Mum transforms 'dated' kitchen using bargains from The Range, Dunelm and IKEA

Renovating a kitchen can be expensive, but one mum has managed to completely transform hers for just £350 thanks to high street bargains.

Stephanie McCormick, 33, decided to transform her “dated” kitchen herself while sticking to a strict budget. As reported by LatestDeals, Stephanie told money-saving Facebook group DIY On A Budget UK: "We made the leap onto the property ladder in October 2021 when we purchased a three-bedroom detached bungalow in the rural village of Clovenfords in the Scottish Borders.

"While the house was in a good state of repair, it needed to be brought up to date and a bit of our own style splashed onto it! The kitchen in particular was your typical 15-year-old, light beech laminate look, but it was in great condition.

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“The tiny pot of savings we had left over after purchasing the house certainly wouldn't stretch to the thousands we had been quoted for a re-fit. I had used Frenchic previously on wooden furniture that I'd bought on Marketplace and absolutely loved the finish, but I'll admit I was concerned about the longevity of the finish on laminate and in such a high-use area.”

Stephanie and her family decided to brighten the kitchen with white walls, tiles and blinds. She said: "I love industrial chic so the dark grey shade Smudge from Frenchic teamed with copper T-bar handles from Amazon and accessories was a natural choice for me.

Stephanie used high street bargains to keep costs low. (LatestDeals.co.uk)

"I incorporated geometric shapes with the blind from English Blinds Online and the vinyl on the inside of the glass cupboard doors. The process started with removing all the cupboard doors. Be sure to number them so you can put them back in the right place!

"Everything was scrubbed with sugar soap and lightly sanded with 120 grit paper. I chose to paint the inside of the doors and the edges of the carcass for a more professional finish. The insides of the doors were given three coats, outsides of the doors and any more visible places were given four coats with two hours drying time between coats.

"I used a Frenchic oval brush, as I didn't like the bobbly finish of a roller. As it's the Al Fresco range, it doesn't need sealing and I love the matte finish. The tiles were scrubbed and lightly sanded and given three coats of Dazzle Me using a brush.

"The walls also had two coats of Dazzle Me. It makes for a beautiful contrast against Smudge and keeps the room lovely and bright. I purchased lots of trailing plants and trendy succulents from Dunelm, The Range and IKEA, and some geometric wall planters to accessorise. I also found some lovely bright copper utensils at Studio that look fab hung above the hob as a focal point.”

The family's kitchen before the renovation. (LatestDeals.co.uk)

Stephanie decided to keep the original floor tiles to save money. She said: “The grey grout ties in nicely. We did change the sockets and downlighters for more modern black nickel ones which have given a lovely high end finish too from Screwfix. The kettle, toaster, mug tree and kitchen roll pole are from the Tower Cavalletto range. They are the perfect shade of grey with copper accent.”

The project took around two weeks to complete. Stephanie continued: "We are absolutely delighted with the overall look and all on a budget of approximately £350. The slate grey kitchen that we originally liked was over £8,000 for the number of units we had, and that was the cheaper end of the scale.

"We are absolutely delighted to have made such a saving and also to have saved a perfectly good kitchen from landfill. The money we've saved means we have enough to redecorate the rest of the house now!”

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