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27. juli 2014
UK Homeowners Love Their Homes, but Strive for Perfection with Regular Renovation and Design Updates
The UK is a renovation nation, according to first-ever Big UK Houzz Report revealing renovation and design trends, motivations and desires among nearly 8,000 UK homeowners


Three quarters (74 percent) of UK homeowners are proud of their homes, but just one percent feel they have achieved the vision for their home, according to the inaugural Big UK Houzz Report, for which nearly 8,000 Houzz users in the UK were surveyed. Houzz (www.houzz.co.uk), the world’s leading platform for home renovation and design, found that a UK homeowner’s design and renovation work is never done, with one third decorating their homes at least once a year (35 percent) and 42 percent renovating at least once every five years.

Dispelling the myth that UK homeowners improve their homes just to add value, the majority of respondents are renovating and designing their homes to make them better fit their needs. Improving the look and feel (78 percent) and improving functionality (55 percent) top the list of motivations. Just one third of UK homeowners are renovating with a goal of adding value to their home (34 percent).

When it comes to style, taste and dream features not everyone in the UK agrees. In Belfast homeowners dream of owning a wood-burning stove (13 percent), whilst in Birmingham they long for that spacious walk-in wardrobe (14 percent). Mancunians have invested in jacuzzis (eight percent) while a Londoner is most likely to have stripped back to wooden floors (56 percent). Vintage style is big in Edinburgh (15 percent), whereas Glaswegians are less keen (seven percent). Londoners meanwhile, are an eclectic bunch, with 25 percent preferring this style.

Additional findings include:

  • Neutral palettes dominate: More than eight-in-ten UK homeowners play it safe and choose a neutral palette for their homes (82 percent), with white (62 percent), cream (52 percent) and grey (40 percent) leading the charge. The age-old safe choice, magnolia, is in decline, and is now found in less than one quarter of UK homes (23 percent). On the flip side, green is on the rise, and 26 percent of UK homeowners have opted for a shade of green on their walls.
  • For many, bigger is better: 35 percent of those surveyed have increased the size of their home in the past five years, with more loft conversions planned in space starved London than anywhere else in the UK.
  • Designer kitchens top coveted features lists: When asked what feature homeowners would most like to incorporate in their home, one in five picked designer kitchens (19 percent). In keeping with this desire, 26 percent confess that their kitchen is the area of their home that most needs renovation. Other dream features include a conservatory (nine percent), swimming pool (eight percent) and underfloor heating (six percent). Women are four times more likely to desire a walk-in wardrobe than men (eight percent versus two percent, respectively)
  • Style choices influenced by age: Contemporary, modern and traditional are the most popular styles across the UK, but style preference varies significantly by age. Those 54 and younger are more likely than their older counterparts to opt for contemporary (35 percent versus 27 percent, respectively) and modern (31 percent versus 24 percent) styles. Those 55 and older are more likely to have traditional style homes (35 percent versus 27 percent for those 54 and younger).

Vivienne Sung, UK Managing Director of Houzz said, “We are thrilled to have launched our local UK site with an incredibly engaged community and to provide this unique peek into what makes up a UK home. With this data, we hope to make the design and renovation process more fun and productive for homeowners and design enthusiasts by giving them a glimpse into what goes on behind their neighbours’ curtains. For trade professionals, we’re providing insights to the motivations and desires behind planned projects.”

The “Big UK Houzz Survey” is an online survey of Houzz users conducted in May 2014. n=7,916

You can download the new report at: http://info.houzz.com/BigUKHouzzReport.html

About Houzz
Houzz is the leading platform for home renovation and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish - online or from a mobile device. From decorating a room to building a custom home, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals across the country and around the world. With the largest residential design database in the world and a vibrant community powered by social tools, Houzz is the easiest way for people to get the design inspiration, project advice, product information and professional reviews they need to help turn ideas into reality. Headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, Houzz also has international offices in London, Berlin and Sydney. For more information, visit www.houzz.co.uk.