A mother has shared how she was able, with minimal cost, to transform her home by learning DIY skills and purchasing budget supplies.
Emma McAllister (35), a Tyne and Wear resident, decided to transform the house into a beautiful zebra-inspired sanctuary while protecting during lockdown.
The paediatric nurse achieved her impressive home renovation for under £4,000 by learning DIY, using cheap materials such as vinyl tiles and MDF in addition to stocking up on affordable accessories from TK Maxx.
The mother-of-three told LatestDeals.co.uk about the process, saying: ‘I bought my house in August 2020, and in October I was diagnosed with MS and a rare spinal condition.
Emma McAllister, 35, who lives in Tyne and Wear, has impressed DIY fans after sharing how she was able to transform her entire home into a zebra-inspired paradise for under £4,000. Pictured: The living space with its colourful furniture and zebra rug rug. For contrast, she continued to print the wall in pastel pink and green.
Emma stated that she decided to put all her energy into making her home brighter and more colourful, while also protecting her home during lockdown. Pictured: The living area was lacking character before being painted grey and given a beige look.
Emma (pictured), who was diagnosed with MS, a rare spinal condition and had to be protected during lockdown after she bought her home in August 2020, was only months away from being diagnosed.
“Because of this, I had to stay at home and shield myself from work. I am a paediatric nurse and work in an A&E department.
“So, after months and months of being at home, I decided to spend all my energy and time decorating my home so it was bright and colourful and as happy as possible.
“I love zebras and they are a symbol of rare illnesses, so I added lots of zebra prints to my house.
“I started an Instagram page called @zebra.homeinspo. I met amazing people with incredible homes and they also inspired me.
“I ordered lots of items online and found the best prices. Then I got to work decorating.
“I have three boys, who loved helping me paint and picking out the right things for their rooms.
Emma, a lover of zebras and brightening up the dining room with pink accessories, Frida Kahlo prints, and pops of pink accessories, splashed the print all over the area.
Emma stated that she was able to find affordable black-and-white items online to continue the theme throughout her house. The bedroom was updated with a feature wall and monochrome theme to give it a modern look.
‘I did everything within my budget, and my partner did all work such as the wallpapering and panelling.
“I found my bathroom online and it was cheaper than most places. Then a plumber did the plumbing.
“I started with internal doors. I wanted something different so I chose pink doors. I used Farrow and Ball Sulking Room pink.
I then decorated the living area. I added panelling and moulding to the walls, which was just cheap wood from B&Q which I nailed and glued to the wall and painted with Valspar black paint.
‘I also wanted a fake fireplace wall in here – a family friend built this for me so the cost was free and we paid another family friend £50 to plaster it.
“We bought the sofa and table from Sofology and Next. I added wallpaper, which Lust gifted me, and cushions and accessories that I bought cheaply at TK Maxx.
‘The total cost of the living room was about £2,000 but that was because of the sofa and table.
‘For the kitchen I added the breakfast bar so my children could sit here – this was £40 and then I decorated it with polka dots and paint.
‘My kids’ rooms I wallpapered again, and added black and white accessories which cost £50.
‘For my bedroom we added panelling all along its back wall, as it is a long room and needed a feature.
Emma spent £2,000 on the living room (pictured), including a lavish velvet sofa from Sofology, coordinating table from Next and chic black and white accessories from TK Maxx
Emma replaced the traditional wooden floor boards in the bathrooms with black and artistic white tiles. In addition to decorating the space with plants, drawers and other decorative elements, she also added color and texture. Pictured left: Bathroom before, right: Bathroom now
Having found a glamorous bath online for £600, Emma said the biggest challenge was finding a plumber to install it during the pandemic. Bathroom now
Having purchased accessories from Amazon and B&M to overhaul the house, Emma freshened up the exterior by painting the front door turquoise and swapping her black floor mat for zebra print . Pictured left: Exterior before and now
‘We bought MDF from B&Q and measured and cut the sizes we needed, and then primed and painted this.
‘I wanted a bath in the alcove, so I searched the internet and found a black and white freestanding roll top bath for £500.
“A friend of the family built a frame for the bath and concealed the plumbing.
‘This was free of charge: the plumber then cost £600.
‘I bought vinyl tiles from Amazon for £10 a pack to cover the frame.
‘I then added a seating area with two chairs from Amazon for £80 for two and a drinks cabinet from B&M for £30.
Emma spent £1,500 decorating the bedroom – including zebra vinyl from Get Kooky, black and white rugs and accessories. Bedroom now
I decorated my drawer with Get Kooky zebra vinyl and added rugs. Overall, the bedroom cost £1,500.
‘The whole house cost £4,000 to renovate, including the big pieces of furniture we bought.’
Pleased with the finished results, Emma claims the project was a lifesaver during the pandemic.
Emma stated that she loves her brightly coloured home and would not change it. However, she said that she is always changing things because she loves to paint and decorate.
‘The most difficult challenge was the bath. Because of the pandemic, it was so hard for a plumber to be found so people had to cancel their appointments and try to find one.
Emma, who encourages others to not be afraid of colour in decorating their homes, gave her hallway an artistic look with pink doors and bold print tiles on beige carpet. Pictured right: Hallway before, now
“My main tip is to not be afraid of color – it’s just paint and you can always get back to white!”
“I really enjoyed decorating my house and looking online for things to use, such as the bathtub I chose.
“I experimented with colours such as green and pink and loved the combinations.
‘It actually wasn’t too hard to do for £4,000 if you research what you want and do the work yourself.
‘For instance, I would recommend that you search many places for similar products that are cheaper – we used vinyl tiles because they were more affordable but we still love them as much as real ones.
‘I would recommend this project highly as I loved seeing the rooms transform.
Emma claimed that the renovation was not difficult because she did extensive research and that it gave her something to look forward too during the pandemic. Pictured: The living space now, with a fake fireplace to match the zebra-inspired space
“It saved my life during the pandemic, as it gave me something to look forward to, and the colors brought joy into my home.
Tom Church, cofounder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: ‘Lockdown was a very difficult time for many families. With staying at home for several months proving extremely difficult for most of us, it proved to be an incredibly difficult time.
Emma has shown us the incredible strength we all have by taking the time to make her home a colourful, unique, and on-trend space.
‘The house looks expensive. It must have cost tens to thousands of pounds to build. Emma’s clever budgeting and creative ideas are amazing.
“I’m sure that this zebra house will be the envy for all her Instagram followers!”