Venice has ranked as the most preferred city skyline, just beating the classic New York horizon for the top spot, new research has shown.

The survey was conducted by Murals Wallpaper who asked more than 750 people the question; ‘Which would you have as a wall mural?’ accompanied by six images of some of the most iconic city skylines in the world.

The six photographs that were shown alongside the question included London, Paris, Liverpool, New York, Tokyo and Venice, each in the form of a large mural of each city.

Venice, often referred to as The Floating City, was the winner, with a quarter of the survey respondents (25%) selecting it as their best preferred landscape. New York came in second place, only just behind Venice, with 24%.

This result may come as a little bit of a surprise, as New York has long been hailed as having the most iconic skyline, with monuments such as the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty gracing the landscape. Although The Big Apple appeared to be favoured by all respondents aged between 18 and 44 years, Venice followed close behind and overtook New York in the 45 – 54 years age category.

Another surprise that may show a change in public opinion was that Liverpool ranked above London in the survey, garnering 19.3% of the votes as opposed to the Capital’s 14.2%. A lot has been made of the government’s ‘Northern Powerhouse’ plans and it seems cities in the North are rapidly moving out of the capital’s shadow.

Meanwhile, Paris, often described as the most romantic city in the world, ranked last in the survey, gaining just 8.7% of the votes. It was beaten by Tokyo, which was selected by 8.8% of the respondents. 

The results of this survey show that although city skylines may still be a public favourite, people’s preferences for the more “traditional” cities is changing, in favour of something new.

Richard Wilde, Managing Director of Murals Wallpaper, believes the survey results show how our inclinations are changing: “While places like New York will always be popular in interior design, it’s clear that people are looking to do something a little different these days.

“Homeowners can have anything they like emblazoned on their walls, and we’re seeing more people choosing images for sentimental reasons. A huge mural of Liverpool city centre may not appeal to all, but if you were born and raised there, it will hold a huge amount of significance. We tend to find that a lot of people who have moved away from their home town will decorate a wall or an entire room in a way that reminds them of their roots.

“It was very interesting to see Venice coming out on top, and Liverpool beating London in this particular survey – a result that would surprise many.”

The City Collection from Murals Wallpaper features stunning skyline images from cities across the world, including classic choices such as New York and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, as well as Las  Vegas, Hong Kong and Shanghai.