Having a bigger kitchen is the top priority for homeowners looking to add more space in their homes (28%)
The living room is the clear favourite room in the home according to 59% of homeowners. The kitchen comes in as the second favourite room for 18% of those surveyed, followed by the bedroom at 15%. The playroom or den is favoured by only 3% of homeowners, followed by the dining room amongst 2%, the utility room (2%), with the bathroom coming last, with only 1% claiming it as their favourite room. These are the findings of a new survey carried out by iReach Insights on behalf of Aviva Insurance Ireland DAC (Aviva) which sought to understand how homeowners felt about the different rooms in their house and what their top priority would be if adding more space to their homes.
The Aviva survey found that:
- The living room was the favourite room amongst an almost equal number of men (50%) and women (52%).
- The majority of those who listed the living room as their favourite room were aged 55+ (66%), 45-54 (59%) and 35-44 (51%), while only 11% of those aged 18-24 claimed this.
- For the younger age cohort of 18-24, the bedroom was by far their favourite room with 75% of those surveyed.
Respondents were asked what their priority would be if they could add more space to their homes with a bigger kitchen topping the list from 28% of people surveyed. This was followed by a conservatory (14%), a utility room (11%) and bigger or additional bathrooms at 8%. Unsurprisingly, given an increase in people working from home or hybrid working, 7% would like to have a home office. Other options selected include a games room/man cave (6%), a home gym/yoga studio/meditation room (5%), and a bigger sitting room (5%). The favoured additional space selected by 4% of those surveyed included a bigger dining room, a boot room, a playroom/den, and a home pub/bar.
- Having a bigger kitchen is a higher priority for women than men (32% v’s 25%)
- Those aged 55+ were more likely to opt for a conservatory at 21%
- Those choosing a home office was more prominent amongst those aged 45-54 at 10% and by 7% of both men and women.
- The games room/man cave was the preferred extra space amongst those aged 25-44 at 12% and 9% of men (women 2%)
- Seven percent of men (1% of women) would like to have a home pub/bar, with 7% of those aged 45-54 selecting this option.
It is no great surprise that the living room is the favourite room for most homeowners. This is the room where we are most likely to relax in and spend quality time with family and friends. And it was no great surprise that the bedroom was the most favoured room for the younger age cohort as they tend to spend more time in their bedrooms, either asleep or relaxing on their own or with friends.
Alan Darcy, Home Product Manager, Aviva
“The addition of a home office has become a particularly important feature in homes since the outbreak of the pandemic as more people continue to either work full-time from home or are engaged in hybrid working. The appeal of having some privacy whilst working in the home has seen a surge in people looking to convert their attics, a spare bedroom or even convert an outdoor building or build a Shomera in the garden. This is reflected in the 7% of those surveyed who selected the option of a home office if they were adding more space in their home,” concluded Alan Darcy.