HOUSE renovations often come hand-in-hand with delays and spiralling costs, but thrifty Stacey Solomon has proved you can make a big impact quickly on a shoestring budget.
Since buying her ‘forever home’ with fiancé Joe Swash in March, the domestic goddess has documented the incredible transformation of her £1.2million house.
Here Fabulous shares all the money-saving tips and DIY hacks Stacey’s used to pour TLC into the family’s new home, Pickle Cottage.
Stunning £11.99 flower ceiling
A way to add interest to a room is to either enhance a feature that’s already there, or create a new one from scratch.
Stacey shared how she transformed her conservatory with a salvaged bit of wood and some £11.99 wisteria vine garlands from Amazon.
In a video on her Instagram story, she told fans: “So my friend found me this amazing slice of wood…
“So instead of hanging the flowers from the metal pole, I’m going to sort of stick them across this wood and then hang the whole thing up!”
She later decided to add some lights too.
She continued: “Taking so much longer than I thought because I staple gunned the flowers on and then thought it really needs some dangly lights…
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“So I’ve found some cable, lamp holders and bulbs and called my dad over. For supervision.”
She spray painted the old white lamp holders black, while her dad and his electrician friend took care of the lighting element.
The result? A stunning new installation that draws the eye up, emphasising the height of the room.
Rex’s Frenchic & Amazon bedroom makeover
Stacey’s youngest, Rex, looked absolutely elated with his new room when the star revealed the finished product on Instagram – and we’re not surprised!
The mum-of-three created a seriously luxurious-looking kids’ room with her grey-and-white theme.
But instead of getting the experts in, Stacey turned to Amazon, Dunelm and IKEA for her bargain buys.
She used frog tape to section off the wall, then bought £9.99 animal-themed stickers from Amazon and Frenchic’s £16.95 Al Fresco paint to create a stunning contrast feature wall.
In the corner of the room between the window and the fireplace, Stacey also created a DIY chalkboard wall with £9 Securit chalkboard paint from Amazon.
The savvy mum topped it all off with a £16.99 Panda shelving unit from Home Zone Store, some affordable £10 hexagonal lights and raved about the sweet £8 soft toy zebras that she put up over the fireplace.
She said: “I’m in love with these little zebras from Dunelm.”
So are we!
‘Blue loo’ transformation with £5 Dunelm and Primark bargains
The downstairs loo is often the sorriest room in the house, but not anymore!
The Loose Woman turned hers into a masterpiece thanks to some bargain buys and joked it’s now her ‘favourite place to hide in’.
Stacey took inspiration from the original blue-and-white bathroom fittings and brought the room into the 21st century thanks to a lick of duck egg paint, some white MDF panels and chic whitewashed wood flooring.
The star home-maker then added purse-friendly accessories to complete the look.
Her Dunelm haul included a duck egg Egyptian cotton hand towel (£5), a white toilet brush holder (£10) and a brass gold towel ring (£12) and toilet roll holder (£10).
Stacey also fitted some wooden corner shelves that she’d picked up from Amazon for £35.99 for two, which she decorated with Dunelm candles and a white vase and pampas grass from Primark.
Cosy love nest with DIY ‘Lion King’ mirror
Showing what you can achieve with just a few colour-coordinated accessories and a statement piece, Stacey proudly showed off her bedroom transformation shortly after moving in.
“My Lion King mirror is home,” she wrote.
“It got a bit battered in transit. I need to dig my glue gun and stick the needs back on and fluff him up with the hairdryer. But I love him in here.”
The TV presenter added white vases and bed linen alongside blossom-pink accents of cushions and pampas grass that matched the mirror, giving the former bland magnolia master bedroom a much-deserved makeover.
If our bedroom looked as inviting as that, we’d never get out of bed!
£30 monochrome bathroom revamp
Stacey and Joe gave one of their bathrooms an instant facelift by putting a fresh lick of black paint on the vanity unit and tiled floor.
Inspiration struck while Stacey was on the loo. She explained: “So I was sitting on the toilet, as you do, just looking around thinking this will probably be one of the last rooms we decorate because it’s one of the least important before baby arrives.
“And then I thought, why don’t I just jazz it up or try and jazz it up quickly and cheaply for the meantime?”
The house whizz swapped the mirrored cabinet above the sink for a £14 flat mirror and added a £4 rug, both of which she snapped up from Dunelm.
Stocking up on Uni-bond sealer from Amazon, Stacey then freshened up the discoloured grout in between the tiles.
I’m soo so happy with it. For a bit of paint, a mirror, sealer and some fejkas it feels sooo much better!
Sharing a thrifty tip with fellow DIY lovers, Stacey said she picked up her little bottle of sealer for £6, before revealing: “Only buy it once because the bigger tubes are only £4.”
She also dressed up the shelves by the sink with candles and fejka plants from Ikea for as little as £3 for a pack of three.
Posting a snap of the finished result, the pregnant star wrote: “I’m soo so happy with it. For a bit of paint, a mirror, sealer and some fejkas it feels sooo much better!”
Fairytale staircase
When it comes to renovating homes, it’s almost always cheaper to work with what you’ve got rather than look for new replacements – which is exactly what Stacey’s done with her staircase.
By sandblasting the wood, she’s brought out all the intricate carvings while also giving the stairs a modern twist.
She wrote: “I love these stairs and all of the detail on them so much but the dark wood and red carpet made them feel so closed in…
“I can’t wait to shine them up, treat them, and stain and made, add a light runner and chrome rods too.”
She’s also brought all the beams back to their original colour, giving the home a lighter and brighter feel throughout.
Wendy house of dreams
Nestled in the 2.5 acre gardens of Pickle Cottage is a mini version of the house.
Although it was looking a little tired when Stacey and Joe moved in, things didn’t stay that way for long!
With a fresh lick of paint, the wendy house was soon looking as good as new.
The star said: “I decided to try a different lighter colour because I thought if it looks wrong, it’s easy to change it back to black.”
No need for that though – the grey gave the Tudor-style cabin a modern feel.
Once this was done, Stacey gave the indoor paving stones a good sweep, added a ‘Little Pickle Cottage’ doormat and made a flower basket to display at the front – and let’s be honest, it looks good enough to move into.
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