The first DIY they actually ever did in their home was craft a built-in gate for their stairs when they couldn’t find a baby gate that fit their bannister. “So my husband and my father-in-law built it from a cot, drilled it into the wall and the bannister, and I eventually painted it the same color as the wall going up the stairs,” Salma writes.

One of Salma’s proudest DIY projects can be found in the living room. “I wanted this room to be the adult room that had all my ornaments I had collected and loved and that had been passed down to me,” she begins. “A place my husband and I could retreat to in the evening, but also a big room that our guests can all sit in and enjoy.” She was also looking to figure out the fireplace area, which she wanted built-in bookshelves around but was quoted almost $2000 to get it done professionally (out of their budget).

So the couple hacked IKEA’s BILLY bookcases, adding trim to the doors, a scallop trim to the top, and painted them, all for under $750. “We did it in our spare time, which is normally evenings, so the timeline was about two months with how much we had to paint and build them,” she writes. The living room isn’t the only place with IKEA hacks, though. The playroom has a ton of storage, thanks to the IKEA KALLAXs that line one wall.

Salma explains the bedrooms mostly got cosmetic updates like paint, wallpaper, lighting, and more (she estimates that each bedroom cost under £500), but the bathroom and kitchen/playroom were the biggest renovations. They hired professionals to “move” the kitchen to the other side of the room where a utility room (and plumbing) were.

They got rid of the kitchen’s upper cabinet and installed open shelving, and they kept the existing bottom cabinets but painted them green. They added an IKEA built-in fridge/freezer cabinet (also painted green) and built a larder next to that. Along with an island made from existing kitchen cabinets, budget countertops, floor and wall tiles, and some new appliances, Salma says the new kitchen cost them just under $10K.

• Playroom — Lick “Blue 04”
• Landing Ceiling — Frenchic “Dusky Blush”
• Entry Walls — B&Q “Dulux Easycare Blush Pink Matt Emulsion”
• Stair Paint — Frenchie Paint “Smudge”
• Living Room — Rust-oleum “Lilac Wine”
• Playroom — Lick “Blue 04”
• Cupboard Paint — Rust-oleum “All Green”
• Kitchen Island — B&Q Lick “Pink 10 Eggshell Emulsion paint”
• Kitchen Walls — B&Q “Dulux Mellow Mocha Silk Emulsion”
• Booth Colour block — I Mixed Several Paints to Get That Colour
• Bedroom Paneling — Rust-oleum “Violet Macaroon”
• Bedroom Wallpaper — Wayfair
• Bathroom — Dunelm “Seafoam”

• Shoe Storage — Argos
• Rug — Wayfair

• Billy Bookcase — IKEA
• Billy Oxberg Bookcase — IKEA
• Sofa — MADE
• Rug — Debenhams
• Cuddle Chair — Furniture 123
• Footstool — Furniture 123

• Shelving — IKEA
• Drawers — IKEA
• Doors — IKEA
• Wallpaper — Dunelm
• Sofa — DFS
• Rug — La Redoute
• Wall Shelves — IKEA
• Toy Kitchen — IKEA

• Countertops — Wickes
• Pantry — IKEA
• Wall Tiles — Tile Mountain
• Floor Tiles — Tile Warehouse “Amstel Anthracite Stone Effect & Amstel Grey Stone Effect”

• Rug — Rugvista
• Bathtub — Plumb World
• Shower — Victoria Plum
• Wall Tile — Tile Mountain
• Floor Tile — Total Tiles
• Chair — B&Q

Thanks, Selma!

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

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