A survey of the UK's home habits
The nature of our homes is changing faster than ever before. Homes are getting smaller and smarter, cleaner and greener, more intimate and personal. They are becoming both a reflection of our character and a foundation for emotional wellbeing. The notion of ‘’home’ is going from simple space to personal place.
We surveyed 3,000 people in the UK to find get a snapshot of their home habits.
Desire for renovation
You may be surprised at just how many of Britain’s homes are in need of a little sprucing up. Around two-thirds of the people surveyed (66%) said they want to update their homes. When it came to TLC, 56% of people raised their hands to say their homes were in need of some. But the shocking revelation comes from the 10% of people that said their home reallyneeds work — that’s 2.71 million households in the UK!
Green with relaxation
We’re inspired by the outside world. So much so, that 33% of us prefer to renovate our homes in springtime when a feeling of renewal is in the air. And despite our infamous British weather, we don’t let a spot of rain put us off enjoying a bit of nature. In fact, over 80% of people across the UK say that having outdoor space is important to them.
So why is it that we value our gardens so much? Well, 44% said that the garden makes them feel relaxed, 33% said it makes them feel happy, and 21% said their garden makes them feel creative. What’s more, a green-fingered 10% of us say the garden is the space we’re most proud of. With that in mind, it’s no wonder the UK remains very much in love with the idea of having a little piece of the great outdoors to call their own.
Untidy space, happy place?
According to our survey, 45% of people only clean or tidy once a week — even if a messy room makes them feel stressed. For some, cleaning is a far less frequent activity: 5% only clean or tidy every few months, it may sound like a small percentage but that’s 1.4m UK homes!
Surprisingly, 7% of people said a messy room actually makes them feel happy. But could it be that this love of clutter is actually a love of being surrounded by meaningful things? 64% of people avoid throwing things away because they have sentimental value. Messy rooms affected female respondents more than male, with 74% of women reporting a stressful reaction to mess compared with just 55% of men.
Entertaining guests
It seems our desire to entertain guests in the dining room has become a thing of the past. Although we associate both this room and the kitchen with entertaining, 65% of us still prefer to spend time with guests in the living room.
In a bid to make a great impression, nine out of ten of us clean the house before our guests arrive. This includes those respondents that said a messy room makes them happy, 89% of which are willing to sacrifice their happiness for the sake of their visitors! Tidy or not, though, it’s not access all areas for guests — one in four of us (25%) said we wouldn’t want guests to see our bedrooms.
Moods across the home
Three quarters (76%) of people think that the layout of a room has an effect on how they feel. Interestingly, people find the kitchen the most stressful room in the house, but 38% associate it with a feeling of creativity.
But when it comes to the room that evokes the most emotion, the out and out winner is the living room. It’s the place where the majority of people (65%) spend their time when they’re not sleeping and it’s also the room 29% of us said we’re most proud of. It’s even considered an extention of our own character by 35% of us, who said the living room is the space that best reflects their personality.
Whether you want to renovate a room, truly relax in your garden space or make cleaning easier to reduce your stress levels, you can dramatically improve the way you feel by transforming the rooms you live in. Take a look around our hub to help kick-start your home transformation.
