There are obvious perks to shopping on the internet, not least that you have such a huge range of options at your fingertips. On the flip side however, size, colour and feel of the products you want to buy are sometimes difficult to accurately interpret from a thumbnail and have an annoying habit of falling short of expectations. And when it comes to furniture (especially for the layman) it’s a guessing game as to how a new piece will look in situ.

Furniture website MADE.com has created a website called Unboxed to show MADE products working in context, in homes. Unboxed is more like a social network; users can search with a postcode, by area or for a specific product to see who has purchased what in their neighbourhood, as well as sharing their interior design flair by uploading photos of MADE products in their homes and workplaces. Shoppers can also arrange to meet face to face to see how homes have been styled and to try out products for themselves.

It’s interesting to see this constructive use of social media creating a design-conscious community and giving a fresh perspective to inspiring interiors.