Before and after photos show how homeowner transformed ‘neglected’ home on a budget

Claire’s beautiful home would sit comfortably on the pages of an interior design magazine. The 37-year-old who lives in Tunbridge Wells has managed to garner an impressive following on Instagram after sharing her home improvement tips. But Claire’s home didn’t always look this stunning.

kitchen

Claire’s once outdated kitchen is now a sleek, modern room with gorgeous pendant lights and a monochrome theme.

The handyman said the kitchen was set up by professionals, but she made the tiles herself after watching YouTube tutorials, potentially saving her hundreds of pounds.

She made the extractor hood herself from old wood and found the pendant lights, cabinet handles and light switches online.

To make sure she was getting the best possible price, she said she was shopping.

The sleek black countertops have been redesigned with Granite Transformations, which they think are more cost effective than solid granite or quartz.

Her vintage dining table was a find from a charity shop that she upcycled by sanding off household paint.

She took the dining bench from the Facebook marketplace for under £ 50.

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Front room

Claire’s living room used to be a shabby affair with old plaster of paris, white walls, and brown carpets.

The space has since been remodeled with panels, paint, and niche shelving.

The chimney breast was built by professionals, but the fireplace was another second-hand find that only cost Claire £ 20.

She painted the fireplace and it looks like new now.

The DIY enthusiast painted the whole room herself and added a picture rail with inexpensive moldings from B&Q.

The trendy cladding consists of MDF strips, which can be obtained cheaply from B & Q and Homebase.

Claire added, “I built the alcove shelf with MDF from an old wardrobe that we disassembled and put on the bargain blinds that were £ 4 from The Range.”

bedroom

Claire’s bedroom is truly one of a kind and features a color mural mountain mural on the wall.

During the lockdown, Claire decided to modify her “very boring and uninspiring” bedroom so that every time she stepped into the room it felt like an exciting vacation in a distant destination.

Claire researched murals and selected the mountains that matched her “limited artistic ability”.

She drew the mountain layers by hand by marking the walls with chalk and then began painting the darkest layer with a small brush.

Then she added some light pink paint to the dark gray paint and hand painted some of the mountains in that shade.

She then mixed more of that pink shade with another paler, gray-pink shade and did the same.

She repeated this process until she reached the top half of the wall, where she mostly used the light gray pink to create an ombre effect.

Claire continued, “I painted the wallcovering on two walls the soft dark pink, but I knew I didn’t want the whole room in that shade, and to separate myself from the black frame of the bed, I have it Cladding painted the main wall a pale gray.

“I added a few details to the mountains to create depth and finally painted the door and architrave a light gray pink to continue the soft, relaxing feel.”

Claire added wooden pegs she’d found on eBay to the panel at the foot of the bed.

She found the Scandi-style four-poster bed online after getting a bargain.

living room

Claire’s living room used to be dark and boring with outdated fixtures and gray carpets.

The room has since been remodeled with folding doors that open onto your terrace to create a feeling of inside and outside and not only bring light into the room, but also color.

While the doors were expensive, Claire said they thought they were “a worthwhile investment.”

The trendy black radiators were from eBay and the laminate flooring was bought and installed by Howdens. She said this was “excellent quality, value for money and looks very much like real wood”.

She installed the cladding and built-in shelves herself.

bath

Claire’s master bathroom suite and tile were professionally furnished, but she was able to look online for a “real bargain”.

However, the small details and personal details were all implemented by Claire.

She explained, “I painted and accented the door architecture, shower wall shelf, and door handles with black accents to spark a little interest.

“I’ve been using old paint that I’ve already had to save, and I plan to stencil the floor tiles soon – another project on the never-ending list!”

Toilet

Small toilets are the perfect way to explore with bold colors, patterns and designs, which is exactly what Claire did.

Claire decorated the entire room herself, with the exception of the plumbing, which was done by professionals.

The room has a black ceiling, bold wallpaper and moldings

The DIY fanatic said she managed to paint the entire bathroom ceiling with a test pot for £ 3.99 from The Decorating Center Online.

The pale wood paneling around the room costs around £ 12 total, adding another dimension to the small toilet.

Claire added, “The mirror was a £ 10 bargain from Homesense.

“It was dented and marked so I knocked out the dent and painted it and it now lifts the entire room.”