UK Homes 'Unadventurous' as 75% Admit to Obsessing Over Impressing Their Neighbours

LONDON, September 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Majority of the population worry more about impressing others than anything else when it comes to furnishing their home

A study released today has shown that three quarters of people admit their home 'lacks personality' and, when it comes to our homes, we are a nation obsessed with impressing others.

According to the research, 75 per cent of the UK population is more concerned with creating a home that others will love rather than a home that actually represents their own tastes and personality.

Commissioned by home furnishings brand ColourMatch from Argos, the study also reveals that over half(56 per cent) admit to regularly choosing 'unadventurous' homewares, unearthing a lack of confidence when it comes to stamping their mark on interiors. With this in mind it is no surprise that 47 per cent of people avoid adding colour inside their home over the worry that it may affect the resulting re-sell value.

As a result, over a quarter of those surveyed (26 per cent) are unhappy with the way at least two rooms in their home are furnished.

Expert colour psychologist Karen Haller, who worked closely with the team at ColourMatch to analyse the results, said: "People are often surprised when I tell them how important colour is to everyday life. Homes are becoming more and more alike through a lack of confidence in adding our own personal touches. The easiest way to differentiate your home is through colour - it has so many benefits from being aesthetically pleasing, lifting your mood to reflecting your personality.

"Every shade of every colour can be directly associated to a type of personality - it's just about identifying what type of personality you are in the first place! Knowing which colour is your perfect match, which reflects your individual home style, will make the process a lot easier."

ColourMatch from Argos offers a range of colour co-ordinated homewares making interior design easy for anyone - simply by choosing one of the 16 available colours anyone is able to easily match products for any room.

Paul Rees, Senior Own Brands Manager at Argos, who commissioned the research, said: "What this research tells us is that people are worried about 'getting it wrong' in their home. There is a general lack of knowledge in how to successfully incorporate colour into your home, despite all of the clear benefits in doing so

"Our ColourMatch range has been specially developed to make it easier than ever for people to stamp their individuality on their home through colour.  We can help people to identify which colour is right for their personality and because everything coordinates in the ColourMatch range, they don't have to worry about getting it wrong."

ColourMatch from Argos has worked with colour psychologist, Karen Haller, to create a simple test making it easy for anyone to identify which colour best reflects your personality in the home. To find out yours visit http://www.argos.co.uk/colourmatch.

KEY FINDINGS FROM THE SURVEY:

• 75 per cent of people are primarily concerned with what others think of their home
• 56 per cent only opt for homewares that are 'unadventurous'
• 47 per cent furnish their home with the re-sell value in mind
• 26 per cent people are distinctly unhappy with at least two rooms in their home
• 43 per cent worry that adding too much of their favourite colour could be too 'dominating' in the home

Notes to Editors:

About ColourMatch

ColourMatch makes it easy to add a splash of personality with our extensive range of colour co-ordinated homewares; all at prices to make you smile.

Shop online at argos.co.uk for a wide selection of ColourMatch homewares at Argos. You'll be spoilt for choice with a fantastic range across kitchen and dining, lighting, rugs and cushions, blinds and curtains, bedding and bathroom accessories.

With 16 colours available, ranging from Poppy Red to Apple Green, there is a wide choice for everyone and for every room in the house.

With the Check & Reserve service from Argos, customers can reserve products at argos.co.uk for immediate collection from their nearest store.

About Argos

Argos is a leading UK digital retailer, offering around 29,000 products through http://www.argos.co.uk, its growing mobile channels, stores and over the telephone.

Argos continues to be the UK's largest high street retailer online with 635 million website and app visits in the 12 months to February 2013.  Argos serves around 124 million customers a year through its network of around 735 stores. 

In the financial year to February 2013, Argos sales were £3.9 billion and it employed some 30,000 people across the business.

Argos is part of Home Retail Group, the UK's leading home and general merchandise retailer.