British people typically spend £134 refreshing their homes to impress dinner guests. One in five (19%) confess to spending more than £250, 7% more than £500 and nearly one in ten (7%) have even bought a new TV before hosting a dinner party! That’s according to a poll conducted by homeware-for-less retailer HomeSense.
The research, which polled 2,000 men and women from ages 18 to over 60, highlights a new type of dinner party etiquette and found that nearly half of millennial men (43%) would refresh their home to impress a love interest, compared to women.
Guests that primarily make us want to splash out on our homes are family (26%), friends (22%), love interests (17%) and bosses (7%)
- Top purchases to impress a dinner guests include flowers (33%), candles (29%) and cushions (21%)
- Women were found to be less concerned with impressing dinner guests, and 21% more likely to decorate due to day-to-day wear-and-tear.
The HomeSense report also explored other reasons people splash out on their homes, finding that:
- Men are twice as likely to redecorate as women, knowing that pictures of their abode will be shared on social media
- Millennials (ages 18-34) are 30% more likely to redecorate their home after a breakup, compared to those aged 35+
Despite men being more conscious of social media than women when it comes to home décor, it is still the women who reign supreme. 40% of men admit that their partners buy the majority of home items with nearly half of male participants accepting help from their mothers and grandmothers.
The chart below highlights the top 10 items that people purchase when looking to impress a dinner guest.
Top products Brits purchase
Ranking by %
Flowers / Pot Plant
33%
Candles
29%
Table Cloth
23%
Cushions
21%
Lamps
14%
Rugs
14%
Throw
12%
Painting
11%
Vase
11%
TV
7%
Highest spending city breakdown as follows:
Top spending cities
Ranking by £
Bath
£358.40
Gloucester
£282.30
Chester
£245.80
Least spend by city
Ranking by £
St Albans
£12.60
Salisbury
£25.00
Carlisle
£41.70
