Frugal renter transforms gives his living room a sleek monochrome makeover with $300 worth of accessories from Kmart and Bunnings
- A renter upgraded his apartment with budgets items from Bunnings and Kmart
- Nathan Stokes stylishly transformed his living room for just $300
- Similar fixtures from high-end brands cost upwards of $2,100 – seven times more
- He decorated with $5 vinyl tiles, $19 storage cubes, $66 mirrors and $99 rugs
Nathan Stokes is renting while he saves for his dream home, but that hasn’t stopped him from styling his apartment just how he likes for a remarkably affordable price.
The Australian interior design enthusiast used $300 worth of budget accessories from Bunnings and Kmart to transform his living room into a stylish space complete with an enormous entertainment unit and a sleek monochromatic colour scheme.
In a Facebook post, Mr Stokes said he browsed similar fixtures from high-end brands but reconsidered when they tallied upwards of $2,100 – seven times more than his DIY makeover.
Interior enthusiast Nathan Stokes’ living room, styled with affordable accessories from Kmart and Bunnings
Mr Stokes painted two wicker chairs from Bunnings (pictured) to match the monochromatic colour scheme of the room
He built a TV stand out of eight $19 Kmart storage cubes and covered the top with three rolls of $5 Moroccan-inspired vinyl tiles from Bunnings.
He hung two $66 Bunnings mirrors alongside three framed prints he owned already, stringing them up with cloth tape to avoid chipping paint or boring holes in the wall.
The savvy decorator even got creative with spray paint, coating two wicker chairs from Bunnings jet black and a table from Kmart metallic gold to match the colour scheme.
He laid two $99 Bunnings rugs on the floor and dotted artificial plants around the room for a subtle splash of colour.
Mr Stokes bought the bulk of accessories from Bunnings, including two $66 mirrors (left) and two $99 floor rugs (bottom right)
Photos of the transformation have gone viral since they were posted in a decorating group on Facebook, with some so impressed by Mr Stokes’ skill, they asked him to makeover their homes as well.
One woman said: ‘Please feel free to come and do my house.’
A second added: ‘Love your work. Seriously I’d pay you to do my house up! I reckon you could combine my personality and your amazing style and presto, I’d have a gorgeous home like this.’
The television stand (pictured) is made from eight $19 Kmart storage cubes covered with three rolls of $5 vinyl tiles from Bunnings
Another joked: ‘Look. I’m just going to come straight out and ask… When can I move in?’
Others said the living room looked like something from the pages of an interiors magazine and encouraged Mr Stokes to should pursue a career in household design.
‘I hope you are studying for a degree of some kind in decorating, you are brilliant. Love how you say it’s all easy. Keep up the good work you are inspiring us!’ said a fan.