Virtual reality has eluded consumers for years. Devices were in perpetual beta testing, and real-world applications beyond gaming and digital arts remained scarce. But IKEA’s new virtual kitchen showroom may herald a new era in which VR finally becomes commonplace.

2015 will see an avalanche of virtual reality devices appear in the mass market, with the likes of Sony, Google, Facebook and Microsoft targeting gamers across the globe. The technology may now be an attainable reality, but will it be used for anything beyond video games?

Homes built with insulated walls, featuring built-in bars and situated in urban locations in the vicinity of craft ale breweries may sound like the kind of properties middle- and upper-class 30-somethings move into to raise children. But this is increasingly the face of student accommodation.

Three-quarters of young Britons would like to buy their own property within the next five years, but the cut-throat nature of the market and the complexity of getting a mortgage may hinder their plans. How might the increasing digitisation of the real estate sector make home-buying less daunting?