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How 3 mums transformed their homes on a shoestring budget

Modern makeovers that don't cost a fortune to recreate. - by Rebecca Lowrey Boyd
  • 14 Apr 2021

Creating a stylish space doesn’t mean you have to splurge - creating an inviting room that reflects your personality is a skill anyone can pick up. The key is to find objects you really love, that serve a purpose and that will be treasured for many years to come. 

WATCH: Tara Dennis gives a bedroom a budget makeover

Mums Tina Delvin, Lisa Casemore and Rebecca Townsend have done just that. They scanned homewares stores, watched styling tutorials and found ways to creatively upcycle vintage objects to create a truly unique and stylish home. 

Take a look at the five rooms they created on a budget.

Bedroom

It was a case of Insta-envy that inspired Perth mother of four Tina Delvin to update her bedroom.

“I’m always changing my bedroom. All the beautiful rooms I see through Instagram inspire me to change my room,” she told Better Homes and Gardens.

Stylish pink and grey bedroom
Tina Delvin

Tina shopped at Adairs, Kmart, Yorkelee prints, Seek & Style and Hunting for George for the decorative items for her bedroom. She spent around $350 on the makeover.

Her favourite piece is the linen throw hanging on the ladder.

“It’s from Feather & Oak and I actually won it through a competition on Instagram. It’s so gorgeous,” she said.

Bathroom with a print on the wall.
Lisa Casemore

Bathroom

Brisbane mother of two Lisa Casemore decided to give her “drab and boring” bathroom a makeover after a period of illness.

“I had 10 surgeries in 10 months. Now that I’m over the worst of it I needed a change. We are slowly making over our whole house one room at a time,” she explained.

Lisa shopped at Big W, Adairs, Kmart and Pillowtalk for monochrome decorative items to transform her bathroom.

Her favourite piece is the framed print from Kmart.

“I think it brings everything together and it was only $10,” she said.

Living room
Rebecca Townsend

Living room

DIY and decorating on a budget isn’t anything new for Rebecca Townsend and her husband Steve, who were inspired to renovate their home after their son Hunter was born at 23 weeks gestation.

“When we finally got to bring him home [from hospital] we decided then and there that we needed a house that would suit Hunter’s health requirements,” the Adelaide resident explained.

The couple chose budget furnishings and recycled materials for their living room makeover.

They created the feature wall using discarded pallets from Steve’s work and found flooring at the local salvage yard.

Living room with round rug on wall
Rebecca Townsend

“We have renovated our home with our own two hands to save on costs. If we didn’t know how to do it, we YouTubed it and just gave it a go,” she said.

Rebecca estimates that they spent around $300 decorating the living room, purchasing most items secondhand or from Kmart and Spotlight.

Tray with skull and candles
Rebecca Townsend

“We love shopping for bargains (from sales or Gumtree) and getting creative upcycling materials to save on money,” she said.

“It’s totally possible to have a beautiful trendy home these days on a budget!”

Dressing table
Iryna Federico

Dressing room

Iryna Federico is no stranger to budget makeovers. Her savvy shopping and chic styling has earned her a legion of followers on Facebook.

In her latest project, she has created a dedicated space in her walk-in wardrobe for storing and organising her make-up.

“I felt like I needed a space to spread out all of my make up and accessories that were previously stored in one tiny drawer,” Iryna explained.

Dressing table with flowers
Iryna Federico

She used $40 floating shelves from Bunnings because standard desk sizes didn’t fit the narrow space.

“I had to improvise and look for furniture that wasn’t wide and intrusive,” she said.

To complete the look, Iryna spray-painted a $40 Kmart mirror in gold, and added a $100 stool from Catch of the Day.

  • Decorating
  • Better Life
  • Living Room Ideas
  • Lounge Room Ideas
Rebecca Lowrey Boyd
Rebecca is the Digital Managing Editor of Better Homes and Gardens.

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