Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
A separate dining room is high on the wish list for more than half of UK homeowners, proving that the importance of chatting around the table is not a thing of the past for British families.
A survey of over 2,000 homeowners, commissioned by Anglian Home Improvements to mark its 50th anniversary, has looked at how our tastes in home improvements and the way in which we use our homes have changed over the past 50 years.
In addition to a separate dining room (56%), today’s property owners want a state-of-the-art entertainment zone (44%), a wet room (43%), and home improvements such as bi-fold doors and conservatories that improve the indoor/outdoor flow, ‘bringing the outside in’ (58%).
Fifty years ago, respondents ranked the cooking space (30%) and washing areas (27%) as the key areas for home improvements.
But homeowners in 2015 are focused primarily on improving their entertaining space (26%), following by areas for cooking (25%) and relaxing (17%).
The main reason cited for why people make improvements to their homes was adding monetary value (47%), while three out of ten (30%) said it was to save costs and a similar number (28%) said it worked out as being more cost effective than moving house.
Looking to the future, respondents predict that homes will become smarter thanks to further technological advances (50%), as well as becoming more energy efficient (30%).
Robot cleaners, fridges that automatically do the weekly food shop, self-cleaning glass and walls designed to conserve energy were listed among the innovations predicted to become popular within the home over the next 50 years.
Melanie McDonald, head of PR & brand marketing at Anglian Home Improvements, said: “We commissioned this survey to reflect the many changes we’ve seen and heard of anecdotally over that time. It’s interesting to observe just how much our tastes and preferences have changed in a relatively short amount of time. One thing is for sure – the desire to improve our homes has increased over the years as homeowners seek to make their homes warmer, more comfortable and more energy efficient.”
The research for Anglian Home Improvements was carried out by Opinion Matters between 10/09/2015 and 21/09/2015. The sample of 2,018 UK adults was made up of current homeowners, people looking/planning to buy, and those who are current homeowners who are planning to sell their property in the future.
The top 10 most loved home improvements are:
1. Indoor-outdoor flow (58 per cent)
2. Separate dining room (56 per cent)
3. TV/music/cinema room (44 per cent)
4. Wet room (43 per cent)
5. Decking (40 per cent)
6. Dressing room (39 per cent)
7. Open plan living (39 per cent)
8. Gym/exercise area (25 per cent)
9. Coloured bathroom suite (20 per cent)
10. Crazy paving (15 per cent)
The top 10 most loathed home improvements are:
1. Pebble dashing (52 per cent)
2. Crazy paving (43 per cent)
3. Coloured bathroom suites (42 per cent)
4. Gym/exercise area (26 per cent)
5. Decking (23 per cent)
6. Open plan living (22 per cent)
7. Wet room (16 per cent)
8. TV/music/cinema room (14 per cent)
9. Dressing room (11 per cent)
10. Indoor-outdoor flow (7 per cent) and separate dining room (7 per cent)
