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Many Brits Are Unhappy With Their Décor

  • 7 years ago

Britain has long been known as a houseproud nation – always painting this, sanding that, weeding here and there… It seems, however, that many of us are secretly embarrassed by our interior décor!

The House & Garden Festival has done some research that found more than 70% of UK homeowners are embarrassed by their interiors. One in five are so mortified by their houses that they refuse to accept guests! When they do have to receive friends and family they sometimes resort to entertaining them in the garden instead.

What can we do?

It might seem that the obvious answer is to change the colour scheme or the carpets, or to pick out a feature wall, or put up some new shelves. However, it seems, whatever we do, it’s never quite good enough. This is entirely our problem, though – we spend ages obsessing over a cornice that no-one else actually notices.

There are times when your décor needs updating – when it’s looking worn, old-fashioned or when you’re just plain bored with it. If you’re selling, then your worries over your interiors may well peak, so head them off at the pass by painting everything in neutral – get rid of anything quirky, off-beat or excessively colourful. If you want to sell, you need to freshen up and tone down.

Always looking…

The survey highlighted how many homeowners are always looking to change or improve. Many are always looking for new ideas in magazines or even in the homes of their friends. Almost a third of the respondents said they wanted to acquire the same skills as an interior designer!

The remaining two-thirds, however, weren’t quite so gung-ho. They didn’t want to have to buy all the tools, they didn’t have all the skills and weren’t up-to-speed on trends.

Often, these procrastinating decorators are just indecisive or can’t find the right wallpaper, or the right colours so they just shelve their plans for another year.

Quietly happy

Still, most homeowners are reasonably happy with their interiors, although they may feel that they’re stuck in a rut and lacking inspiration. Our homes are where we spend most of our time, so it’s important we feel, at the very least, comfortable in them. It’s especially important when it comes to selling them, too – if you don’t love your home or you seem ashamed of it, then buyers will pick up on this and wonder why.

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