LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM -- (Marketwire) -- 02/01/13 -- The 1960s has been unveiled as the most influential decade for British homes according to women aged 50+ who have seen and decorated it all, spending a fortune in the process. Thanks to Artex and Anaglypta, the 1970s has been voted the worst.

The research from online retailer isme.com, showed that despite a penchant for 60s style, 50+ women have not been afraid to trial bold looks over the years, spending a whopping GBP 158,613.46 on decorating in their lifetime. 21% admit to decorating every one to two years and 3% decorate more than once a year. The living room is the most decorated room in the house receiving five makeovers in a lifetime and costing an average of GBP 686.71 each time. The kitchen receives the least revamps, but it costs GBP 726.40 for each of its four makeovers.

Interior design hits throughout the decades included strong influences from the 1960s with shag pile rugs, moulded plastic furniture and pop art still en vogue today, whilst design misses include psychedelic wallpaper (45%) and coloured bathroom suites (39%), even though they've made an appearance in 60% of British bathrooms.

Popular 90s TV show 'Changing Rooms' resulted in an abundance of feature walls (40%) and painted floor boards (10%) in our homes, while the glamour and opulence of Dallas and Dynasty influenced homes of the 80s with 40% admitting to taking style tips from the shows.

Whilst, on a whole, Britons are adventurous with their home style, the research reveals that 'boring' magnolia paint remains the nation's most ubiquitous paint colour with over 70% of those polled admitting to having the neutral shade in their home.

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TOP 5 DESIGN HITS                       TOP 5 DESIGN MISSES                 
1. Shag pile rugs (22%)                 1. Psychedelic wallpaper (45%)      
2. Moulded plastic chairs (13%)         2. Coloured bathroom suites (39%)   
3. Pop art (12%)                        3. Artex ceilings (36%)             
4. Painted floor boards (10%)           4. Novelty art (34%)                
5. Feature walls (10%)                  5. Anaglypta wallpaper (26%)        
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Kevin Parkin, Head of Design for homeware at isme.com said: "The swinging 60s was a time for change especially for fashion and home design and, of course, it was the beginning of the boom in DIY. Many elements from the 60s are still relevant today and with recent TV shows such as Mad Men and Pan Am it makes sense that 50+ women are looking back fondly on the interior design of their childhood homes. It's easy to get the 60s look today; opt for an open-plan style and try a few accents to bring the look together":

1. Shag pile rug - the bigger the better. And why not opt for a bright colour, nailing two 60s trends in one

2. Space age furniture. Try plastic or egg shaped chairs

3. While lava lamps may be best forgotten, a modern twist on the classic paper lampshade will look chic in today's homes

4. Give Pop Art a new lease of life, by using it to display your grandchildren's handprints. Try the Baby Art Print Paintings, GBP 20 to create your own personalised pop art.

Notes to editors:

isme is part of Shop Direct Group, the UK's leading online and home shopping retailer, which operates across 49 countries, including the US and Canada.

The Group has 5m active customers.

Our brands receive over 600,000 website visits every day.

We deliver more than 25m parcels a year.

We sell more than 800 brands - including leading fashion labels and our own brands.

Lynda Bellingham is isme's celebrity ambassador.

Our brands include:

isme.com

Littlewoods.com

Very.co.uk

Woolworths.co.uk

Brandquarter.co.uk

Very.com