Our love affair with lifestyle shows and magazines is having major impact on what we are doing inside our homes.

Roy Morgan Research shows one in three Aussies is eager to ensure their residences are reflecting the latest interior trends.

The research reveals the number of people with a strong interest in decorating and design has risen by more than 20 percent since 2010.

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 It shows more than 6.8 million of us agree with the statement: “I keep up to date with new ideas to improve my home.’’

That’s up from almost 5.7 million in the year to March 2010. And much of this desire has come post 2012, with the proliferation of highly popular lifestyle shows such as The Block (Channel Nine), Better Homes and Gardens (Seven) and Grand Designs (ABC). Home and garden magazines have also benefitted from the apparent obsession with our internal and external living areas.

Roy Morgan reports that since 2010, Home Beautiful, Country Style, Real Living, Inside Out and Home Design have between them attracted an additional 259,000 readers, with individual growth rate of between 23 per cent and 41 percent.

Tim Martin, Roy Morgan Research’s general manager – media, says: “Our data clearly shows that Australians have an increasing interest in all things home, an appetite reflected in their favourite TV shows and the magazines they’re reading.

“Home and garden magazine readers are not only often the first to update their home interiors (59 per cent more likely than the general population), they are also hammering out their advice to family and friends on decorating ideas for the home (54 per cent more likely).’’

The Housing Industry Association’s chief economist Harley Dale says the lifestyle media blitz smorgasbord is helping to feed the hunger of Australians for both small and big renovation projects.

“Here, the breadth of information available through television shows, magazines, a vast array of options on the Internet, mean households can feel much more engaged with the decision-making process of what kind, look and scale of job to undertake,’’ Mr Dale says.

He adds that Australians have a great interest in renovating their homes both on a big and a small scale. The jobs can range in size from putting a new coat of paint on a door or living area walls to a full-blown kitchen renovation.

“Smaller renovation jobs – re-painting, maintenance of a deck outside, replacement of tiles in a laundry – for instance have been ticking over at healthy levels for some years,’’ Mr Dale says. “These ‘smaller’ jobs have suited the uncertain economic environment where lower expenditure on one’s existing home has been a comfortable option for households.

“There are signs that larger renovation projects are now coming back on to people’s radars.

“These jobs can be quite extensive in terms of scope and expense. For instance, the HIA-GWA kitchens and bathrooms report finds the average value of a full kitchen renovation is around $18,000. A ground floor or second-storey extension will often be a six-figure investment back into a family home.’’