accessible in everyday life. We pursued various combinations of consumer upgrades and commercialization, including independent brands in dining, art, trendy IPs, and new retail, as well as offline composite experience spaces. New retail, particularly during the peak years of trendy toys, was a major focus. Trendy toys represent a significant product of current consumer upgrades, highly popular among young people. These toys bring spiritual and social value, so we started thinking about how to integrate these core values into more living scenarios. Trendy artistic home goods with IP attributes will become essential in the daily lives of this demographic.
Q2: Whether based on lifestyle concepts in the broad home or art sectors, can you summarize the brand philosophy of SUNDAY HOME in a few keywords?
Evan: Attractive, meaningful, and fun. Just like the criteria young people use to choose a partner, we aim to capture the preferences of today’s youth by adding emotional value and personal values to each piece in the home lifestyle category. The core of how our products can bring emotional value is encapsulated in our slogan: “Starting from creativity, making everyday household essentials fun.”
Part 02
IP Empowerment
Attractiveness = Design, Meaning = Spiritual Core, Fun = Creativity
New Thinking for Breaking Industry Boundaries in Home Décor
IP empowers the spiritual core of products, and commercialization of products, in turn, empowers artists. Targeting the spiritual values pursued by the ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s generations, SUNDAY HOME has its own more “immersive” approach for breaking through traditional boundaries in the home décor industry.
Q1: Can you share some of your favorite or interesting products from the SUNDAY HOME series? Are there any lesser-known thoughts behind them?
Evan: Mickey is a character full of positive energy, but when 100 hands cover Mickey’s ears, eyes, and mouth, it creates an entirely new feeling. Through this sculpture installation, “HANDS Project,” we aim to convey the concept of “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil,” blocking interference and expressing oneself.
We are constantly listening to others’ opinions of us, seeing the world others present to us, and saying things that are not true to ourselves. How the external world affects us depends on how we perceive it. This is the spiritual core conveyed by our trendy home art pieces: to cast aside identity anxieties and pursue self without distraction. In this age of information overload, it’s about blocking out the noise and letting go of anxiety over results.
Q2: Does the market value of an IP become the primary factor in co-developing products? What criteria does SUNDAY HOME use when selecting artists/IPs for product development?
Evan: Catering to preferences is the key to breaking through. Attractiveness, meaning, and fun are essential—attractiveness equals design, meaning equals the spiritual core of the IP, and fun equals creativity. All three are indispensable. When selecting artists or IPs for product development, we consider all three aspects comprehensively.
Q3: How does SUNDAY HOME explore more possibilities in trendy art lifestyle through artist collaborations and IP empowerment? Are there any new eye-catching ideas reflected in the practicality and fun of product design?
Evan: When every product in our home life is imbued with an interesting soul, our daily lives become more enjoyable and fulfilling. This spread of happiness will far exceed our expectations. This year, SUNDAY HOME will continue to introduce the Disney series and collaborate with more top IPs and artists to develop trendy art home products.
In terms of product design, we’re constantly pushing the envelope on practicality and fun. By combining innovative designs with the functional aspects of daily home items, we ensure that our products are not only visually appealing but also highly useful. Our aim is to make each piece a conversation starter, adding an element of joy and creativity to everyday living. Whether it’s through unique design elements or playful touches, we’re committed to making home life more vibrant and exciting.
Part 03
Vertical Trendy Art Lifestyle
Creating a Trendy Version of “IKEA Home”
Using affordable art to create a broad art lifestyle. Trendy art serves as a catalyst and a bridge, taking art out of the “white box” and closer to everyday life, particularly appealing to a new generation of young consumers who seek inner self-value. SUNDAY HOME has paved its own way in integrating contemporary and trendy art lifestyles.
Q1: Home market vs. art market, what are SUNDAY HOME’s short-term goals? Or on the ideal path to “artistic cohabitation,” in which areas will SUNDAY HOME continue to focus its efforts?
Evan: The traditional home market needs innovation, creating content products that appeal to younger consumers to attract their attention. The traditional art market needs to be more accessible, offering home products that young consumers can afford, truly bringing art into everyday life.
SUNDAY HOME aims to be the bridge between traditional home and traditional art, bringing products that combine IP content, artistic style, practicality, and high cost-performance to a broader audience.
Q2: From opening the first store in Shenzhen’s MAP Art Commercial Space to now having multiple popular products at Sam’s Club, how is SUNDAY HOME leading a new trend consumption model while breaking the traditional home boundaries?
Evan: SUNDAY HOME is pioneering a new trend consumption model by merging art and home decor, making art accessible and functional for everyday use. By collaborating with well-known IPs and artists, we create unique products that resonate with younger consumers. Our approach combines aesthetic appeal with practicality, ensuring that each product is not only visually attractive but also functional and affordable. This strategy not only attracts a broader audience but also fosters a deeper connection between consumers and art, making it an integral part of their daily lives.
Evan: IP, Art, and Unique Aesthetics
Evan: IP, art, and unique aesthetics are the core standards for contemporary and future consumer choices. To create products that resonate with consumers, we must first understand their preferences. Trendy art expressions address their key concerns, making it essential to cater to these needs. Regardless of the type of IP, artist, event, exhibition, or consumer scenario, meeting this need is fundamental. SUNDAY HOME aims to present trendy art expressions across various dimensions—from graphics to spaces to products—aspiring to become the “IKEA” of the vertical trendy art lifestyle home category.