Ikea is celebrating 30 years in the the UK this month, and to mark the occasion they have commissioned a study to show how we live in our homes today and what we value most. And the results are quite surprising!
Stats show that on average we spend £886 a year on re-decorating our homes, with those in their thirties splashing out up to £1,364 a year on home decor.
We spend an average of 126 hours a year online researching the latest home decorating trends (we hope a large number of those hours are right here on Ideal Home). In a world of visual delights thanks to online and social media platforms it's no surprise that the results show Brits are becoming more style-conscious, and therefore updating their homes as regularly as four times a year.
Here's an interesting fact you might not expect: Ikea reveals that men browse online for even longer - an average of 150 hours each year - and even more surprising is that men in their thirties are the demographic that care most about their home decor!
Another number that might shock is that 28 per cent of us put style before substance. The study revealed that for this large percentage of people, a stylish home was more important than a good central heating system!
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The research revealed that on average we Brits post 103 images of our homes on social media outlets such as the likes of Instagram and Pinterest – that's just shows how proud we are of the homes we live in.
'Life at home has changed dramatically in the UK over the last 30 years,' says Laurent Tiersen, Marketing Manager Ikea UK & Ireland. 'It has been fascinating to see how people have developed a real passion for interiors and home-decor. It's great to see Ikea as a facilitator of this movement.'
A lot has changed in 30 years. Ikea's study found today's generation spend three times more money beautifying their homes than their parents generation did 3o years ago. It might be down to the fact that Ikea is bigger and better than ever, enabling big changes on little budget.
To celebrate their 30th birthday, the Scandinavian superstore are running an immersive Ikea House Party experience to bring to life how the typical British home has evolved over the past three decades.
This photo above is taken from the 'instagrammable' exhibition space that features rooms transformed into house parties through the years, spanning the last three decades. This living room with its monochrome decor is most definitely the naughties when the feature wall was king!
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The Ikea House Party is open daily, free of charge, from Wednesday 18th October to Saturday 21st October, 12-6pm at 19 Greek Street, London.
