"This judgement and pressure to be a perfect host could be why Brits are willing to invest so much time, money and effort into improving their home before the big day"
- Lucie Levesley - Jackson Woodturners
66% of Brits will be hosting guests over the festive season, with an estimated 340 million parties, drinks, dinners and other occasions being hosted across our nation’s homes. Yet, 14.5 million people will make an excuse not to host or avoid people visiting due to their home’s appearance or layout (27%), according to new research by Jackson Woodturners.
With 28% admitting that they are embarrassed about the state of their home when people visit, it’s no wonder that 39% plan on making home improvements before hosting guests this festive season - equating to over 20.9 million festive home improvers.
In fact, the majority of Brits say they would spend more on home improvements in the lead-up to festive hosting than they would at other times of year. They would also make these home improvements sooner than planned if they are hosting (55%).
The survey of 1,000 UK adults (aged 18+) was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Jackson Woodturners stair part specialists, asking respondents about their opinions on hosting during the festive season and what might stop them from inviting guests over.
Is judgement getting in the way of festive cheer this season?
43% of Brits find themselves judging things when visiting other's homes, so it’s no wonder so many people feel embarrassed or try to put off hosting guests during this time of year. Guests admit to judging the following:
20% judge the cleanliness, such as smells, dust, and mess. 17% judge the food that is served (like brands of food, or not having certain items on a Christmas dinner). 14% judge their home decor (outdated or not to their taste) and 12% judge their Christmas decorations (tacky, not enough decor, colour schemes)
One in nine (11%) judge the drinks being served (amount of alcohol, quality of drink etc)
Age and income are the biggest factors affecting the likelihood that people will judge hosts’ homes. The older generations are less judgemental than younger generations and those with an annual household income of £35k or less, are the least likely to be judgemental about another’s home.
Seasonal home improvements
The study also found that the younger the person, the more likely they are to make home updates ahead of festive hosting. The most popular improvement for Gen Z is decorating the kitchen, whilst Millennials, Gen X and Boomers are decorating the dining room. For The Silent Generation, it is simply painting rooms and/or woodwork.
The most common home improvement being made for the festive season is decorating the dining room, with one in nine opting to do this.
This was closely followed by decorating the kitchen and new lighting (one in twelve), decorating bedroom/s, painting rooms and/or woodwork, or buying and installing new electronics and devices, with around one in fourteen looking at these.
Decorating hallways and staircases, bathroom upgrades (including plumbing or water issues fixed), and repairs to electrics or gas issues were popular for around one in sixteen.
How are home improvements being funded?
42% of home improvers would go into debt or use credit to improve their home ahead of hosting over the festive season, with only 29% saying that they wouldn’t do this.
Brits will spend almost £2.8bn more on furniture alone over the festive season this year compared to last year. However, huge projects aren’t always needed to make an impact on your home’s appearance, there are many ways to update your home on a budget.
Lucie Levesley, director at Jackson Woodturners shares her five simple tips for making festive home updates on a budget:
1: Dining room - Instead of a costly dining room renovation, clever lighting can change the look and feel of the room instantly. From pendant lighting over the dining table, to bar lights and some carefully placed candles. The mood of the room can be completely transformed. In addition, you can use the lighting to highlight or hide specific areas of the room or furniture.
The type of bulbs used can also have an impact. For example, replacing a bright white bulb with a warm yellow one gives a cosy feel and fairy lights will create a more festive feel.
2: Kitchen - A good reorganising and cleaning of your kitchen can do wonders for its appearance. Instead of a costly new kitchen, have a good clear out and tidy first. Put any items you won’t be using for hosting into your cupboards and consider whether something like a bar cart might help with both storage and presentation when serving guests. You can pick up an attractive bar cart for as little as £25 and additional kitchen storage organisers from £5.
3: Hallway - Updating your staircase doesn’t mean you need to replace the entire structure. Swapping fixtures and fittings for more modern styles such as black metal or chrome finishes can completely transform a hallway. In addition, painting or restaining woodwork is common. Colour drenching is a popular trend at the moment, with many looking to paint woodwork the same colour as their walls instead of a more traditional white finish.
4: Bedrooms - A decent sofa bed or pull-out bed frame and mattress can come at a high cost if it is only being used once per year. Fold-out camp beds have come a long way, with options now for quality mattresses, meaning you can spend a little less but, still give your guests a comfortable night’s sleep. They also are easily foldable and have wheels to make storage and set/packing away as easy as possible.
5: Entrance - Your front door is the first thing guests will see when visiting your home. Instead of replacing the door and frame, you will find a wide range of effective door paint on the market that can transform the entranceway. Using dark greens or charcoal shades on the door against a white frame will make it pop.
Once painted, adding a wreath to the front and a welcoming doormat will instantly make guests feel at home. Whilst the cost of a wreath can vary greatly based on quality, a tin of paint can be picked up for around £15, a door mat for £6.
Or simply be like the 33% of Brits who want to improve their homes but, are waiting until after the festive period to do so. Ultimately, your friends and family want to spend time and make memories with you, any small judgements about your home or hosting abilities aren’t important.
Lucie concludes: “This judgement and pressure to be a perfect host could be why Brits are willing to invest so much time, money and effort into improving their home before the big day. Over a third (39%) of Brits will make home improvements before hosting over the festive period and the majority of Brits say they would use credit to fund such projects.
“Whilst creating a comfortable and welcoming environment is admirable, it's sad to see that some people could be missing out on creating lasting memories with their loved ones or feel pressured to spend money in order to celebrate.”
