Students embarking on decorating courses might benefit from learning that British homeowners enjoy entertaining in increasingly large, impressive spaces, according to one DIY expert.

Michael Holmes, from Channel Five's I Own Britain's Best Home television series, said that people currently prefer to have a bit of extra space rather than hosting parties or dinners in small dining rooms.

His comments follow the publication of the Home Improvements Show survey, which revealed that more than half of householders are entertaining more in their properties, frequently because of a lack of disposable funds.

"People are either knocking through the dining room to the kitchen, or extending the kitchen to create a dining area," stated Mr Holmes.

He added that open plan kitchen-diners are likely to enhance the selling point of a property as fewer walls help to create the illusion of greater space.

This news comes after a YouGov poll recently reported that in the last year, more than a million UK homeowners undertook "serious structural work" on their house without professional help.

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