If, like me, you’re struggling to sell your house at the moment, you may want to take a good, objective look at your kitchen. According to a recent study†, which reveals the biggest interior turn-offs for house-hunters, dated kitchens received 44% of the votes.

It’s always been a double-edged sword. Some say that you should replace a tired kitchen with something new and neutral before putting it on the market in order to appeal to the widest audience while others tell you not to bother, as most buyers will want to rip it out and put their own stamp on it instead. So what do you do?

My advice would be this – do what feels right for you. No one knows how long a house takes to sell these days, so if your kitchen really has seen better days, updating the cabinet doors and worksurfaces could be a quick fix solution that will see you through the next few years if you don’t sell and will appeal to a wider market if you do. This isn’t the time to go for a fully bespoke handmade kitchen, so choose something that won’t break the bank but could possibly clinch that sale.

Once you’re in your new place, that’s the time to invest in quality cabinetry, state of the art appliances, hardwearing worktops and, of course, Blum fittings and fixtures. If I were to pick a kitchen that would please both prospective buyers and myself, there are three that have caught my eye of late:

Harvey Jones’ streamlined Linear range

Stoneham’s high-gloss Flow collection

Ram Kitchens’ Millington White Gloss design – a simple slab-style door with a fresh look

If I had any of these three kitchens I might even be tempted to stay put!

And in case you’re wondering, here’s what else turns off those all-important buyers. You have been warned!

1. Avocado bathroom suites – 52%
2. Woodchip wallpaper – 48%
3. Small rooms – 47%
4. Dated kitchens – 44%
5. Bright wallpaper/ paint – 41%
6. Patterned carpets – 35%
7. Open plan room – 31%
8. No upstairs bathroom – 25%
9. Shower or bath only suites – 15%
10. No utility room – 13%

†(the study was conducted by www.ukbathrooms.com, who polled 1,812 Britons who had looked around houses to rent or buy in the past five years).

Hayley Gilbert is a freelance interiors writer for consumer magazines and Sunday supplements

Website: www.hayleygilbert.co.uk  // Twitter: @HaylGilbert