If you're addicted to adding filters to your Instagram snaps, and wish you could always see the world in grainy high contrast or with that sun-kissed glow, help may be at hand. As part of the government's Happy Homes initiative, which will see swathes of ailing council blocks retrofitted with colourful cladding panels and wood-effect flooring over the next five years, tenants will also be given the chance to transform their windows with the application of a tinted filter.
Dubbed Instawindow, the product is aimed at combatting the stress and anxiety that comes with living in dilapidated, often over-crowded local authority housing estates, with a simple wipe-clean adhesive film.
“The Instawindow is designed to transform even the bleakest views of post-industrial wastelands into picture-postcard visions that you'll be dying to share with your friends,” says Daisy Faropoll, head of brand at Happy Homes. “Whether you prefer that permanent sunset look, or like your colours super-saturated, our range of filters caters to every mood. And with an easy-peel backing, you can keep mixing it up and curate your own personalised viewscape each day.”
Initially trialled across a number of outer London boroughs, the filters are named after iconic destinations, from Edmonton Green, which adds a faintly pastoral haze to the view, to the more moody Haringrey, which strengthens overcast skies and brings an element of gritty urban mystique to the surrounding scene. Some residents will be treated to the additional wildcard bonus filter of Lolcatford, which comes complete with a smiling kitten decal to cheer up every vista.
“The possibilities are only limited by our residents' imagination,” says Faropoll. “You could even stick the filter over the bathroom mirror to create an Instagram selfie effect.”
During the launch week, tenants will be asked to compete by posting photos using the #Instawindow hashtag, with all pictures crowdsourced on to an online community hub. “We see it as a way of strengthening bonds between estranged neighbours and bringing a healthy dose of inter-borough rivalry,” says Faropoll, adding that the best images will be blown up and used to decorate the hoardings for forthcoming estate renewal projects.
“It's a win-win solution,” she adds. “The filters have been clinically proven to boost residents' morale, combatting seasonal affective disorder and sick building syndrome, as well as improving their perception of the surrounding area. It has brought huge cost savings too: why spend money upgrading the built environment, when it can all be brightened up with a simple strip of coloured plastic film?”
