After spending most of your time indoors the past few months, we’re sure you’ve stared at your space and imagined a whole new look for it. You might think that a renovation would require a design professional and a bigger budget, but as one family proves, you can totally achieve a home makeover without spending too much!
Christine Año, a 23-year-old medical technologist was inspired to renovate their house in Tanza, Cavite after watching YouTube videos of home stylists Gila Salvador and Elle Uy. One of Uy’s makeovers that featured a tropical, minimalist theme caught Christine’s eye and she started to search for similar interiors on Pinterest.
How the Año home looked before the renovation: dark and cluttered.PHOTO BY Courtesy of Christine Año“After getting all the ideas that I liked, I started sketching the design and convinced my mother, Elena, to renovate our living and dining rooms,” she tells SmartParenting.com.ph. She also persuaded her father, Eduardo, to help out, since he was out of work and also stuck at home because of the community quarantine.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWThough she doesn’t have a design background, Christine admits she loved watching home renovation shows as a kid. She also likes doing arts and crafts and DIY (do-it-yourself) projects. “On my high school yearbook, I wrote ‘interior designer’ as my dream profession,” she shares.
A tropical home on a budget
Their new home looks so bright and refreshing!PHOTO BY Courtesy of Christine AñoChristine adjusted the theme to match their existing furniture, so they only needed to repaint the walls. “Since the color of our floor tiles is green and we owned black furniture, I decided to stick to a motif of black, green, and white with some plant accents,” she explains.
The dad and daughter duo started the renovations in April during Christine’s off days (she works as a frontliner at a multi-diagnostic clinic). While she bought some items online, most of the décor used in the makeover were DIY. “[My thinking is] Why buy new stuff when you can create better ones out of old materials?” Christine shares. “Aside from saving a lot of money, I can also customize it the way I want it to look like.”
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Take a look at how Christine and Eduardo transformed their living and dining areas!
TV console
Thanks to Christine’s dad, Eduardo, an old computer table was transformed into a TV stand!PHOTO BY Courtesy of Christine AñoOne of their major DIYs is the TV console. “We had an old computer table that was bulky and unwanted in the living room, so I asked my father if he can turn it into a TV console so that we wouldn’t have to buy a new one. I gave him a sketch and showed him how our media devices would fit in it,” Christine shares.
The display rack and LED letter box were bought from Lazada, while the synthetic plants and wall clock were bought from Shopee. They also made DIY shelves using leftover wood!PHOTO BY Courtesy of Christine AñoADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWAccent Wall
Christine got the geometric pattern from Pinterest!PHOTO BY Courtesy of Christine AñoWall décor
These letters were made from used boxes then painted black.PHOTO BY Courtesy of Christine AñoChristine shares that after she posted their home makeover online, she got a lot of inquiries about their wall frames. “At first, I thought of buying a frame that will match the theme of the living room, but the malls were closed and the huge frames available in the department stores cost too much — probably a thousand pesos just for one large frame,” Christine says. “I kept thinking of an alternative until one day, I saw the tarpaulin in our clinic. I realized I can print photos on the tarpaulin and just create a frame out of wood.”
Christine downloaded photos from Pinterest and made a layout using PowerPoint. She had the photos printed on a 2x3ft tarpaulin and asked her father to create the frames.PHOTO BY Courtesy of Christine AñoWhat other parents are reading
Couch and vanity
Christine bought the faux fur from Shopee and the curtains and lights (for the mirror) from Lazada.PHOTO BY Courtesy of Christine AñoADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWChristine upgraded their couch with tropical-themed pillowcases, which she bought from Vista Mall. The rest of the accessories were bought from Bonus and Parkson Shopping Center.
The total cost of the renovation? Around Php15,000! Christine offers a breakdown:
- Php3,000 for paint and other materials
- Php2,000 for the curtains
- Php3,000 for the home décor and accessories
- Php1,000 for the display rack
- Php4,000 for items purchased online
- Php1,000 for DIY frames
- Php800 for DIY shelves
How to achieve a DIY home makeover
Christine with her parents, Elena and Eduardo.PHOTO BY Courtesy of Christine AñoChristine shares that the whole family was overjoyed with their house’s new look. “It looks very different from before,” the 23-year-old says. “It’s a very big achievement and we enjoyed staying in and relaxing at home because of the cozy and vibrant vibe.”
If you’re feeling inspired to do a home improvement project, Christine offers the following tips:
1. Declutter.
This is the first step that the Año family did before renovating. “We decided to remove the stuff that were unwanted, unused, and were too much for the home. Then, you can either dispose it (we gave it to our relatives) or repurpose it.”
2. Choose a theme.
Anchor your renovation to a theme. Take the color of the walls, furniture, home décor and accessories into consideration and make sure it matches or complements each other. Christine notes, “Don’t buy too much stuff just because it’s attractive — think first if it will fit your chosen theme.”
3. Don’t be scared to DIY.
Christine encourages parents to create the stuff they want for the home instead of buying it. “You can watch several DIY tutorials on YouTube for references. Aside from saving money, you can choose what style you really want,” she says.
Want to share your home makeover? Email us at smartparentingsubmissions@gmail.com. For more home improvement and renovation ideas, click here.
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