The long-mocked Nineteen Seventies characteristic making a comeback because of millennials

You might have thought they’d been consigned to the scraphead of style history along with flares, footballers’ perms and other horrors from the 1970s.

But avocado-coloured bathroom suites are making an unlikely comeback – because millennials actually think they’re great.

A report has found that British homeowners in their 20s and 30s believe the much-mocked avocado green is once again a must-have colour.

The Great Bathroom Report, by home improvement store Wickes, reveals that more than a quarter of 25- to 34-year-olds (27 per cent) say avocado is the colour they would most like to use in a bathroom upgrade.

That’s in contrast to generations who actually lived through the Seventies, with fewer than one in 20 older Britons being happy about seeing the colour return.

Fortunately, according to the report, the new trend doesn’t necessarily mean a return to lurid bathrooms.

Today’s more understated avocado-inspired suites are likely to employ the retro green look with a lighter touch, complemented by subtle tiles and paint schemes.

Tim Richards, head of bathrooms at Wickes, describes it as ‘a green that reflects peace and nature, as well as the calm of Japanese design’. 

Meanwhile, a report by social media app Pinterest also found a 350 per cent increase in internet searches for ‘dark green bathroom’ and an enormous 2,670 per cent rise in queries about ‘green home decor’ more generally.

Professor Deborah Sugg Ryan, British design historian and TV presenter, said: ‘Like disco, flares and prawn cocktail, there’s nothing that screams the 1970s quite like avocado green bathrooms.

‘For anyone who lived through the decade, it’s perhaps understandable they don’t particularly fancy seeing it again.

‘Fortunately, this new avocado bathroom trend that’s struck a chord with 20- and 30-somethings is far more subtle.’

Wickes polled 2,115 homeowners and spoke to its 700 design consultants to produce The Wickes Great Bathroom Report.

The findings lie in stark contrast to just five years ago, when experts estimated having an avocado bathroom suite could knock almost £5,000 off the value of your home.

More than 300,000 British homes were estimated to still feature avocado in their bathrooms – but three out of four people said in a survey in 2017 that if they bought a house that had one, it would be the first thing to go. 

Wood panelling and built-in bars were also identified as other fixtures likely to deter housebuyers, with heavily patterned carpets and crazy paving not far behind.

Research by Bathrooms.com set out to find the top ten dated decor trends likely to put off potential purchasers.

Artex ceilings and textured wallpaper were included in the list, as were brick fireplaces.