Home design and decor leave a lot to be desired, survey finds

Less than a fifth of Hong Kong residents are satisfied with the design and decoration of their homes, a survey has found.

The poll also found that almost half of the respondents spend only three to five of their waking hours at home, while some spend as little as one.

B&Q, a British-based decoration chain that will open its first Hong Kong store next month, polled 1,087 Hong Kong residents online to collect their views on home improvements and what they desire of their living environments.

It found that some 19 per cent of respondents were satisfied with their home design and decoration, while 49 per cent answered 'average' to the question.

About 22 per cent of respondents said they spent five to eight of their waking hours at home, while 48 per cent said they spent three to five hours and 19 per cent just one to three hours.

Despite the few hours spent at home, Andy Farrow, executive vice-president and Hong Kong project director of B&Q Asia, said the poll surprisingly found that almost three-quarters of people had carried out some basic home decoration or maintenance themselves, such as painting, papering or replacing locks.

Almost 60 per cent said they considered fung shui when making decisions on home decoration and renovation.

Eight per cent and 17 per cent respectively regarded the fung shui factor 'very important' and 'important', while 33 per cent said it was fairly important.

The home improvement retailer said it had invited local fung shui master Alion Yeo Tin-ming to give advice to their customers at the opening of its store in MegaBox at Kowloon Bay.

Near three-quarters of respondents preferred to consult interior designers or contractors when shopping for home products and building materials, while 14 per cent said they would do it themselves.

But the retailer, which sells do-it-yourself products, said the study showed Hong Kong people were increasingly keen to take up home decoration and renovation work themselves rather than going to interior designers or contractors.

Living and dining rooms were the favourite places of those polled to occupy themselves when they were not sleeping. Sixty-eight per cent said they spent the longest time there.

Bedrooms took second place, with 19 per cent, and studies came third, with 11 per cent. One per cent said they liked to linger in the kitchen.

Nearly half said they wanted to improve their living or dining rooms now, while 18 per cent would start with their bedrooms.