Company News

A well designed home is key to happiness, according to a recent Houzz survey of more than 6,000 homeowners. Houzz, the leading home remodeling and design platform, found that home design impacts overall happiness for nine out of ten homeowners surveyed (87 percent). The findings also revealed that the majority of homeowners are happier at home than away from home (65 percent). These findings were consistent across men and women, and across home locations in urban, suburban and rural areas. However an even greater percentage of those in newly built homes (71 percent) say they are happier being at home than away, while the percentage of those happiest at home falls to only 51 percent for those who describe their home as “in need of work.”

People say improving their home improves their lives. Those who have remodeled and/or redecorated in the last two years say they are happier (74 percent), more relaxed (51 percent) and tidier (35 percent) at home post-renovation. Nearly one third also entertain more often (31 percent).

When it comes to what makes them happy at home, big windows and comfortable furniture top the list (74 and 70 percent respectively). Men are more than twice as likely as women to derive happiness from a big screen TV (40 percent versus 17 percent). The happiest rooms of the home are common areas such as the family/living room (42 percent) and kitchen (15 percent). People who responded that their homes need work, however, say that they are happiest in the bedroom (23 percent). Homeowners are happiest in rooms that are clean and organized (72 percent) and comfortable (68 percent), yet there are gender differences. For men, comfort is king, while women favor rooms that are neat and clean above all.

Additional findings include:

• The nuclear family = happiness: The majority of homeowners are happiest at home with just their immediate family (49 percent), while more than a quarter prefer their home bursting with friends and family (29 percent). Twenty-two percent of respondents report being happiest at home when they’re alone.
• Men are night owls: When asked during what time of day they’re happiest at home, a majority of men chose the evening (57 percent). Women are evenly split between morning and evening. Rural and suburban homeowners are more likely to be happiest at home during the morning while urban dwellers are split between the morning and evening. Just a small percentage of all groups prefer the afternoon.
• Happiness means never having to do the dishes: When given the option of chores to skip, homeowners report that they would be happiest if there were never dirty dishes left in the sink (32 percent). Also popular was never having to make the bed (16 percent).
• Sound preferences vary by neighborhood and gender: For homeowners in rural neighborhoods, nothing beats the sound of wildlife with 30 percent saying these sounds makes them happiest. For suburban dwellers, the sound of children and family conversations tops the list (34 percent) while urbanites prefer to hear music (30 percent). Along gender lines, one third of men say music makes them happiest at home while a third of women prefer the sound of family. Not surprisingly, sounds from big screen TVs are three times more popular among men than women (15 percent versus five percent).
• Nothing beats good home cooking: When it comes to smells in the home, good food cooking or baking had the most votes (39 percent) followed by a breeze from outside (33 percent) and candles burning (14 percent).