Revealed – the latest colour and style trends for windows

STANDFIRST: A new survey, conducted by YouGov on behalf of leading window and door system company Deceuninck UK, has identified the most popular colours – and styles – that homeowners look for when choosing new windows.  

FEATURE: When we talk about the influence of colour in a home, the first thing that usually springs to mind is interior design.

You don’t necessarily have to be a design expert, or know your ‘Oak Apple’ from your ‘Bath Stone’, to appreciate the important role that colour plays in helping define the spaces we live in. Most of us understand that colours can be much more than just decorative. That they can actually have a positive ­– or negative – impact on how we feel in our homes.

But the role that colour can play in enhancing the look and feel of our homes does not necessarily have to be confined to our bedrooms, bathrooms or living rooms.

An influx of exciting new styles and colours for windows and doors means that we can apply similar principles to improving the exterior of our property, in order to enhance that all important kerb appeal.

Does this mean that basic, white PVC windows are a thing of the past? It’s true that standard white casements still account for a significant proportion of the windows that are fitted into homes these days – but only where price or functionality are overriding factors.

In most other instances, colour and style are right at the top of the list of priorities. How do we know this? New research, commissioned by leading window and door system company, Deceuninck UK, and carried out by YouGov, has revealed exactly what homeowners look for when choosing new windows.

“As a leading window and door systems company, we already knew from the feedback from our customers that demand for colours such as greys, creams, greens and finishes that can replicate the effect of various woodgrains has been increasing for some time,” says Rob McGlennon, MD of Deceuninck UK. “For some of our customers, plain white windows now only account for 40% of what they sell.

“And while this has helped to shape our products and our service, to increase the range and availability of the colours we can offer, we knew that we could do more to really understand the factors that come into play when purchasing new windows.

“As a result, we commissioned an independent survey, which was carried out on our behalf by YouGov,” continues Rob. “The findings have been illuminating!”

At a headline level, the YouGov report found that 75% of homeowners surveyed said that choice of colour was important in shaping their purchasing decision, and 96% said that a match to the overall appearance of their property was also key.

Drilling down further into the data, the research discovered that 17% of those surveyed would choose greys, including Anthracite and Agate, as a first colour choice if they were to change their windows. That compares to 7% and 6% respectively for an Irish Oak or Rosewood finish.

The survey was also able to reveal that older homeowners had a greater preference for woodgrain options, but only 5% of the over 55s liked greys. In contrast, greys and blacks were the first choice of 12% of the 25-34 year old age group. A result that’s perhaps not all that surprising when you consider the natural contrast in fashion sense between young and old!

And while the report was able to determine exactly which colours are most popular for a wide range of different age groups, it also identified that the age of the property itself played a part in the decision making process, especially when it came to older, period homes. Owners of properties built before 1919, for instance, were much more inclined to opt for a colour finish, with white selected by just 36% of respondents.

“Our survey proved that when it comes to purchasing windows, the choice of colour can depend on a multitude of options, and that the

 popularity of colours will vary from house to house, and person to person. But that’s not the end of the story,” explains Rob.

“The results also revealed that a majority of homeowners still consider security and energy efficiency when replacing windows and for some groupings, price was also a significant factor, although less so for the over 55s – a demographic that is more likely to include those who are free of their monthly mortgage and have much greater reserves of cash in the bank.

“Windows that could provide a high level of sound proofing were also important to around 50% of all the people that were surveyed, a result that emphasised a requirement from homeowners to reduce noise pollution as much as possible,” continues Rob.

One of the most powerful insights of the research, however, was homeowner preference for window styles. Given the choice between a standard window, or a Heritage Flush option ­­– which with slim, balanced sightlines has been designed to replicate the look of traditional timber window ­ – at 62%, the vast majority would rather have the latter, no matter the age or style of the property they own.