Woman gives rented house a dramatic makeover – and spends just £200
Woman gives her four-bed rented home a stylish makeover for just £200 – using sticky-back vinyl to update work surfaces, bold wallpaper and second-hand furniture bought on Gumtree
- Carer Lauren Orme pays £440 a month for her rented home in Liverpool and has lived there for four years
- Property featured a dark kitchen and magnolia wallpaper, which Lauren, 26, ‘tolerated’ for two years before deciding to give the property a makeover – on a shoestring budget of £200
- Revamp has seen her update the bathroom with a trendy black-framed shower screen and stick-on vinyl tiles
- Partner Mark helped her create a breakfast bar in an unused area of the kitchen and a pallet stuck to the wall in the garden has been painted and turned into a shelf for al fresco drinks
A community support carer has revealed how she’s given her entire rental home a makeover, using bold wallpaper, second-hand furniture and the creative use of an old wooden pallet.
Lauren Orme, 26, from Liverpool, moved into her four-bedroom rented home, which she shares with her partner Mark, 39, four years ago.
The couple, who pay £440 a month in rent, say they ‘tolerated’ the property’s magnolia walls, dark kitchen and brown carpets but in 2019, they finally decided it was time for a spruce-up on a shoestring.
Scouring Instagram for ideas, Lauren says she soon became obsessed with cut-price DIY and looked at imaginative ways to enhance the space the couple have – including installing a budget breakfast bar in an unused corner of the property’s kitchen.
Instagram fan Lauren Orme, a Community support carer from Liverpool, pays £440 a month for her rented home – but grew tired of magnolia walls and decided to give the four-bed property a revamp
Dark to light: Lauren says she began looking at cut-price ways to give the house a style makeover…with stick-on tiles and vinyl work surfaces giving the previously dark kitchen a fresher look
Mark helped build the breakfast bar using wood (£18) and two table legs (£10 each) from B&Q. Lauren completed the area by tucking under a pair of chairs she already owned and for just £28, and the project was complete.
In the garden, Lauren created a pallet bar using a wooden pallet that cost just £2 from a local seller. After sawing it in half and drilling it to a garden wall, the couple painted the wood using some leftover wood paint.
To finish off, Mark made a lid using leftover wood that the couple already had lying around and fastened this with a hook and eye.
She says: ‘Homeware has come such a long way and there’s great shops like The Range, B&M, TKMaxx, and Home Bargains which do fabulous home décor for a good price.’
One of Lauren’s favourite DIY hacks is using sticky-back plastic vinyl. Costing as little as just £10 a roll, Lauren has covered various items in her house including a fireplace, bathroom fixtures, and kitchen worktops – giving them a completely new lease of life. Similarly, Lauren emulated a £200 crittal-style shower screen by applying £1 black tape to her existing one.
Lauren’s partner Mark, who she shares the rented home with, helped her create a breakfast bar in an unused area of the kitchen. The mini bar was crafted using a shelf and some legs from B&Q – at a cost of just £28
Dining in style: The area where the couple eat has been transformed into a cosy dining area, with a cushioned seat, and window style mirrors on the wall
In total, Lauren estimates to have spent just £200 transforming her home including paint, wood, furniture, and accessories – sourcing around 80 per cent of her furniture second-hand from places like Gumtree or charity shops.
‘My favourite project was the little breakfast bar area I created. I’d always wanted one but struggled with a lack of space and a limited shaped room, but it turned out great and exactly like how I imagined it.
‘My partner helped fix it all in place. We simply got a piece of wood which was already the right size and didn’t need to be cut and two table legs – but we only ended up using one in the end and attached one side of the bar to the wall.
She hopes to inspire others with her budget and rental-friendly transformations, saying: ‘Everything I’ve done has been very cheap and easy to do.
Bold wallpapers also helped give smaller spaces an updated look – including palm leave wallpaper and a trendy black frame shower screen – using black vinyl tape – in the bathroom
And the downstairs loo also looks a million dollars – thanks to a geometric mirror and tropical themed wallpaper
‘I first developed an interest in DIY after two years of living in my rented home. I was sick of looking at magnolia walls and brown carpets.
‘They just didn’t make me happy so I decided to try and put my own stamp on it,’ Lauren said.
As warmer weather came around, the couple looked to enhance the garden, saying: ‘The next project we decided to take on was building a pallet bar outside. We absolutely love using this in the summer.
‘We bought a pallet for £2 from a local place near us. You can get them at lots of places for free so ask around.’
The couple lived in the house for two years before deciding they could no longer stand the drab interiors – and set to work
Hard work: Lauren says that she’d encourage more people to have a go at DIY, saying the results can be dramatic without too much financial outlay
Ta da! The living room as it now looks after the DIY fan used sticky back marble-effect vinyl on the fireplace
‘We cut it in half and drilled it into the garden wall. Once up, I painted it with some leftover wood paint I already had.
‘My partner made a lid for it by cutting a few pieces of wood in half – nailing and gluing together and adding a hook and eye hatch lock to close it up.
‘I’ve used a lot of vinyl sticky-back plastic in my house in various rooms including on the fireplace in the living room, in the bathroom, and on the work tops on the kitchen.
‘It’s so much more durable and versatile than people think and it’s really become very popular recently.
And she says she’s learned a few tricks along the way on how best to manage vinyl, saying: ‘My top tip for anyone who hasn’t used it but is thinking of doing so is to use a hair dryer to heat up the adhesive. This makes it easier to bend and mould it round corners.
‘All in all, we’ve spent around two-hundred pounds including paint, accessories, vinyl, décor, and wood.
‘I always shop second-hand first. I’d say eighty per cent of my furniture is second-hand and bought off Gumtree or from charity shops.
The property’s outdoor space has also enjoyed Lauren and Mark’s creativity, with an old pallet being transformed into an outdoor bar
The couple say they’ve spent only £200 on the whole house revamp – thanks to using second-hand furniture from Gumtree and spotting bargains in places like The Range and B&M
The tired bistro set that was in the garden before the couple decided to add in a painted wooden furniture set
There were no problems getting permission from her landlord, and he’s happy with how the revamp has turned out, she says.
‘Everything is rental friendly too as it can easily be taken away. My landlord is really happy with all the changes I’ve made. They’re laid back which is great.’
Lauren has no plans to stop her DIY endeavours anytime soon. She hopes to transform the playroom using her signature vinyl hack to update the fireplace.
‘I get most of my inspiration from Instagram. There’s a whole community on there and it was nice to stumble on a crowd who shared the same interests as me.’ Lauren said.
‘Pinterest is great too – there is every kind of decor you can imagine on there. My next DIY project is painting and adding vinyl to the fireplace in the playroom.
Black is the colour: The pastel pink door has been replaced by a stylish black matt door and frame
Pick up a paintbrush: Lauren says she now wants to inspire others to have a go at taking on projects around the home
The carer says she’s motivated to get others to not shy away from taking on DIY projects, saying: ‘I especially want to inspire women to pick up that sander, drill, or paintbrush and just have a go.’
‘This is just a hobby for me now and what I love to do in my spare time. I’d love to do it full time in some shape or form though.
‘I’m just really trying to inspire anyone who rents their home to make it a place you really want to spend time in as your environment is so important in how it makes you feel and it doesn’t have to cost the earth.’
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