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HOME IS WHERE THE IS
RENOVATION KEY TRENDS SHOULDN’T DICTATE HOW YOU DECORATE YOUR SPACE, BUT THEY CAN CERTAINLY HELP GET THE CREATIVE JUICES FLOWING
2020, the year that everyone was stuck at home looking at the peeling paint work around window-ledges and seriously considering whether laying a new floor might just be the weekend distraction they were looking for! As a nation of house-proud homies, the number of furnishings, decorating projects and other home updates that have taken place in the past 12 months has been incredible. According to Money. co.uk, UK homeowners have spent over £55bn on home projects since the beginning of lockdown, and two-thirds have said more time at home has inspired them to improve their properties. This isn’t just B&Q fuelled DIY, over 40% of SMEs told the Federation of Master Builders that their workloads had increased. The defiant property market probably has something to do with this, as buyers take advantage of the stamp duty holiday, and investors are looking for opportunities due to historically low interest rates. It seems likely that this will continue if the results from a survey from NatWest Bank are anything to go by; 62% of respondents would consider remortgaging to fund home improvements. If nothing else, 2020 was the year that we all became more aware of the spaces that we live in, how they work for us and how we interact with them. As a result of this, and other topics floating around the zeitgeist, there are some exciting new trends expected in 2021 to kick off a creative frenzy: 26
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