Tabla de contenidos para Money-Saving Makeovers en Money-Saving Makeovers

Looking to create your dream home without it costing the earth? In this brand-new bookazine from the makers of Style at Home magazine, we share some of our best tips, tricks, advice and inspiration to help you update your house for less. From DIY hacks and decor ideas to must-have high street finds, your home will feel uniquely you! Over the following pages, explore the most inspirational home renovations from the most recent issues of Style at Home, including the stunning California-style 1980s bungalow on page 6, as well as the beautiful period townhouse made for socialising on page 44. We’ve also revealed our favourite garden revamps to inspire you in time for summer! Elsewhere, discover the best budget-friendly kitchen, bathroom and living room makeovers, featuring on-trend paints, wallpapers, furniture…

With our first baby on the way, we felt it was time to leave our small rented flat in north London and buy a more affordable property near our families,’ says Elise. ‘Our flat in Islington was open plan and we didn’t even have an internal door we could close! Although my husband Michael and I had met in London, our families only lived a mile away from each other in the North East, so it was the perfect time to move back to be near them. We’d both lived in period properties before and loved their character, but I was drawn to a more modern and practical type of property. This led us to buy a new-build house off-plan on a Taylor Wimpey estate in Whitley Bay. We loved…

When Ben and I moved into our home in West Sussex we weren’t really sure what to do with the garden, so we left it for a while and got on with decorating the house,’ says Katie. ‘It’s a rental property but luckily the landlord was fine about us changing the decor, so we carried on until finally we turned our attention to the outside space. The problem was that it had a long stretch of decking and a tiny bit of grass, but other than that it was quite bare. The decking was a light wood and it all just felt a bit boring and not very us. I did think about removing some of the decking to give us more lawn, but if I’m honest, neither of us…

When we moved house in 2017, we realised the rear garden had been glossed over in the particulars,’ says Emily. ‘It had broken fence panels, depressing flagstones and some sad-looking pots. It needed to be given a new lease of life and some personality added to it. Luckily, I began studying garden design in 2018, so the timing was right to use our own garden as a case study for the course. Perfect vision I knew I wanted an outside room that felt spacious and connected to the modern rear of our house, with lots of exotic plants that would transport us somewhere far away and dreamy… a complete contrast to the cottage garden at the front. I started developing my wish list, which included having an area where we…

When we bought our Brighton home in June 2020, it was a renovation project and every room needed updating,’ says Gemma. ‘At the top of our to-do list was transforming the bland kitchen, which had beige units and dark worktops. It didn’t seem to matter how sunny it was outside, the room always felt dark and gloomy. Our idea was to install huge glass back doors and a new, larger window that would allow daylight to filter into the room – as well as fit a brand new kitchen. We hired our friends, who are contractors, to undertake the building works. The first thing they did was rip out the old units, appliances and floor. They also pulled down an internal wall to open up the under-stairs cupboard, and they…

Keeping small bathrooms ordered and tidy can be a challenge. Lack of space often leaves little extra room for storage, meaning that surfaces get cluttered with toiletries, and rails and hooks overloaded with damp towels and bulky bathrobes. Space-saving furniture and multitasking storage pieces are a must when bathroom space is tight or there’s a danger of the space feeling even more crowded and chaotic. Look out for slimline shelves and units that can squeeze into small gaps or slot in beside baths and shower cubicles. Or utilise wasted wall space with clever racks and rails over doors or neat shelving units that are designed to sit under wash basins or above the loo. STORE AND DISPLAY The area running along and above a bath can be put to use…

I’ve always been drawn to period properties and when my husband Karl and I saw our 1650s cottage in Enfield it was love at first sight,’ says Sandra. ‘The place was in good condition, but it had been decorated in a very modern way, which didn’t suit the style of the house. Bit by bit we began changing it to a more traditional look, with lots of vintage buys combined with heritage colours and prints. We took our time and finally had it looking just how we wanted it. Then, in 2021, we made the decision to extend the house to include a third bedroom, which would not only give us a larger sleep space, but also a dressing area and en-suite bathroom. Planning starts We had a garage at…

As first-time buyers we were keen to find a project we could develop over time, ideally in a quiet, rural location,’ says Michaela. ‘We’d been renting locally for two years, keeping a keen eye on properties that were coming onto the market – and this four-bedroom bungalow in East Riding, Yorkshire, was perfect. We loved that the rooms were well proportioned and logically laid out on one level. It had a generous footprint, large back garden and bags of potential to extend and add value. Changing style The property had been built in the 1980s and although it needed updating, it wasn’t in bad condition. The majority of the house had been decorated top to toe in magnolia and was bland and lacking character. In stark contrast was the jazzy…

Ten years ago my husband Simon and I decided to up sticks and move from south-west London,’ says Mary. ‘We wanted to find a base for the business and a new home – and as soon as we visited Frome in Somerset we knew it was where we wanted to be based. It’s an independent market town with lots going on, surrounded by beautiful countryside. On the day we visited, I saw the For Sale sign in the window of a shop at the top of Catherine Hill and I knew I wanted it to be my shop. We knew Frome would make a great place to have a young family and so the next step was finding a house. We were after somewhere with period features, a garden and…

When the weather’s warmer, the garden becomes the hub of family activities, from the kids playing out to meals eaten alfresco. As family life moves outside, the garden can become home to lots of extra ‘stuff’, from cushions, blankets and outdoor toys and games, to picnicware and barbecue kit. Finding a handy spot to store seasonal extras and protect them from the elements is a must. Consider stealing back some shed or garage space with a dedicated storage area for outdoor belongings, or if you’d prefer something nearer to the house there are plenty of smaller standalone options that won’t eat up too much patio space. Just make sure it’s big enough to house all your items. ADD AN ‘OVERFLOW’ CONTAINMENT UNIT If your shed or garage is already bursting…

We’re both originally from Birmingham but decided to move to the village of Ullesthorpe in Leicestershire for a slower pace and better quality of life,’ says Celie. ‘We’ve always enjoyed creating things, but did minimal renovations in our first home, which we bought when we were in our 20s – it was mainly just redecorating. However, we did convert a van into a camper van, which is where we got the bug for renovation. We love the history that comes with this property – it was built in 1878, and is opposite a milestone. It’s known that whoever lives in the property is called the ‘keeper’ of the milestone – hence my Instagram handle @milestone_cottage. Chris actually purchased the house without me seeing it. I was on a trip and…

1 Create a chequered floor Breathe new life into shabby bathroom floorboards with a smart chequerboard paint effect. You’ll need a neutral base as your starting point – either natural timber or painted boards are fine – with the tile effect created in a brighter contrast colour. Use a pencil, tape measure and masking tape to mark out and line up the area to be painted and then fill in your top colour with a small brush and roller, working in alternate rows. Leave to dry and apply another coat if necessary. Once thoroughly dry, seal with clear lacquer to protect. 2 GO BIG WITH A BOLD WALLPAPER While regular wallpaper isn’t recommended in damp, humid spaces, specialist bathroom wallpaper is designed to cope with steamy conditions. Contour wallpaper has…

When it comes to bedroom furniture, the combination of bed, wardrobe, chest of drawers and bedside table seems to be the standard set-up for many of us. And while these pieces offer an adequate amount of storage, it often turns out to be just not quite enough. Finding ways to incorporate extra storage into a bedroom can be a challenge, especially if it’s a small or average-sized space. But working in storage around, under and above existing furniture can be a savvy way of squeezing in more without making the room feel cramped or overcrowded – and it needn’t break the bank. BRIDGE A GAP Utilise wasted wall space behind a bed with a bank of overhead units spanning the gap between two wardrobes. Bridge units can be tailored to…

Designing my home was a life-changing move for me,’ says Temi. ‘It cemented my decision to pursue a career in interior design full time and led to me appearing on TV’s Interior Design Masters this year. ‘It was love at first sight when we spotted this house and we were thrilled it came in within our budget. At the time, I was living with my husband on a narrow boat while we saved for our mortgage, which is funny as when I first met Benoit I remember being distinctly unimpressed by the fact he lived on a boat and saying I wouldn’t be joining him. Fast forward a few years and I’d not only moved onto the boat, but also found that I really enjoyed living on the water. It…

We viewed a few properties before this house, all within a mile radius of Grimsby town centre, but we ended up falling for the cheapest and most dated house of all,’ says Leila. ‘Having rented on and off for years – and having got travelling out of our systems – Joe and I were ready to buy our first home. We lived on the rural outskirts before, so we wanted to be more central. I’d always loved my aunt’s deceptively spacious London terrace and Joe had grown up in a period home, too, so we were on the same page in our hunt for a characterful house. Luckily the three bedroom house we found already had central heating and a new roof, and we couldn’t wait to make our own…

1 Pick a floral centrepiece Go big with table decorations if you’re celebrating a special occasion outdoors. In-season blooms will add a splash of colour to a plain table and if you pick a selection of foliage and flowers from the garden, it won’t cost a thing. Stand a hurricane lantern with candle at the centre of your arrangement to take it from day to evening. Use mini jars filled with water around your lantern to hold flowers (rather than using florists’ foam) and let them spill over so the base is concealed. 2 MAKE FABRIC POT COVERS Try disguising plastic planters or tatty terracotta pots by making a few inexpensive fabric cover-ups. Use fabric remnants in a mix of ginghams, florals, stripes or plains – or if you have…

Hang a wall-to-wall peg rail Utilise a cabinet-free wall by creating hanging space for kitchen essentials – chopping boards, jugs and mugs, for example – while dispersing decorative bits and bobs like hanging plants and picture frames between them. Give it a twist Paint a strip of colour below the rail to frame the objects. Revamp a cabinet with glass film Use sticky backed plastic to transform a plain kitchen cabinet into an up-to-date storage piece. The film will also help to prevent chips and scratches. Give it a twist Replace the fluted film with a frosted or patterned, stained glass-style alternative. Upcycle an old window frame Create a handy kitchen noticeboard by fixing cork tiles on to the back of an old frame using a glue gun or strong…

When we moved into our house, the bathroom was originally downstairs and although it was a good size, it was quite dated, with brown tiles and brown walls,’ says Kate. ‘We lived with it for around four and a half years while we did other works to the house, but we always knew we’d relocate the bathroom upstairs eventually. Changing rooms We began to plan the new layout, and decided to turn the existing downstairs bathroom into a snug, with doors out to the garden – and it made sense to do all the work at once. Although we knew the old bathroom hadn’t been fitted well, it was only when we ripped out the bath that we found out it had been leaking into the floor and sub floor…

Although this house was in a poor state when we viewed it, we fell in love with its potential,’ says Claire. ‘The purchase process was tricky – it dragged on for over six months – and the stress just started there. Our new home was an ex-rental and had been empty for ages. The boiler was beyond repair and the toilets didn’t flush! Basically, every room needed urgent attention before we could move in. The work begins We had a new boiler installed within days, and the bathroom refitted within a couple of weeks. Next was the kitchen, which we replaced within four months. After all that, it was a couple of years before we had the energy to tackle the other rooms. Making progress In December 2018, we started…

1 Revamp a dressing table Give a shabby piece of furniture a new lease of life by repainting it a jazzy new colour and adding sparkly drawer pulls and a mirror. Find an old dressing table or wooden desk at a charity shop or online. Start off by lightly sanding to get rid of rough edges and flaky paint, then wipe over with a damp cloth. Depending on which paint you choose, the surface may need priming first to give a longer lasting finish, then simply apply one or two coats of your chosen top coat in a bold, standout colour. Finish with some new handles. 2 DISPLAY PICS ON LEDGES Create an easy-change picture gallery to go above a bed. Using narrow picture ledges means that any artwork you…