Looking to transform your space on a budget? It's surprising what you can achieve with a few creative painting tricks.
I’m Lorna McMahon, 33, a bank manager, and I share my interiors on Instagram @atthemacs. I live here with my husband Rob, 36, a plasterer, and our three year old son, Henry.
Where I live… We’ve lived in our five bed, 1930s detached house in Shoeburyness in Essex since October 2021.
My favourite room… The living room because it’s decorated in calming shades. It’s the perfect place to relax in.
‘When we started house hunting, my husband and I were looking for a refurbished home, but fate had different plans! We stumbled upon this fixer-upper property online, and as soon as I saw it, I could picture our future here. It wasn’t our plan to take on a huge renovation, especially as I had a newborn at the time, but life has a funny way of surprising us sometimes!
The untouched decor was a blast from the past. Every wall was covered with 1980s wallpaper and the wooden units in the kitchen had been painted with white emulsion, which looked scuffed and awful as it was the wrong type of paint. There were also hedgehog-patterned tiles on the walls, so we called it the ‘Tiggy-Winkle room’, after the hedgehog in Beatrix Potter’s story!
There was an old extension at the back that needed attention, and the upstairs layout needed to be re-jigged. We also had a damp problem in the main bedroom. We’re still saving to do the kitchen extension and a bathroom reno, but in the meantime I’ve been able to test out decorating ideas and colour schemes in the other rooms.
This home is a testament to our hard work. This house is our dream home and I love that each room now reflects our personality
Lorna McMahon
Along the way, we’ve uncovered hidden fireplaces behind bricked-up walls, added bespoke radiators and made our own plaster coving. Our home is a testament to all our hard work. This house is our dream home and I love that each room now reflects our personality.’
When we moved into this house, our plan was to renovate it from top to bottom, eventually replacing the bathroom and building a new kitchen extension. We couldn’t afford to do the building work straight away, so in the short term I decided to makeover the most-used rooms to turn them into a family-friendly space that we could enjoy.
We tackled most of the projects ourselves, and our weekends were spent installing new coving, plastering walls, and ripping up the old carpets. Rob tackled the damp issue in the main bedroom shortly after moving in, while I gave the rooms a glow up using paint, wallpaper and accessories. It’s taken time for this house to feel like home to us, but now it reflects our style and tastes.
Living room (pictured above)
Last October, we embarked on a lengthy renovation of this room. I took a risk by painting our ceiling in green and was apprehensive at first, but now I absolutely love the cosy feeling the colour brings to the room.
We installed wall panelling, then painted the walls the same tone as the upstairs rooms. Our biggest change was opening up the fireplace to make it a focal point, and installing an electric stove. I found the wooden surround on Facebook Marketplace for £40. Inside the hearth, I installed tiles with a retro orange design from Walls and Floors.
Rob built custom shelving and I sourced vintage furniture for the room alongside a sofa from Cozmo, which I love because it has changeable upholstery covers.
Living room-diner
We plan to knock down an internal wall in the dining room as part of our bigger kitchen renovation plans, but decided to give the room a mini freshen-up in the short term.
My husband argued against stripping the walls in case huge chunks of the plaster came off with the wallpaper. And, despite my curiosity about what lay beneath the cladded ceiling, we decided to leave it untouched as we feared the unknown! Instead, I painted over the original wallpaper in calming cream and green as a temporary makeover.
To create distinct areas within the open-plan room, I painted the walls green up to dado rail height. Fortunately, the engineered oak flooring was in great shape. I scoured online shops for accessories to finish it, like the generous rug from La Redoute, and found affordable frames from George Home for the gallery wall. All in all, it took me a long weekend to give the space the spruce up it needed.
Kitchen
Eventually, we plan to rip out this Nineties kitchen when we build the new extension. In the short term, I gave it a new look using paint and decided to experiment with colour and pattern.
Shortly after we moved in, I painted it blue, but I wasn’t a fan. So, for my birthday I took a week off work to give the kitchen another makeover. I started by painting the wooden cabinets and updating the hardware with gold handles found on Amazon, then I covered over the hedgehog-patterned tiles with tile paint as a base for a patterned design.
I played around with masking tape to create shapes on the tiled splashback and walls, then I used yellow paint for the design. I found the black and white wallpaper after I’d painted the tiles and it matched perfectly. I kept the same flooring but used a grout pen to freshen up the lines, and I painted the white uPVC doors and windows black. I then styled the space with natural textures.
I’m so pleased I got to try out the different colours and patterns in here before we invest in a brand-new kitchen. It’s helped me avoid making expensive mistakes.
Hallway
I wanted to connect the upstairs rooms with the ground floor so that the whole house flows together, so chose a soft teal for the walls to reflect the blues and greens I’ve used elsewhere. To keep the space feeling light and bright, I only painted the colour up to the dado rail.
Again, this decorating job is a temporary fix until we do the extension, which meant I painted over the existing wallpaper. I also installed a radiator cover, painted in the same hue, so I could style it up with a mirror and accessories to give the entranceway a bit of personality.
Main bedroom
This bedroom was one of the first rooms we tackled. We cleared out everything – the carpets, layers of wallpaper and ugly built-in furniture. There were radiators in odd places, like in the alcoves, so we had them removed too.
A friend helped us install a custom-made radiator into the curved bay window. It was a team effort! Rob sorted out the damp proof course and replastered the walls, then I painted everything.
Since we live near the sea, I wanted a coastal vibe, and went for a fresh and inviting atmosphere. I found arranging the furniture in here a challenge, as I had to work around the curved bay and a chimney breast. Using masking tape, we mapped out the furniture onto the floor to find the best layout.
Rob fitted wooden slatted panelling to create a stylish backdrop for the bed, and I found a lovely cast iron fireplace on Facebook Marketplace that fits perfectly. It looks like it’s always been in this room.
Bathroom
The house came with this blue bathroom with a layout that features a separate toilet and bathing area. Eventually, we’ll reconfigure the back of the house, including the bathroom. This means we can move some walls and turn it into a more family-friendly space.
Bathrooms (and kitchens) are a big purchase so I’ll stick with what I love, being mindful of how my own style has changed over time. Rob and I married in Bali and I’d love a space that transported me back there, with natural stone, wood tones and lots of greenery.
Creating lots of light will be important for me and also for the many plants I plan to have in here! We have a few treasures from Bali to display, too.
How to paint wall tiles like a pro
Follow these top tips for painting over old-fashioned wall tiles to freshen up your space on a budget
- Before painting, thoroughly scrub your tiles to remove any dirt, grease and grime. Rinse with clean water and allow them to dry completely. Next, lightly sand the tiles to create a rough surface that will help the paint to adhere.
- Not all paints are suitable for tile surfaces. Look for specialist paints designed for tiles. These paints are durable, moisture-resistant, and will adhere well to the smooth surface of the tiles.
- Applying a good-quality primer is essential when painting tiles. Primer helps your tile paint adhere better and ensures a smooth and long-lasting finish. Apply the primer evenly with a brush or small roller and allow it to dry completely as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
- When painting the tiles, use a high-quality brush or roller for an even coverage. Apply the paint in thin, even coats, working in small sections at a time. Avoid applying too much paint at once to prevent drips and runs. Allow each coat to dry completely before applying the next one.
- Once the paint has dried thoroughly, finish the job by applying a clear sealant topcoat. This will protect the paint from moisture, stains, and everyday wear and tear.
What I learned
A word of advice: never renovate a room just before Christmas, it’s chaos! After making that mistake myself, I’ve learned to set realistic timelines and not rush headlong into things.
Just because you’re waiting to do bigger building projects, it doesn’t mean that you can’t make your home your own with a lick of paint and a lot of imagination.
My style has evolved hugely over time, and I’m inspired by fresh coastal colours as well as warm, earthy tones.
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