The sneaky ‘silent protest’ being staged in four out of 10 homes
Some version of the 'drawer of doom' is common across the world. Photo: Canva
Swedish furniture giant Ikea says it has uncovered a “silent protest” in nearly four out of 10 homes – and it’s all about mess.
“In 38 per cent of homes, someone is quietly leaving things out and hoping someone else will deal with it. (They won’t.),” the company said.
“Welcome to the silent protest.”
The finding is one of many in the furniture behemoth’s Store Organise Report 2026: Finding Meaning in the Mess.
The report is based on a YouGov survey from April of 31,488 people across 31 markets — including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, the US and much of Europe.
It found that clutter creates real tension in homes around the world.
The kitchen benchtop was identified as a particular source of tension. Nearly a quarter of respondents (24 per cent) said it was the hardest place to keep clutter-free and 37 per cent said it was the most likely to cause an argument.
Ikea found that one in 10 of us even use the oven for storage – rising to 21 per cent in South Korea. Somewhere, someone’s about to get a very unpleasant surprise.
It said with living spaces getting smaller, there had been a clear shift towards “meaningful mess”: Owning with intention, keeping what holds value.
“People aren’t chasing a perfect home anymore. They want a home that feels like them — one that holds their stories, their memories, the things that matter,” Ingka Group (Ikea) home and furnishing and retail design manager Licca Li said.
“What we keep says a lot about who we are. It was never just stuff. At Ikea, we believe everyone deserves a home that works for them.”
The YouGov survey found that 82 per cent of us keep things purely for sentimental reasons, even if they’re rarely used or hidden away. Further, more than one in four of us (26 per cent) – and more men than women – keep hidden mementoes from previous relationships
The study also found that 68 per cent of households have a “drawer of doom” that houses things that have no other natural home. It identified one particular use for the drawer of doom – and one favourite user.
“Inside? Cables, mostly. 54 per cent of boomer men still keep them for gadgets they no longer own,” the report said.
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