‘We were quoted £5,000 for a Chesterfield sofa – but we nabbed a £400 bargain’
Banishing the dated décor of your home’s previous owners needn’t cost the earth, say budget DIY enthusiasts Sarah and Jay Rich.
Once plastered in a mixture of reds, neutrals and purples throughout the downstairs, the four-bedroom bungalow in Hockley, Essex has been given a modern and fresh look with shades of white and cream with gold and silver accents.
The couple, both aged 35, like to hunt for luxury looks on a budget.
“We have expensive tastes but not the bank balance to match so when we moved in we had to get crafty very quickly,” says Sarah.
Choosing such a light colour palette with two children in the house was a risky move, admits Sarah, mum of Myla, 4, and Aria, two months. But picking furniture and accessories that look high end without the price tag has made her more relaxed about the mishaps that inevitably go hand-in-hand with having a young family.
“Everyone says we’re brave,” says Sarah. “We have a little girl who likes to get messy and we just deal with it.”
Telegraph Money asked expert Francesca Harris, owner of Francesca Harris Design, to give her view on Sarah and Jay’s luxury looks on a shoestring budget.
Sarah and Jay, a financial adviser, bought their bungalow two years ago for £550,000 and have been in makeover mode ever since. They started their renovation in the two downstairs lounges where they spend the most time relaxing and entertaining.
The media wall, the couple’s favourite DIY project which cost just £250 to make, is the focal point of their entertaining lounge, the space they use when family and friends visit, situated off the kitchen in an open plan layout.
While they do have help from the family for some of their trickier projects, many of their DIY endeavours are self-taught and shared with fans of budget makeovers on their Instagram account @_therichhome.
“We had a vision of what we wanted the media wall to look like but it took a while to work out how we would create it and make it come to life,” says Sarah. Their biggest challenge was to complete the project within budget, not easy when Sarah had her heart set on a marble surround for the television.
Unable to afford the real deal, the couple used Fablon marble effect self-adhesive plastic – which costs around £10 a roll – to cover a piece of MDF used as the TV surround.
To create space behind the TV the Riches stuck five-inch thick MDF blocks to the wall and fixed the surround to the blocks. LED strips placed behind the MDF panel create mood lighting.
Part of Sarah’s vision was to have vertical wooden panelling on one side of the wall but the cost was prohibitive. She got around the price barrier by using wallpaper that gives the impression of wood, for just £15 a roll from Amazon.
The TV is fitted onto a bracket that pulls out, creating space to hide cables and the sound bar.
Sarah’s key colours in their entertaining lounge are white, grey, and silver with fake plants and a Eucalyptus tree added for a splash of colour. Two large prints costing £400 each from Mala Art break up the expanse of white walls.
Francesca says the use of vinyl or a similar material on the TV surround elevates the space and makes it look custom-made, but warns that achieving a flawless finish is difficult.
“If you are thinking of doing the same, make sure you can complete the job to a high standard,” says Francesca. “Crumpled edges or tiny bubbles will give away your budget project.”
Francesca says Sarah’s wallpaper hack may work from afar, but to improve the effect from close-up you can buy a few wooden batons that can be fixed to the wall with strong nails and glue. Many DIY shops will cut these down to the size you need. “They’re inexpensive and you don’t need many of them to achieve the look,” she adds.
“The big pieces of art work really well in here,” says Francesca. “If you want to buy cheaper pictures that look expensive the trick is to buy canvas artwork and then add a floating frame. You can purchase a floating frame kit for standard sizes of artwork relatively cheaply.”
Francesca says don’t be scared to buy a plain canvas and have a go yourself with a couple of colours you have used in your room. “It can look high-end and match perfectly,” she added.
Off the open-plan kitchen, separated by double oak doors, is the Riches’ second lounge. “This is our cosy room,” says Sarah. “We like to close it off and watch a film in here as a family.”
Sarah has chosen a minimalist classic look for their family room with hints of gold to “make it less clinical”. The couple chose to add panelling to the walls using wooden rods to give it a period feel.
Jay added LED strip lighting under the sofa which can be operated by remote control. The cream Chesterfield-style sofa was another of the couple’s bargain buys. With quotes in excess of £5,000 for a three-piece suite blowing the budget they went in search of a cheaper outlet shop rather than the mainstream sofa stores.
“With little ones, we knew we weren’t in the market to buy an expensive sofa that was likely to be ruined by little fingers so we went on the hunt for a bargain and stumbled across this Chesterfield-style for £400 reduced from £1,950. It didn’t come with matching chairs so I bought a pair of boucle-style ones from Homebase to sit in the bay window.”
Sarah snapped up the gold pictures at £30 a pair and the chandelier discounted from £400 to £90 from Choice, an outlet of Next that sells ex-display items or goods that have been slightly damaged.
Ikea Kallax cabinets, with gold legs bought separately from Amazon, topped by an arched mirror from B&M complete Sarah and Jay’s look.
As we head into spring, the Riches have turned their focus to the garden. A newly-erected pergola is ready in time to host friends as the weather finally warms. Next on the DIY list is to turn their pond and its hazardous rockery into a sunken trampoline and children’s play area.
Francesca says: “When it comes to upcycling or using budget furniture that you want to elevate, there are a few tips and tricks that can help you.
“I would recommend that you spend a bit more on the hardware, such as handles or knobs. By changing this you’ll create an instant impact. Sarah could change the handles on her Ikea cabinets to elevate the look further.
“Secondly, inexpensive furniture is generally a lot bulkier than more expensive pieces. When trying to enhance the look of a cheaper piece, think about ways to make it smaller. For example, swapping the legs for skinnier ones, like Sarah has done, or even taking out drawers and turning them into shelves. It makes a real difference.”
Francesca says the days of the three-piece suite are behind us so don’t be afraid to mix up your sofa with different accent chairs or a cuddle chair. “The key in making it all flow is to make sure they are all from the same colour palette.”
