See how this homeowner saved over £1,500 by painting her own retro floor murals

We don’t think we’ll ever grow tired of seeing how people personalise their space, especially when they’re super creative like this clever DIYer. Working across three rooms, Instagrammer, Emma, from Staffordshire, saved £1,547 by painting her own retro floor murals – and they’re ultra colourful!

Making the decision to paint the floors in order to save on buying a patterned design, it’s saved Emma thousands of pounds. So, whether you’re after some kitchen floor ideas or are thinking of revamping tired hallway decor, glean inspiration from the three rooms that Emma has transformed here…

Before

The master bedroom was in need of a makeover, so Emma decided to revamp the entire space. ‘We actually had a carpet in this bedroom when we first decorated three years ago, but it just didn’t work for me,’ she recalls.

‘I had the idea of taking the carpet up and painting the floorboards myself. However, the floorboards weren’t in good enough condition to leave exposed, so we fitted new boards over the existing ones ourselves.’

By taking on the task to fit the new floorboards themselves, the couple saved around £500 on fitting fees – not a bad start to the project.

After

Here’s how to ensure your floor makes a statement! We love Emma’s choice of colours and how she’s echoed some in the furnishings and furniture.

‘Once we’d fitted the new floorboards, we primed and painted them with the background colour,’ says Emma. Her hand-painted floors are inspired by Orla Kiely’s popular prints. ‘

I made a scaled plan of the floor and pattern I wanted to create, then measured it all out and made a stencil. Most of the patterns I drew with a pencil and then painted them layer by layer to build up the colour, finishing off with three coats of floor varnish.’

Before

Another room Emma decided to tackle was the spare bedroom. Before its transformation the room had floral-printed curtains and bedding, along with red walls and a mirrored built-in wardrobe.

You won’t believe what it looks like now…

After

What a difference! That deep ochre floor colour works beautifully alongside burnt orange and olive green, with another strong design painted on.

‘We chose to paint the flooring as I can never find a carpet that really suits my style,’ says Emma. ‘I just found that it was a really interesting twist on the “feature wall“.’

This room doubles s a home office, with a small desk tucked into the alcove and shelves above – can you spot the Orla Kiely accessories?

The floor wasn’t the only transformation, either. Along with the ceiling, which Emma painted the same burnt orange colour as she used in her flooring design, the couple also built their own wardrobe doors with hand-made handles.

‘The doors were made to fit Ikea’s Pax wardrobes, to make them completely bespoke,’ says Emma. ‘We had the MDF cut to size at B&Q and then we primed, painted and varnished them ourselves. We made Orla Kiely-inspired handles from offcuts of MDF using our electric jigsaw and sander, too.’

Before

The final room to get an update was another spare room, which previously had an old floral wallpaper, pink curtains and a floor that was desperately in need of a revamp.

After

Emma’s love of retro style is displayed loud and clear in this room, from the painted floor to the mid-century furniture and striking wallpaper.

Having calculated that it would have cost approximately £2,183 to buy a similar-design flooring for each room, Emma was thrilled to have spent just £636 in total, saving a whopping £1,547. It just goes to show what you can do with something as simple as paint.

Creating her dream home through numerous DIY projects, Emma’s painted floors take the property’s interior to another level. ‘I love mixing pattern and colour with retro and industrial styles,’ she told online retailer Leader Floors.

You can see more of Emma’s home on Instagram at @ahouseonashbank. Which of these three floors is your favourite?

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