A mum-of-two from Tunbridge Wells loves coming up with ways to make her house ‘bespoke on a budget.’
In fact, she’s already saved thousands on interior design by foraging, repurposing materials, buying second-hand items, upcycling, and using DIY hacks.
Now, Claire Douglas is encouraging others to give it a go too – by sharing her clever tricks.
The 39-year-old hopes people can open their minds to see how they can transform their homes – without breaking the bank.
Claire said: ‘Don’t settle for less just because of your budget restraints – you’ve just got to think creatively, be tenacious, don’t give up, and just look around you.
‘Think of ways of using the resources that are available, whether it be natural resources like foliage, greenery and flowers, your local woodland, or using charity shops or the Facebook Marketplace to get bargains, or even friends and family.
‘People are always, especially at this time of year, having clear-outs and would be happy to hand over things because they’re decluttering.’
Claire previously worked as a project manager – but, since the pandemic, has focused on interior design. Now, she posts handy tips and tutorials for room transformations and has racked up 24,000 followers on Instagram (@clairedouglasstyling).
After trial and error, she’s found a few creative ways to decorate her home, including using 50 cardboard postal tubes for £38, which she painted and secured in various spaces around her home – saving her thousands compared to the price of 3D wall coverings.
She also secured chicken wire on a wall, and then placed greenery and twigs in the various slots to create an abstract design.
The interior design content creator stresses she loves using nature in her home – for a simple cost-free lift.
She added: ‘I think if you can bring anything from nature into your home, it’s going to help you.
‘For me, I find it calm being (around nature) and having natural textures in the house, and especially at the moment when everything is so grey and dark… so if you can incorporate that kind of thing into your room, then I think it does uplift you and make you feel positive.’
Claire suggests changing small things – such as cupboard or door handles – which you can buy cheaply online, or using tester paint pots to add colour to a room or an object.
She also loves using microcement – an inexpensive cement-based coating which can be applied thinly to any sound surface to add texture or strength – as well as IKEA hacks.
The mum added: ‘If you see things that you like and you just can’t afford them for whatever reason, there’s always a way, there’s always a creative solution.
‘It might not be exactly the same, but you can always interpret things, whether it be a style or a texture or a colour or something.
‘Particularly with people working from home, we’re in our houses so much now and you really want it to be a place where it does spark joy when you look around and make you feel uplifted and positive.
‘So, I think the more time and effort you spend in thinking about your rooms and making them personal to you, I think you will reap the rewards.’
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