A DIY-loving mum has revealed how she transformed her “boring” bathroom in just one day on a budget of £28.
Abi Hugo, 32, from Essex, wanted to give the dated room a modern overhaul to match the rest of her “modern chic” home.
The room previously featured plain white tiles and matching white walls and cabinetry, and exposed flooring.
To add some colour and texture, Abi used leftover paint from another project to paint the walls a warm taupe colour, and used two packs of peel and stick floor tiles from Dunelm for £14 each.
She also painted exposed pipework and the radiator matte black, and used leftover wood from a previous DIY project to make a feature wall.
Finally, she added a faux wood grain using cream paint and a wood grain tool, before brushing over it with browning wax to bring out the texture.
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After adding a few decorative items she already had on hand, the transformation was complete.
Abi said: “It made a massive difference to the room that I just felt was very boring and not very pleasant to start with. I also upcycle furniture as well, so within this room, I got my favourite furniture flipping.”
Using materials left over from previous DIY projects, the savvy mum was able to keep costs to a minimum and ended up spending just £28.
She said: “The reno was basically free! I used leftover stuff from the other rooms that I upcycled in my house, so that includes leftover wood and paint.
“The only thing that I bought was the peel and stick floor tiles from Dunelm which were £14 a pack and I brought 2, so just under £30.
“I am all about the budget renovation.”
The content creator – who boasts 111,000 followers on Instagram (@thewhitethistle) – completed the project in just one day.
She said: “The whole transformation only took 24 hours, because when I get hooked on an idea and I see it in my head I just have to get it done.
“It just started with me painting the radiator, and seeing how it goes, and then one thing led to another and I didn’t go to bed till 2am in the morning.”
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Speaking to Leader Doors, Abi shared where she finds her main sources of inspiration – including Pinterest and browsing interior stores to solidify her ideas.
She said: “If you can find a theme for your house, and find a colour palette you love and want to run with, just like if you were building a brand, and if you think about the colour palette for your whole house, then your house will flow.
“I was able to use leftover paint because rather than going out and buying a new tin, you can just reuse paint, wood and decor from all over the house to pull it all together so it flows really nicely.
“I would say research is key – look into your interior style, and if you come across a product you love like a lamp or something, one of my top tips is to use Google Reverse Image Search, where Google will reveal all the places the product is found, and you might be able to find the product cheaper somewhere else.”
Whether you’re planning a home renovation or currently renovating, Abi suggests sticking to a theme and unitizing materials you already have.
She added: “I made sure I kept soft, neutrals in my paint colours throughout. I chose to use wood as accents to make my wall a feature, so when doing this, I added leftover wood around my mirror which was very quick to do.
“I don’t want to waste anything, so for me, it’s always like what have I got to hand.
“Layering textures is something that makes a fantastic impact to a space, so for me, I brought pampas grass from outside to implement character into the room.
“So dried grass, warm neutrals, soft organic linen is the style, and accents of black with painting things like the pipework black.”
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As for her biggest tip?
She said: “Just have fun with it – paint can always be painted over so don’t overthink things.
“With DIY, as it’s such as step-by-step process, you can’t really go wrong, because if it were to go that way you’ll notice before you get to the next step, so just have fun with it and try things!”
