Southsea woman transforms her kitchen for less than £100 in isolation creation DIY project

After being furloughed from her job as assistant manager of Dune in Gunwharf, Hayley Derry had plenty of time on her hands to take on some isolation creations.

Hayley and her partner Lee Richards bought their first home in November 2018, with dreams of improving the look of the property through their own hard work.

‘Since buying my first home I always had the idea of replacing the kitchen but it’s not cheap to just rip it all out and start again especially when the kitchen isn’t in that bad of a condition,’ said Hayley, who is isolating with Lee and their miniature dachshund Clarence.

‘I successfully taught myself how to tile, took the cupboards off the wall and put up industrial style shelves to open up the space. I upcycled the handles and cupboards all for under £100.

‘I just wanted to show that you don’t need to spend thousands of pounds ripping out a good kitchen.’

The 30-year-old has been sharing her journey on her Instagram account @southsea.abode after teaching herself some DIY skills in isolation.

She has been amazed by the response to her work, gaining more than 3,500 followers and getting tips from other upcyclers and creators.

Hayley said: ‘At first I was doing it for a laugh but in the last year I have really put some effort into it to build a profile.

‘My dream job would be to design people’s houses, that would be amazing so I thought this was a good place to start.

‘I have always had a taste for fashion and latest trends. Instead of looking at clothes all the time, I was looking at interiors. We have tried to put a lot of personality into the house.’

Hoping to inspire others to use some of their spare time to beautify their homes, Hayley has been sharing plenty of DIY tips on her profile, from a DIY pallet herb garden to how to spray paint old radiators.

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