Basmah Qazi
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Aussie mum's thrifty Kmart renovation hack

Home décor on a budget has become the latest phenomenon this past year, with creative women showing off their inspiring rooms that look a lot more expensive than they actually are.

The most recent is a mother who has stunned thousands after completely transforming her home for less than $20,000.

Stay-at-home mum Rebecca Townsend proudly shares photos of her creations through her Instagram account and says that except for the fireplace and air conditioning system, everything else is the result of her and her husband’s hard work.

She managed to find affordable duplicates of designer pieces in order to create a “slice of heaven” on a budget.

“With help from family and a lot of hard work, we’ve managed to not have one trade come through the house, we’re pretty proud of that,” she told the Daily Mail.

“We repurposed and recycled things to save on costs so we can splash out on big ticket items such as the mirror splash back and heater.”

The kitchen was torn down, including the surrounding four walls, only a few days after they moved into their new home.

Certain clock designs can put shoppers back hundreds of dollars, but thanks to Ms Townsend's savvy skills, she managed to find a replica for $19, which features a wooden backing to give a more rustic appearance.

To further cut down on costs, Ms Townsend purchased many items second-hand, which resulted in huge savings.

In the past, the mother-of-one shared her and her husband’s work after they decorated their bathroom using items from Kmart, ALDI and eBay, totalling to $800.

“You don’t need to spend a lot these days to get the designer look, you just need to be savvy, wait for the specials and shop around,” she said.

“The bathroom is the only room we didn’t rip apart the moment we moved in, we just cleverly designed it on a budget with items mostly from Kmart to make it more designer.”

Ms Townsend hopes that her décor-on-a-budget will help inspire other people to step out of their comfort zone.

Her and her husband worked together on this home project during the time their baby was on home oxygen and was in and out of hospital.

“After our son was born at 23 weeks gestation and spent 125 days in hospital, we bought this house when he was only seven months old and on home oxygen, but it didn’t deter us from creating a wonderful home for him to grow up and into,” she said.

“Whatever challenges you may face, don’t put renovating off if it will provide you with happiness, if we can do it on a budget through all our ups and downs, you can too.”

Tags:
Kmart, Decor, Hack, Budget