Gone are the days of keeping up with the Joneses as Manchester is crowned as one of the country’s hotspots for style confidence, according to a survey.
Nearly 20 years of home improvement TV shows have given the nation a strong sense of style confidence, or ‘sixth sense’, with Manchester featuring highly, according to Furnishing store HomeSense.
House-proud Mancunians believe that others should aspire to their sense of style with 59% believing their homes are more tastefully decorated than their friends’ and a confident 65% rating their home style as ‘excellent’.
HomeSense spokesperson, Helen Gunter said: “Manchester is clearly more house proud than it has ever been and as people’s confidence in their own sense of style grows, it’s great to see people opening up their doors to show off their homes.”
But it seems that most kind-hearted interior design enthusiasts are willing to take a style hit if it means sparing the feelings of a friend or family member.
A whopping 60% admitted to lying about liking a gift they’ve received for their home, with 20% confessing to putting a gift out on display only when the person who gave it pays a visit.
Interior designer Danielle Proud said: “Brits are well known for their quirky, individual sense of style, what’s new is their confidence.
“The vibe is less ‘keeping up with the Joneses’, more ‘the Joneses had better keep up with me!’
“It’s great seeing home owners tapping into their ‘sixth sense’ and being so confident with the looks and schemes they piece together.”
The research was commissioned to coincide with the launch of the HomeSense Sensology App, helping house-proud Brits to identify their individual ‘sixth sense’ style.
Interior design gurus are being invited to share and celebrate their skills by uploading pictures of their homes to the HomeSense Facebook page.
Picture courtesy of favaro JR. via Flickr, with thanks
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