Dining rooms are the new home office

Householders are increasingly using their dining rooms as a home office, a new study reveals.

Research from Halo finds 37 per cent of households with dining rooms have turned them into their home office.

And though older householders are still keen on using their dining rooms in the traditional way, only ten per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds will use them to dine in.

The research into British householders' habits also reveals the lounge is the most popular room, 69 per cent of people saying they spend most of their time there.

When it comes to Britons' attitude to their homes, around 22 per cent see their current property as a stop-gap, before moving onto something better.

The phrase "an Englishman's home is his castle" is also proving to be going out of fashion. The research finds most householders would rather leave home improvements until things start to fall apart.

"By investing wisely at the outset in good quality design, furniture and really thinking about what you need at home, we could save ourselves emotionally, physically and financially in the long term," advised Kate Hardcastle, of Halo.

"By thinking about the impact of the choices we make in terms of our furniture, our décor and our possessions, we can move towards creating the kind of world we want to live in. It is the sense of belonging created by something as simple as a meal around the table that turns a house into a true home."