Home renovation and styling influencer Sophie shared some simple tips that helped her transform her kitchen into a “bespoke kitchen” while staying on a tight budget. The mum-of-two, who shares interior design videos on Instagram and TikTok under the username @home_by_the_cloud, revealed her family was able to save £8,500 throughout the renovation project.
According to Sophie, the solution is to take some things into your own hands. And while a little extra work may have gone into creating their dream kitchen, TikTok viewers have described the end result as “gorgeous.”
In a video, Sophie explained: “We created our bespoke kitchen on a budget. We bought a standard inframe kitchen and added a mantle, baseboard, cornice and finishing pillars.”
She and her family didn’t have a kitchen for five months during the renovations, which might be a little longer than if they hired a team to do every job. However, to stay on budget, Sophie decided to do some work herself.
She explained that she “saved money” by doing all the decorating with her partner. “[We] did all the decorating ourselves and saved £700,” she said.
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The £700 saving meant the family could buy a new fridge freezer without going over budget.
When scouting for deals on her kitchen, Sophie explained in a comment to fans: “We were quoted £16,000 from B&Q and £14,000 from Howdens but ended up paying £8,000 from DIY Kitchens.”
In her video, she continued: “[We] planned the kitchen myself and bought it from DIY Kitchens and saved £5,600. [And] bought our flooring from a factory flooring store and saved £2,200.”
Although the couple opted for a standard fitted kitchen, they managed to upgrade the look with a few simple tweaks.
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The £700 saving meant the family could buy a new fridge freezer without going over budget.
When scouting for deals on her kitchen, Sophie explained in a comment to fans: “We were quoted £16,000 from B&Q and £14,000 from Howdens but ended up paying £8,000 from DIY Kitchens.”
In her video, she continued: “[We] planned the kitchen myself and bought it from DIY Kitchens and saved £5,600. [And] bought our flooring from a factory flooring store and saved £2,200.”
Although the couple opted for a standard fitted kitchen, they managed to upgrade the look with a few simple tweaks.
Sophie recommends “fitting skirting boards to the underside of the kitchen furniture” and painting them the same color as the cabinet doors.
One of their main suggestions is the addition of a mantel, which is positioned above the hob in the case of their kitchen. The coat disguises the range hood in a much more chic and traditional way.
Sophie also suggests implementing a cornice, a cabinet trim that attaches to the top of kitchen wall cabinets.
TikTok viewers applauded the effort and savings Sophie made, with one person saying, “You’ve saved a lot over £700 for a space this size and no doubt you’ve done a better job as DIY has no time limit.” Another A user named Mary added, “Very nice, great work.”
How to breathe new life into your kitchen for less than €50
If you can’t afford to completely renovate your kitchen, you can breathe new life into it with a splash of colour. Tash Bradley, director of interior design at Lick Paint, told Express.co.uk how she managed to makeover her kitchen with a £42 can of paint.
We have a place that we just decorated this weekend,” she explained. “The kitchen was disgusting, but I didn’t want to get a new kitchen.”
Tash continued: “Honestly I thought a new kitchen could cost £10,000 and I don’t have £10,000 so I said we’d only spend two days on it [painting it].” She chose a light color to add some “fun” to the room and went to work painting the existing cabinets.
“You only need a can of paint,” she explained. “I’ve never done a kitchen project where you need more than one can and I find the difference it makes is unreal.”
Before you go to work painting your kitchen, be sure to check what type of paint you are using on your surfaces. Next, remove all handles and fasteners.
To achieve the best results, Tash urges homeowners to pay close attention to the prep process. “If you prepare it properly, you don’t need a primer,” she said.
For some materials, this may mean sanding the surface to allow the paint to adhere. For others, the color can be applied directly.