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Millions of Brits feel they are stuck in a home which is ‘too small’.
A poll of 2,000 adults who own or rent a property found almost half yearn to move to a larger home, with more than a third considering their current abode to be too small for their needs.
More than six in 10 struggle to keep their property tidy because there isn’t enough room while over half worry the size of their home is negatively impacting their mental wellbeing.
And four in 10 said their current home is smaller than the one they grew up in.
It also emerged children are sharing a bedroom with their sibling in one in 10 households, while more than an eighth of Londoners sleep in the same bedroom as friends or family members.
But as well as 30 per cent feeling they don’t have enough space to have children, a quarter of those who do already have kids worry they are growing too fast for the size of their home.
Charlie Harrison from Furniture Village, which commissioned the research to discover how smaller homes are changing the way we live, said: “It’s interesting to see from the results how the reduction in home size is affecting the way we use space and that’s where space-saving furniture and clever design can help.
“Top priorities include a bigger room, whether that’s a kitchen to cook in and host or a living room to relax in.
“It’s especially a big consideration for families, a house obviously has needs to fit everyone comfortably, from couples to families with young kids, or older children who all understandably want their own space.”
The study also found the kitchen is the room most likely to be considered inadequate in size, followed by the bathroom and master bedroom.
One in six households can’t fit their family around the kitchen table and a fifth don’t even own a table to sit around.
As a result, a bigger kitchen is the top priority for 47 per cent of homeowners and renters with more than one third wanting an extra bedroom and three in 10 looking for larger bedrooms.
More than a quarter would also like a more spacious bathroom, a garden and more storage space, while an eighth revealed their sofa isn’t big enough to sit everyone in the house comfortably.
This also affects socialising, as one third believe they are missing out on hosting for their friends and family as a result of their small home.
And a quarter also said they aren’t able to buy any new furniture.
But to maximise the room they do have, three in 10 have added under-the-bed drawers and bought a shoe organiser.
More than a quarter own an extending or folding dining table and one in five have added floating shelves for space-saving storage.
Money was named the most common barrier to upsizing, with 51 per cent admitting they can’t afford anything larger and four in five said the extra costs of moving, such as stamp duty, puts them off.
And one sixth of those surveyed, via OnePoll, said they have ‘compromised’ on both the quality and location of their home for the sake of size.
Despite this, 43 per cent haven’t ‘settled’ into their current abode because they know they want to move somewhere bigger in the future.
Charlie Harrison, from Furniture Village, added: “Following the recent demand we’ve experienced in space saving solutions, we’ve created a Small Homes inspiration hub, filled with content on space-saving design tips and storage hacks.
“We also have a huge range of clever, space-saving furniture from extendable dining tables to ottoman beds and sofas with in-built storage all aimed at doing their bit to help tidy away any unnecessary clutter.
“We’re also confident we’ll continue to see compact and dual-purpose furniture trends such as love seat sofas, floating shelves, extendable dining tables and clever storage grow, as they’re all great ways of maximising the space you do have.”
ENDS
